Comments on: More chicken madness

By: El

El — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:20:34 +0000

Wow B: 31 egg-laying critters too! Having only had a maximum of 12 this is all-new territory for me. Now dang I will actually need to count them when putting them to bed!! I do hope that little one is a Mille Fleur: they're so pretty. Oh yeah MC, there are hundreds. Here is a pretty good site that compares chickens to chickens. Bantams are only 1/3-1/2 the size of normal ones so they'll be between 2 and 4 pounds if that. They can be tamed and are known to lay on everyone's eggs so that's pretty key. You know, Pamela, I have heard nightmarish stories about turkeys too. But Tom and I were chatting and we thought if we had started with turkeys then chickens would seem unsocial and weird. We adore our two turkeys, plus the baby! Maybe the key is only have a couple. I have heard that the toms can be fairly aggressive to each other if you have more than one.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:56:20 +0000

I love Tom’s take-two-they’re-small approach. I haven’t been back to the feed store for a bit; I should go and see if they’ve gotten their turkeys yet. My cousin has been telling me horror stories about turkeys, but they’re still on my list. I should probably be content with the queen and her duck boyfriend.

By: Mangochild

Mangochild — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:19:56 +0000

I never knew there were so many different species/kinds. You said they were half-sized, about how big? Do they remain small?

By: Bláithín

Bláithín — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:44:09 +0000

Such cute little critters! Who can’t love a peep/chicken?! El, we have exactly the same number of chickens…31! Must be the magical number. As far as bedding goes, yeah, chickies are clueless as to what is bedding and what is food. The first day I had mine I was using ground corn cobs, but was horrified to see them pecking around in them and eating the stuff, so I switched to wood shavings (pine, and fairly big pieces so there was really not much they could be eating). Newspaper is supposedly bad because, as you said, it’s slippery and can cause spraddle leg. Paper towels, on the other hand, are supposedly OK because of their slightly rough surface. Maybe your feather-footed chickie is a Mille Fleur…I had some years ago and loved those little guys. Would dearly love to get some more. They’re great mommies!

By: El

El — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:14:42 +0000

Hi Linda. If you raise them with chicks they act more like chickens than not. They supposedly need game/waterfowl feed instead of chicken feed but I just give them the same food. That said, they’re very wild creatures; they’re very flighty, very loud, and tend to nest in trees unless (like I said) they think they’re chickens. We won’t be getting any more, ever. They do outlay the chickens though during the summer: consistently an egg a day between April and when the light fails in late September. Then, no eggs. So, if you don’t have neighbors, if you don’t mind noise, they might be your birds!

In their defense I will say they don’t scratch, and they’re crazy bug-eaters so it is quite nice to see the three of them going around on the lawn together eating their bugs. They follow Tom’s lawn tractor when he mows. They look out for each other in a way chickens do not: when they lay they all lay, or one waits while the other two do, “keeping watch.” When one is missing YOU KNOW IT. So, they have their good points but I prefer chickens!

By: dayphoto

dayphoto — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:41:53 +0000

Are guineas hard to raise? I have been thinking of getting some, but haven’t yet. Do they require different feed and a different place to rest than chickens?

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

By: grandmabecker

grandmabecker — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:22:07 +0000

I have been trying to talk my hubby into chicken for years now. He just thinks it is too much work.
I so wish I could try just once. I would like some layers and meat chicken.
A few years ago, my girlfriend and I did meat chickens on her farm, across the street from our place. They were soooo good!!
I grow lots of fruit and veggies and flowers, but no critters. I have a little foo-foo dog in the house. We have 6 acres and could do chickens. I try every year. I leave chicken reading info all over the house for hubby to see! Maybe, after he retires.
Beautiful day here near the St Clair River and Canada.
Go Wings!!!

By: El

El — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:10:32 +0000

Hi Jenifer,

For the first week I use towels. In general they don’t yet know food from bedding! Other folks have used newspaper etc. but I think that’s too slippery. I have known other people who’ve used things like shelf liner (that plastic cushiony stuff); they just hosed it off daily. But yeah, after a week, they’re somewhat savvy so I switch them to wood shavings. Corn cobs are fine too. So are things like alfalfa pellets (goat/sheep/horse feed). Hope that helps!

By: Jenifer

Jenifer — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:21:47 +0000

El,
What is the bedding in the first picture? It looks like a towel? My very first chicks are coming May 18. Our feed store is recommending ground corn cobs. What do you use in the brooder?