The biddies are here! Fifteen fluffballs made the trip from the feed store to the house in a small cardboard box I held on my lap.
I asked for laying hens for Christmas, but we did not find any for sale these past few weeks, so I gave up and decided to raise my own again. We used to do that years ago, and it will be fun to try them again. Thse little ones are all pullets (girls), so I'll be looking for a rooster after they're grown.
What kind of chickens are they? Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, and Buff Orpingtons for big brown eggs, Araucanas for green and blue eggs, and a few Leghorns because even though they lay only white eggs, they lay year-round, while the others take a break to molt every so often.
Here is their first home with us--a Christmas tote quickly emptied, a heat lamp put together, some pine bedding, a feeder and a waterer, and a cozy place near the woodstove, in front of the glass door.
It didn't take them long to find the feed!
We'll keep them indoors for a while, then move them out to the chicken coop in a confined spot where we can still keep the heat lamp hooked up for them. In 4-6 months, we should have fresh eggs again.
They are so cute! Good luck with the egg-venture.
ReplyDeleteSeeing those peeps brings back a couple of memories - my dad tried to raise peeps once when I was little - they came by mail order delivery - it was a disaster. And I really laughed out loud when I read that you bought Buff Orpingtons - I couldn't believe it - my grandmother called her big green Studebaker "Mrs. Buff Orpington" - she loved words and I bet she just liked the sound of that name.
ReplyDeleteKeep us posted on their progress.
Ellouise
I have a friend who sometimes gives me green and blue eggs--he calls them "party eggs." I love that (and fresh eggs, too).
ReplyDeleteWell... there's my answer - they are all girls! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteMr. Buff Orpington! I love it! I had hoped to get some Barred Rocks (called domineckers here) and some Golden Comets too, but they didn't have those kinds. I've never raised Wyandottes before, or the buffs. So I'm intrigued to see what they'll be like.
ReplyDelete