It has been a few days since I gave you all an update on my 14 beautiful ladies. Well, they are doing fabulous and I am more attached than ever! We have still not finished their coop or built their pen {poor babies} but hopefully soon it will dry out here and we can get out there and build them a run that will give them the space they deserve.
Currently they live in their coop but within the coop they are still kept in their cardboard brooder and are growing out of it fast! I cannot believe how big they have gotten in 7 weeks time – they look like chickens now, my baby chicks are officially gone {for this year ;)} They drink gallons of water now per week and eat a large bag of feed in 2-3 weeks easily. But thats alright by me, they are big & healthy and in just 2-3 months we may actually start getting eggs from them! Now, my chickens were straight run from the breeder, meaning they were not sexed. I still do not know how many roosters I have, if any. All the research I have done told me I could possibly start hearing them crow at 6 weeks and so far, to date, all I have heard is clucking..but I’m not holding my breath!
I think my ladies have gotten so beautiful – sure, they are just chickens to many..but they are beautiful pets to me that I hold, cuddle and talk to on a daily basis. They are part of my farm life dream and I am so happy that they call this farm home!
Now, I love all my chickens equally..but I do have to say I have always {since day 1} been quite partial to my silver Wyandotte, Eleanor. She was always the chick that would be more interested in looking up at me than the food or water that everyone else around here was fighting over. When I would put my hand down in the brooder she would happily oblige, jumping in to my palm and allow me to hold her for hours on end. Of course, now that she is older she does run away a little more now but won’t squawk when I pick her up and settled down for a long rest as soon as she is in my arms. In fact the other day Adam helped her climb up my shoulder where she sat, quite happily, for a long time!
Being a girl from the city, I never imagined I’d own my own chickens some day but now that it has happened for me – I couldn’t imagine it any other way!
dawn - Hi Dawn,
I love love your ladies and how happy they make you!! You should be very proud of all you’ve done and the loving care you give them. How exciting to have them in your life, have to admit to still being jealous of your farm life. Would love to wake up to this everyday. Keep doing what your doing and before long you will have eggs, yipppee!!!
Your ladies look beautiful by the way!!