Newbie to Chickens

[bcadybug]

Newbie here.... I normally stay over in the Goat Forum since I don't have any other livestock UNTIL...... THIS YEAR! I don’t know what happened or when it happened (well yes I do, it was on March 13th when the new Tractor Supply Store opened up close by) but I've gone FULL THROTTLE chicken obsessed!

We have 24 broiler chicks that are about 3 weeks old... they are GROSS and growing freakishly by the hour.

We also have 9 laying pullets (I hope that's the right term, they are girls), 6 White Leghorns and 3 Rhode Island Red, also about 3 weeks old.

I ALSO ran out bought an incubator and filled it with 3 dozen mixed layer-type eggs; it is on day 14.

Everyone used to call me the crazy goat lady... but since I have more chickens then I do goats now.... they're calling me the crazy CHICKEN LADY! Lol

Thanks for reading to my rambling... I'm a little bit excited!

Valerie

[SJSFarm]

Congrats!
I've never had the Cornish, but I understand that one needs to remove the feed overnight or many die due to leg problems and heart attacks!
This is what has kept me from them.

I picked up 15 layers from TSC at $.49 each and then some others at $1.50 (the true blue egg layers). I couldn't pass up those prices.
I have many people asking if I'm doing eggs (comeon guys, they are only 1 month old!).

I hope you have a secure coop, the raccoons find them very quickly.
Hot wire works well for them.

Good luck and welcome to the love and peace of livestock!

Those naysayers simply don't understand the therapy one can get from the animals.

[bcadybug]

Thanks SJSFarm!

Here's a couple pictures of the girls and their coop/run..... just let them out for the first time over the weekend. It was a bit cool so they didn't stay out long. Today its supposed to be in the 70-80s and sunny so I asked the hubby to open up the coop door.

OH, and tomorrow is day 21 for my incubator!!!!!!!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas!!!!!!!!

Val

[Awnry Abe]

My DD is a crazy chicken lady. 'Obsessed' doesn't quite capture her craziness. 'Pullet(s)' is correct.

The broilers are definately gross at that age. We raise a few Cornish X. At a certain point they look like they out grew their pajamas and have pink flesh hanging out all over. Unfortunately, all of that fills in by the time the jammies need to come off.

[Marilyn]

If the Cornish X's gross you out, you might look into Freedom Rangers. Ajaxlucy introduced me to them last year and I can hardly wait to do it all over again! They are pretty fast-growing, but not as fast as Cornish X's. They don't have the leg or heart problems either. Heck, they're even good foragers. We raised ours in a tractor because of loose dogs in the area, but Ajaxlucy free ranges hers. We were very pleased with taste, texture and size.

[Mulegirl]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

If the Cornish X's gross you out, you might look into Freedom Rangers. Ajaxlucy introduced me to them last year and I can hardly wait to do it all over again! They are pretty fast-growing, but not as fast as Cornish X's. They don't have the leg or heart problems either. Heck, they're even good foragers. We raised ours in a tractor because of loose dogs in the area, but Ajaxlucy free ranges hers. We were very pleased with taste, texture and size.

I am really glad to hear this--we've got 9 3-4 CornishX right now, and they are the saddest excuses for chickens I've ever seen in my life. I'm not sure I can ever buy them again, and am really hoping that the "Rainbow Rangers" we've got coming in about a month are not half so sad and un-chicken-like.