Hey Steemies! Finally, I am getting around to some more of my animals! I currently have 21 chickens!
I'll tell ya the truth, I was kind of scared of chickens before... Well, only the adult ones.
Why chickens, Adrienne?
Our chickens are currently only technically meant for egg production. Though I do realize that in the future we may use them for meat. Which is why they don't have any real names. All of our animals (except for pets) have multiple purposes. Our chickens currently provide us with manure for the compost which will turn into fantastic fertilizer. Soon, hopefully... They will start laying eggs. They should start by mid-July! If we ever have a problem with a mean rooster, he will more than likely end up in the crockpot. That has yet to happen, but, it is a possibility that I've surprisingly accepted (we will see what actually happens when the time comes! haha).
I haven't named them in hopes to not get so attached. I let my chickens free range (I have 20 acres, it feels wrong not to!) and there is the constant threat of predators like birds of prey and coyotes. It will happen one day that I will be missing a chicken. It's not that I want it to happen, I just want them to be happy and roam free doing their chicken thing.
Anyway, back to it, I have 21 chickens of 6 different breeds and 2 of those 21 chickens are roosters!
So far, the count is:
- 4 - Easter Eggers (weirdos)
- 2 - Silver Laced Wyandottes (assholes)
- 2 - Australorps (scaredy cats)
- 3 - Welsummers (indifferent)
- 3 - Cuckoo Marans (also indifferent?)
- 4 - Salmon Faverolles (complete idiots)
- 3 - Blue Langshans (pretty cool, actually).
Over a while, I will post information about my individual chicken breeds, get good pics of them, and why I chose them!
So here are some pictures of my chickens. They're weirdos. Only one of them is real friendly, she runs up to me and seems excited to see me. The others could take me or leave me, unless I've got food, of course.
I don't know how some people do it, but they manage to get real great images of their chickens. Me, I take 100 pics and get 2 MAYBE 3 useable images. Ah well. So that's what you get for now! That's not all of them. It's actually a little overwhelming now with 21 chickens when they surround me. They're hard to take pics of, maybe my chickens are just on crack or something, too hyper or something.
SOON. I plan to share the chicken coop, about my specific chicken breeds, and things like that. Cross your fingers for my freeloaders, they need to start laying soon! haha.
I've started introducing Chickens! Come meet some!
Photos by me using my iPhone 6s, unless stated otherwise!
Check out my most recent Steemit Posts.
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Blog Series
- Nature on the Farmstead - These posts will be educational and informative about the nature that happens on my farmstead. Look forward to posts about wild animals, birds, wildflowers and plants, insects, and more!
- Just click here to see all my posts in one place!
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WOW, great post, love the pics, altho, I've never cared for chickens myself, well, since that rooster landed on top of my head and started clawing away, I think I was about 5 lol.... but there are some pretty strange looking ones. You'll have to post the eggs too, or, rather, the first egg you get... kind-of like putting that first dollar you earn from a business in a frame LOL... raining so much here if I did have chickens, they'd have mold!
I was afraid of chickens, but since I got them as babies I am not scared of them much at all. I do watch my back a bit around the roosters, but they've gotten a boot a time or two and so give me a wide girth.
I will definitely be sharing when someone lays their first egg! Absolutely. I might pee myself out of excitement. These guys are expensive glorified pets at the moment... So I am ready for that return! Haha.
Great pictures of your chickens! Over the last 4 years our chickens have begun to raise themselves in a semi-wild manner, the eggs we never find become a new generation. We have a mostly wild breed of chicken now, but they still seem to prefer my porch for pooping!
Isn't that the truth?? Crazy things! We ended up fencing them out of the "backyard" area because my dog was eating SO MUCH poop!! It was disgusting. Hat and they trampled the rhubarb and husband drew the line! Haha!
I have always wanted chickens, but have never been to, dogs chase them and not enough room for them.
i'm taking the chickens with me to my wall :)
Haha well thanks! I'm sure they'll like it there!! :)
wow your eyes its so..............
Huh?? Thanks?? I dunno?? Haha
My wyandottes and eggers are the sweetest haha they all think they are lap dogs 🐶
I always get weird-ass animals. "Special Specimens". Haha. I didn't share here but will, my SLW roo is a severe crossbeak. Haha. He's the biggest roo tho!
I think everyone's getting friendlier as they're getting closer to laying tho. So that's good. I also don't go out and spend a whole lot of time with them (the attachment thing). There is ONE who I adore, and it's that deeper red gal with the puffy face. I call her "lady". haha.
You and me both. You should see the strangelings I call my pets :)
aww my hen flock is known as "the ladies" lol
Oh I am silly and got attached and named them all and so I doubt we will ever eat them so we just take their little eggs and put up with them here and there tearing up my vegetable garden... little garden vultures lol
Since I free range I try not to get attached! Haha
Mine have a large coop and fenced area but I play little bo peep in the afternoons for 3-4 hours and let them free range supervised while I do my work from the computer lol
I'm as strange as my pets👽
It's not strange at all! :)
Chickens are awesome! I used to have 5 rescued hens. So much fun and if we are able to move to a new house with some land I'll be getting chickens again.
Awe! Sorry you don't have them anymore! I hope you can get them as soon as possible! I really enjoy raising them, they're ridiculously easy. lol
Cool. That's a good variety you have there. We mainly had about 150 or so Rhode island reds growing up and I really loved the huge brown eggs with orange yolks. Some of the best I think. Thanks for sharing a piece of your farm ! :)
Thanks for stopping by! Yeah! I told myself I'd be more apt to do my farm chores if my chickens gave me fun colored eggs. So I tried to get a variety. And I like looking at their different growth rates and all that. Compare etc. Also, this way I can decide which I like "best", then I can focus on those kind in the future. :D
Good idea. Yeah we had a few other types of chickens also. We had Jersey Giants, Bantam, Polish and leghorn just to name a few.
What has been your favorite??
For looks or eggs? I would say the Rhode island red beat everything hands down. Not the best looking but not bad. Best eggs I have ever eaten though for sure!
Haha well whatever you think is "the best"!! Haha I like eccentric eclectic collections! Haha
Did you take a look at the post I did on egg preservation in the 18th Century? Love the techniques they used and really useful in a grid down situation.
https://steemit.com/homestead/@saved4newlife/homestead-preppers-no-refrigeration-needed-egg-preservation-from-the-18th-century#@bchick/re-saved4newlife-re-bchick-re-saved4newlife-homestead-preppers-no-refrigeration-needed-egg-preservation-from-the-18th-century-20170629t004257740z
I had seen it come up but haven't taken a minute to read it! Thanks for the link! My chickens aren't laying yet though. :( freeloaders!
lol that's funny. Don't forget to save all your shells to feed back to them. You wont believe how well it helps them break down their food and also really increases how thick and strong the new eggs are. It will really save you a lot of breakage. We always saved the shells and washed them to feed back or use in out garden.
Right on! Once they do start laying I'll give them oyster shells as well! :)
Awesome. Well you don't need any advice from me for sure. Sounds like you are doing a great job. Love your photos btw. I think you did a great job getting good shots even if it only took 100 or so to do it. lol :) That's dedication!
That's chickens in a nutshell right there. Gotta love em :)
Hahah! :D
Nice chickens + nice photos!
Thank you!!
Nice to have you here. Hug those chicken for me, will you? It gives me great joy to see animals living and wandering around happily.
If they'd let me... hahaha they don't seem to be much the touchy-feely type. Hahahaha but they do seem to be happy little campers! :)
You need to give them more love. But with 20 acres to cover, I can imagine that won't be easy. They would love nature more than humans lol.
I'm okay with it! Haha I don't want to get too attached since I believe they are happier free ranging. It's more danger but makes for happier healthier animals for sure! :)
I am definitely not a chicken person and never knew there were so many different breeds. It will be interesting to learn why. I laughed when you talked about a mean rooster that might end up in your crock pot! LOL! Your pictures are fantastic!
Thank you! How come you're not a chicken person? I wasn't sure how I'd feel about them but they sure are entertaining!!
I suppose I could watch them from a distance. I don't know...I like cute and fury; cats and dogs, bunnies, etc. I can't image me cuddling up to these! LOL!
BUT WAIT have you seen a baby chick?! They're cute and fuzzy! Haha
Oh yes...they are really cute. I had 2 of them for Easter when I was little...way back when. I felt so bad for them because they were dyed in Easter colors...poor things. When they got too big for our yard, we donated them to the zoo.
Haha some people do! I surely wouldn't! They're not meant to be "pets" but more like ... "tools". Like a cow is to a farmer I guess?? Hahah
My farm life has little sentimental attachment to the animals since they can all be used for food. Big part of having them for me is the dual purposes they posess. 40+ Chickens for eggs and meat, sheep and alpacas/llamas for fiber and meat, and everything's poo for compost/fertilizer. The alpacas are primarily fiber but any llamas we find go in the freezer. Best meat we have had.
Really?! Never even thought llama as a meat animal! Learn something every day! Right on!
OMG!!! It is really the best meat I have ever had. It is a leaner meat, more towards deer, but it has zero gamey-ness. I liken it to buffalo but generally leaner. But the leanness does not hurt it when cooking. I am still able to get a tender, properly cooked piece of meat, that tastes amazing. If you look around you can often find them for really cheap.
Here there is a tax loophole that if you have over 5 acres I think, and have "animals" you get a tax credit. So a bunch of people move out of the city into the country onto a 10 acre lot, fence it, and put 1 llama on it, they get a tax credit. But those people are some that have given/sold cheap their llamas.
Well there's he farm tax deferral but don't know if a credit for my state/county.
People nowadays are such wieners they don't want to sell to people who might use animals for meat.
HAH! I have gotten goats before and begrudgingly signed a note saying I wouldn't kill them for meat. Well, one hung itself when out on a lead and I found it just dying so it ended up in freezer and the other was sold to someone who eventually butchered it. "I" didn't kill them... Silly people.
Honestly it's the silliest thing that they think they can expectthat when they sell.
Awesome post! Great photos. Looking forward to more like this. Great stuff
Thanks! :)
Get some Rhode Island Reds if you would like great laying complete asshole chickens lol.
Naaah I like my eccentric eclectic collection! Haha
Fun to hear about your chickens. We have four - my favorite is named PotPie. They magically turn sandwich crusts (which my spoiled children don't eat) into delicious eggs.
MAGIC! Hehehe what kind are they?
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Wow thanks!
I love your chickens they are so pretty. Raising chickens is alot of fun and especially waiting for chicks. Check out my posts as I have and will be talking chicken. I am following you and will frequently read your posts as I hope you will read mine. Us homesteaders and chicken lovers need to stick together.
Nice looking chickens Mrs. Smith. I'd like to see your chicken coop since you've seen mine! ;) We have pretty similar taste in our homesteading and styles although our climates are completely different, I'm glad I found your channel. Thanks for posting!
I was trying to think of what to post today! Thanks for the suggestion! Let's see if I can get my groggy butt to get it done! Haha
Appreciate it. Don't work too hard on the account of me though, it's good to have a little relaxation. Today I was cutting trees down all day while Amanda was playing with our chicks! She got to rest...I didn't lol