The girls have arrived! They are nine weeks old; the white is a Colombian Rock Crossed; the brown one is a Speckled Sussex; the grey & white one that's pictured alone is an aracauna; the other grey and white one is a Silver Laced Wyandotte (I think.)
The white one thinks she is the boss; the brown one thinks the white one should just get over herself, and the two grey ladies are very squalky. They're all very funny and the dogs think they're the greatest thing ever.
We built the chicken coop (which is 6'x3') out of recycled materials-- the only things we had to buy were one latch and three small packages of screws-- for a total cost of less than $5.
We did buy new materials for the outside run (I wanted to make sure the dogs couldn't get to them without permission!), so between the wire, treated lumber, and staples, we spent another $45.
The birds themselves were a whopping $5 each (who knew you could buy a chicken for $5!?!), plus we gave the lady who raised them for us for the past nine weeks a six pack of mixed interesting beers (per her request).
They should be laying in time for the challenge week! Woo-hoo!
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At what age do they start laying? Do you need a rooster, or a faux rooster?
ReplyDeleteNo rooster is needed, actually, and chickens start laying between 17ish and 30ish weeks depending on the breed (based on things I've read). The chicken lady that raised them for the first few weeks has been raising chickens for five years, has several of these types and says they'll be laying in July. :o)
ReplyDelete!!! they are lovely. And I'm so glad you bitches started writing again. I feel connecting.
ReplyDeleteI've got some garden happenings here in queens. I'll write soon.