Week Old Chicks

[rpcrowe]

These four chicks are a week old.



The two larger ones with darker stripes down their backs are of the Welsummer breed. We like the Welsummers because of their friendly personality and their egg laying ability. The two smaller lighter colored chicks are of the Buckeye breed. We have not had any Buckeyes before but they are supposed to continue laying legs throughout the winter. Our other chickens really slow down their egg laying during December and January, probably because of lack of daylight. We are going to get two more chicks tomorrow when they are delivered to the local feed store. The two additional ones will be Buff Orpingtons. We also like the Buffs because they lay big eggs and also have nice dispositions.

The six new chickens will put us at 11 chickens. However, our five present chickens are getting a little old...

And, no... we don't eat our chickens. They eventually die of old age and we dispose of them... However, our chickens are pretty much free range birds and their eggs are just great! Far better than the ones available to buy in the store.

[Cantab]

And, no... we don't eat our chickens. They eventually die of old age and we dispose of them... However, our chickens are pretty much free range birds and their eggs are just great! Far better than the ones available to buy in the store.

A nice portrait. Then I began wondering what your dogs and any semi-feral barn cats make of free range chickens -- until I saw your comment that the chickens live to old age!

[rpcrowe]

A nice portrait. Then I began wondering what your dogs and any semi-feral barn cats make of free range chickens -- until I saw your comment that the chickens live to old age!

Actually, I have a fenced-in area within my fenced-in property in which the chickens live. They can roam all they want in this area and also have a couple of coops in which they spend the nights. Dogs have no contact with them and our barn cats are no more. One chased off the other and then decided she didn't want to be a bran cat any longer. She lived in our house for about a year until she died; I think of a heart attack.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[1claire]

One of the other chicks kind of look like blurred but the photo itself is good.

[rpcrowe]

One of the other chicks kind of look like blurred but the photo itself is good.

The back chick is out of focus...

[rpcrowe]

You cannot integrate younger chicks with a group of older hens because it would be very dangerous for the younger chicks. Chickens can get quite nasty if they think that their territory is being violated.

So we got a movable coop (chicken tractor) as interim housing for our young ones. I will build a small fenced enclosure to allow the chicks a place to exercise but still be protected from the older hens. I really like the looks of the chicken tractor I just ordered...



We are having a difficult time in getting the chickens we wanted because there is a quarantine against our an Diego County importing chickens from outside hatcheries because of an outbreak of Newcastle Disease among chickens. We have had no occurrence of this disease in our county and the authorities are doing their best to keep it that way.

So we needed to modify our desires for a couple of Buff Orpington chickens. Instead, we got two sex-link birds.


By the way, the little Sony A6500 does a pretty neat job at higher ISO's. This was shot at ISO 3200

These birds are unique in that the males (roosters) are white from birth while the females (hens) are yellow from birth. That way we know definitely that we have two hens. When purchasing other type chickens, there is a 90% chance that the bird selected is a hen and a 10% chance that it will turn out to be a rooster. Prior to the outbreak of Newcastle Disease, the stores would exchange any roosters sold by mistake for hens but, they will no longer do so. Since we don't expect to breed chickens we really don't need a rooster and I am sure that our neighbors appreciate us not having a rooster to crow at the crack of dawn or earlier.