Chicks in the spring time. Do chickens dream?

[montanabill]

I think spring is coming.....somewhere, sometime. Our local farm store is putting out teasers for their incoming chicks. it should be interesting to see how fast they sell out with all the interest in egs and chickens lately.
I don't know if I need to start some more or not , my 13 just started laying midsummer last year. Around here I worry about predators taking out the whole flock so one idea I have had is to have two small flocks and let them roam in my deer fenced back yard on alternating days so i don't lose all of them at once.
Here is some chicken info the farm store puts out. How to Raise Chickens | Murdoch's

 

[Cascadian]

@montanabill you could always hatch some out and give them away to friends, neighbors, 4H or something similar. I can't help but wonder how pure corporate chicks headed to the masses are.

 

[SheepDog]

Why not cover an area for the chickens to wander around in to feed?
It is better than feeding all the animals that hunt the open areas.

 

[montanabill]

Why not cover an area for the chickens to wander around in to feed?
It is better than feeding all the animals that hunt the open areas.

I have a small pen for them but i think they are healthyer and they serve a vital service by eating the grasshoppers that would otherwise decimate my garden. I have maybe a third of a acre deer fenced where the chickens roamed last summer and are out right now scratching under cars and the deck and anywhere there isn't snow.

I guess these chickens are working out so well with the protien they produce I tend to think of them as vital prepper item so the old saying of one is none two is one comes to mind.

 

[Ozarks hillbilly]

The wife is going for a few new baby chicks today. Our 2 year old hens have done pretty well for us and my wife was genius for starting us down this path. Haven't bought an egg and have given away plenty. After today we'll have around 16 or so chickens.

 

[ABR]

My sister is going to hatch out some chicks for me. I'm planning to start with 10-12 chicks because I know inevitably some will turn out to be roosters. Will be 'mutts' as all of hers are mixes they’ve hatched themselves. Doesn't bother me though because they're good layers and hardy too. And they're FREE

 

[ABR]

We got 13 chicks hatched last night and this morning at my sisters. Going to pick them up tomorrow. I'm excited!

 

[Sourdough]

I understand "chicks" dream about "Studmuffins".

 

[Peanut]

I wasn't sure about getting chicks this year. I'm down to 4 old hens but they still lay plenty for me and the folks. They have a 10ftx10ft coop and I've been leaving them inside. A lot more protected than out in the pen. I occasionally let them out to chase a few bugs.

I decided I didn't want to be tied to baby chicks for a couple months. I intend to play some music this festival season. It's been a few years and I'm ready. Not doing a big garden either, don't have lot of freezer space. I'll can a few things I'm getting from a friend. I do have 6 rows of corn planted though.

 

[ABR]

Sooo..... I went to the feed store unsupervised..... and left with 5 more pullets

 

[Amish Heart]

Chicks happen.

 

[ABR]

It's my first flock of my own so I wanted to get a variety of breeds to see which ones do the best in my area and produce well. So for pullets I have 1 Barred Rock, 1 Delaware, 1 Speckled Sussex, 2 Welsummers and 4 Wyandottes. Straight runs I have 2 Australorps, 2 Andalusian, 2 Cuckoo Maran, 2 Bantams and 1 Mutt.

 

[Bacpacker]

Ours are about 2 weeks old and growing nicely

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I wasn't going to hatch any this year, but something took out my 2 big cx/laying roosters. I don't want to lose that breeding so one load of eggs went in.

 

[Amish Heart]

Am going out to get the milkhouse ready for the 16 cornish I have in the house. Tired of the stink, even though I clean it twice a day. That'll leave 12 regular chicks inside. The window is out in the milkhouse, concrete building, but there's a screen there, so I'll try to attach something to the screen to keep the cold air out. It's supposed to go to the low 30's for the next few nights, and these guys do not have all their feathers. Time to get creative.