Chickens!

This year, for the first time, I am trying my hand at raising a few laying hens.


I got a total of 12 pullets. They're supposed to be pullets (girls) anyway....



The red ones are Rhode Island Reds. When they grow up, they should look like this:


The black ones with the white on their wings are Barred Plymouth Rocks. I think they are probably the most iconic-looking of all chickens. When they grow up, they'll look like this:


The white ones are called California Whites. They are a cross between a White Leghorn and a Barred Plymouth Rock.


When they grow up, they'll look something like this:


Now, the black ones with the little bit of white on their head and chest are called Black Sex Link chicks.


They are a cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock and a Red Island Red. The neat thing about them is that the girls are all black--always, so I know for sure, at least, that these two are pullets. Here's what they'll look like when they get older:


I got two of each of the above, and then four "rainbow layers," which just means they were the leftovers from other orders. I think I got an extra Barred and a Red in these, but the other two--who knows?

I mostly got them to try to keep the number of bugs by the house this summer down to at least a tolerable level. Every year I get attacked half the summer, and Dad said he remembered when his mom had chickens the bugs didn't seem so bad, so even if I don't get a single egg, it will hopefully be worth it.

Of course, I do hope I'll get a few eggs from them.

They're fun to watch, though, and seem to not be too hard to take care of.

They currently live on the back porch, in a spare water tub, with a light and I leave an electric heater out there to keep the temperature higher than it normally would be back there.

It seems to be working well. They're active and happy, and one even seems to have a bit of an attitude.

You talk'n to me?

Compared to the horses, changing their bedding is a breeze!

Of course, once they get outside, keeping them alive is probably going to be the hardest part. I'm going to use the old smoke house as a temporary coop. It's sturdy, enclosed, and well-ventilated, so hopefully they all make it to that point.

I didn't need more animals, but I figured, 'what the cluck?'