The one in the front is Kudzu, the one in the back is Buttercup. Kudzu is Logan's chicken and Buttercup is mine.
Logan and I spent the week making a small coop for them. It is made from a x-large dog kennel, surrounded by a large wire run with a tarp over it to keep out the wind and rain. These guys had never been on grass before, so they sure were excited to see grass! We have a fenced in pen that we will let them out in in a few days, after they settle in.
Kudzu is in the back in this picture.
Logan spent about an hour sitting in the run with them. He really wants them to be friendly, but since we didn't raise them they may never be as friendly as he wants them to be.
Logan tried the food bribing technique to get them to like him. Left over waffles from breakfast.
Just another picture of the girls in their run with the kennel in the background.
Just another picture of the girls in their run with the kennel in the background.
Tonight is supposed to be near record lows for this area, down to almost 20. I'm worried about the girls. They will be fine right? They are in the kennel, with pine bedding, it is protected from the wind. They'll keep each other warm right? It is the first night and I'm worried!
14 comments:
congratulations on your first critters Christy~ they are so cute. I love the Buffs :) I hope they give you many wonderful farm fresh eggs.
We have 17 Buffs we got as baby chicks they are so friendly and lay large brown eggs. I think you will really enjoy them.
Anne
Buff Orpingtons are the BEST! If there are any chickens you can tame down at that age, the BO will be it.
Even though they haven't been handled, with enough time and patience, I'll bet you and Logan can have lap chickens before you know it.
Congrats!! If you haven't seen it before, come on over and join www.backyardchickens.com/forum It's a great place for information, friendship and learning about chickens (and all sorts of other things). The forum has been around since 1999 and is nearly 19,000 members strong! See ya there!
Christy, I was just looking at your homestead wish list....I wanted to email you a couple of links for affordable incubator and spinning wheel, but couldn't find your email on your blog. Visit my blog and email me and i'll sent you the links....Amy
It will be at least a month before they lay eggs, I can't wait! One of them is already less jumpy and will let us touch her. I'd love to have some lap chickens.
Amy - I'll check the forum out, thank for the information.
Beautiful pullets and a great breed too.
Tell Logan not to give up, they will come around...especially with him using bribes.
Oh YAY - congratulations, Christy!!! A chicken mom at last...you are SO going to love this.
Didn't you say they were 5 months old? That's 20 weeks, right - the average age where pullets start to lay. Why do you think you have another month to wait before they lay? And I got the surprise of *my* life when mine started laying at 17 weeks...
20 degrees sounds awfully cold to me ...how were they housed before? How many other chickens around to keep them warm? If that dog crate is portable, you might want to move it to a spot where it is protected from any wind and the extreme cold of the ground? Just my opinon, until you know just how hardy they really are at 5 months.
Farmgirl - I've read the buffs don't lay until 6-8 months, sometimes later, so it seems a month at the earliest for eggs.
I have enjoyed reading your blog and watching your progress! Like you I have my first 'chicken'..lol I found her in the parking lot of my sons school...didnt take but a week of persistance before she became a very tame bird! I have heard they dont lay in the winter....I cant wait to get more! Good luck with your chics and everything farm-wise, its a great life!
Excellent! You are getting right into it which is wonderful!
I love the girls! Before long they will be huge.
Maybe you can still come get biddies in the spring. We will have Buff Orpingtons too. Silver and Golden Polish, Silver and Gold Sebright banties, BB red banties, Turkens, Light Brahmas. No silkies though. I do want to start raising those also.
Love the pictures.
I know you are having a wonderful time.
Pam
Pam - I'd love to come get some biddies in the spring. I know we will want more Buffs, and the gold sebright banties.
Well, I'm just sayin...be prepared (the mantra of farm life, right?) :-) It may very well take that long for yours two to lay but "Spongebob", my Buff Orp, was the very first hen of mine to lay. At 17 weeks no less...
http://critterfarmgirl.blogspot.com/2008/07/guess-what-guess-what.html
I have read some suggestions, though, that having a rooster around will actually "prompt" some hens to lay earlier, so that is a possibility in my case.
I love chickens. Roosters are fun. We got a mess of hens and two roosters in August and they are a never ending source of entertainment for me and my family. I hope you have some fun with yours too. I wrote up my early experiences with them as I am a total rookie and had to document it.
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