I snapped a few photos of our baby chicks yesterday and I’m pretty certain our Cuckoo Maran Mario is a rooster. Not only is he bigger than all the other chicks {including our Buff Orpington, Buffy the Vampire Slayer} but he’s just got that “I’m a tough bird, don’t mess with me” look in his eyes. Wouldn’t you agree?
The jury is still out on our pair of Blue Laced Red Wyandottes though. I think the one on the right is a roo, but I’m still not sure. The the comb is larger and the feathers are a different color so I think she, might be a he. 🙁
Our Mottled Java chicks have calmed down quite a bit. The one on the right is about twice the size as the other. Let’s just hope she’s just big for her age and not another roo.
Our Araucana chicks, Anne Hathaway and Chippy are lovely, sweet little girls.
I also snapped a few pictures of some of our other birds. This is Peanut. She is awesome. She always runs up to me when I open the gate.
Picasso the Silver Laced Wyandotte is super friendly too.
But not Awkward Martha our Barred Rock chicken. She’s still…. awkward.
Our Blue Cochin chickens look like they are all dressed up for a party.
And then there is Lucy the puggle dog. She thinks she is a chicken too. Poor thing. Maybe one day the chickens will accept her into their club. 🙂
Do YOU have chickens? How are they doing?
Mavis wants to know.
If you are thinking about getting a flock of your own baby chicks be sure and read my How to Care for Baby Chicks post. It’s full of everything you need to know to get started.
And if you are looking for a great chicken book, check out Homemade Living: Keeping Chickens with Ashley English. I think it’s pretty awesome.
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Liz says
Hey I love your site! I was wondering what type of bedding material you use for your henhouse/nests? Also do you put D.E. inside your chicken yard to give the girls something to roll around in or sand? Thanks, Liz
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Liz, I use pine shavings for their nests. I get a big block of it at the feed store every few months and replace the shavings every 2 weeks or so. I don’t put anything down in the chicken yard but I do toss edible vegetables their way for treats.
Sarah says
Thanks for the update! Hearing about your chickens is one of my favourite parts of your website. We only have three chickens (got them as chicks on St Patrick’s day 2012) but my HH has finally agreed to let me get three more next spring! Exciting! Now to decide what breeds to get…I like all of our chickens to be different breeds to they are easy to tell apart. So far we have an Ameraucana, a Buff Orpington, and an Australorp. Ideally I’d like one of the new ones to lay white eggs since we don’t get any from our current chickens.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’ve thought about getting some white layers too! 🙂
Becky says
Our neighbor’s chickens and roosters come into our backyard sometimes and dig in our leaves and eat our bugs and that makes me happy. Not to be rude but just enquiring minds need to know: What is going to happen to these chickens when they stop producing eggs, or to all the roos for that matter? Will they end up in the crock pot? I need to know this. I am considering getting chickens but I could never dispatch them. Thanks for indulging my question! I love your site and I made a bunch of freezer egg sandwiches this morning from your great post! Becky
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Becky, we will have to find a good home for the roos and as far as our old chickens go, we let them stay, eggs or no eggs, they are such fun pets. 🙂
Becky says
Aww! That is how I would do it too (keep the older ones as forevery pets and hopefully bug exterminators haha) Thanks for the nice reply. I can definetly see me getting some chickens someday. I have heard you can sometimes rescue ones that aren’t laying as well and take them home and just enjoy the few eggs they produce now and then? I think they are called ‘spent layers’ but I really don’t know if you would actually ever get an egg from one of them or not or how you get ahold of such a creature anyway. Thanks again for answering. Becky
julie says
Loved your pictures your hens are beautiful. we ended up with 4 roosters in our first group all of the barred rock persuasion.
we found an old couple in the country with alot of chickens and asked if they would like to adopt and they did. our second round of girls was all girls, yaaaaay. so we have 33 sistas out there layin and cluckin and scratchin. we love to sit out in the yard and watch, better than tv. who knew….. and they pay for themselves.good luck to all you chicken lovers.
Judy says
Mavis as I may have told you before have raised chicks for 30 some years and I hate to say it but I agree.. pics 1,2,&3 are definite roosters… I’m not even sure that mario is a cuckoo Maran.. he looks so different then all the pics I have seen of them.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m beginning to think Mario might be a barred rock. What do you think? He probably got put in the wrong bin when they were unloading them.
Judy says
yes Mavis I was thinking that myself. chicken mix up for sure!
Kathryn says
Have recently discovered your site and am thoroughly enjoying it. Love all your different type of chooks.
I live in Australia and have Malaysian Jungle Fowl, and they are only slightly domesticated, sleep in the chook house but don’t even think about touching them 🙂 We love them and all their personalities. Have about four sitting on eggs at the moment and they seem to be playing musical eggs, swapping around all the time, we have had two mothers looking after the same batch of chicks a few times when two hens sit together on one batch of eggs, seems to work for them.
We eat our roosters, though one rooster got “accidently” named and can now not be eaten as we got attached so he is a batchelor rooster. We don’t eat any of our old hens, they stay in the flock and teach the young hens coming up, besides, they are all named and are pets as well.
My hubby does the “dispatching” of the roosters, otherwise I would have roosters all over the place, or have to find someone to come and do it for me, just can’t bring myself to do, though I eat meat and always thank the animal for their sacrifice. They have had a good life on our place running around all over but I still feel a bit ill when the time comes, but once it is over I am fine about it.
KJ
Katie says
have had hens for over a year now. started with 2 (red stars) last august in our suburban home. our playhouse coop was featured on this site! since then we’ve moved to the country on 3+ acres. this past spring we got 6 chicks (1 jersey giant, 2 white leghorns, 3 red stars) from Tractor Supply and all were hens. unfortunately, the fox has claimed 3 hens for his dinner, but the 5 still with us (2 leghorns and 3 red stars) are free ranged during the day and cooped up at night. although, we are going to have to fence in the garden now, they are eating all my collards, lettuce, and radish seedling 🙂 Considering ordering another 10+ chicks online to add to the flock. want some heritage breeds like barred rocks, orpingtons, americanas, and jersery giants. my kids love the variety of brown and white eggs and do their “chicken chores” each day feeding and watering. i even sell eggs occasionally and everyone that eats them are amazed at the difference in taste. fresh eggs are so much better than store bought. knowing your farmer DOES make a difference 🙂 love your site Mavis, thanks for all you do!
Rachel Young says
We got chickens for the first time in March of this year – 2 Welsummers. I traded those for some yellow Buff Orpingtons and the rest seemed to get here through the grapevine! We now have: 3 Orpington hens, 1 Orpington roo, 3 Orpington chicks (I believe 2 hens and 1 roo – hatched from one of the hens. How exciting!), 3 Red Sexlinks, 2 Leghorns, 1 Wyandotte, 2 Araucanas, and 2 Barred Rocks. Fortunately, we live on a farm, so the roosters aren’t a problem.
However, our chickens were purchased or acquired with the intention that, one day, we would eat them. Call it the Circle of Life if you want, but that’s the reality of living on a farm.
Thanks for all you do on your site. I really enjoy reading your posts each day and am looking forward to watching your fall garden develop!