Fabulous Fowl!

 

So, since I was so honest with how things went with the garden, I thought I would bring you up to date on how we did with the various baby birds we brought on board in the spring!!  I am proud to say WE ROCKED IT!!!   Not a laying hen or a turkey lost!!!  30 laying hens and 10 turkey’s brought to adulthood – we kept them warm – we kept them fed, and we conquered pasty butt!

All those babies and all those mouths to feed certainly kept us busy!  For the new laying hens and the turkeys, the hardest part was getting them grown enough to get them outside and into the new coops. Chuck scoped out some space in the outbuilding near our place for the turkeys – and set about making their space as comfortable as a turkey could ever want.  Two wonderful roosts – nice comfy wood chips and hay, with a nice warm lamp.  Darren and Chuck also put a door on the outside of the building to give them a way to go outside and play.  Throw up a bit of fencing and the turkeys find themselves in turkey heaven.  Once they were on their way – it was just a matter of keeping them fed and watching them grow… and grow…. and grow.  Those cuteness little chicks quickly morphed into the ugliest, biggest, dumbest birds I have ever seen.  Hysterical to watch, they would come running to the fence anytime Chuck went anywhere near them – watching them run after him and gobble gobble at him always made me giggle.

The laying hens were a little more challenging.  Not sure if you are aware – most people I know would have no reason to know this – but there is a hierarchy or class system among the chicken family.  Those chickens at the top of the class system sit on the highest areas of the roost – closest to the rooster.  Those high society hens look down their beaks at the hens on the lower rungs.  Should any of the lower rung hens attempt to move up to a higher roost, they are immediately attacked and forced down again.  I have to say it’s a little creepy!!!  And it does create some problems when you are trying to introduce some new hens into the flock.

So we sectioned off the front part of the coop for them – they could be near the older hens, but separate enough to be safe until they were a little bit bigger.  Not sure that they ever figured out that – since there were 30 of them and only 8 of the other hens – they could take over just based on sheer numbers!!  But like I said – not the brightest bulbs in the box. They get themselves some lovely new roosts and warm lights and wood chips too.  Not exactly sure what the issue was with the roosts – but apparently only one of them was acceptable – for the longest time, they would all crowd onto the one and completely ignore the other.  They did manage to make some fun for themselves, creating their own swing!

No more did we get the laying hens and the turkeys settled into their new homes, and the meat chicks arrived.  Yes, another 35 baby chicks that need to be kept warm, fed and watered.  We get these little cuties ready to go outside and put together yet another area in the coop for these little guys. Another lamp, feeder, waterer, and yes, different feed and we create a little fenced area so that they can go outside too! Happy chickens!  The thing with meat hens is that you just want them to eat and drink and eat and drink – so they get nice and big and juicy.  But we wanted them to be happy too – so no way was Chuck going to give them anything less than what all the other chickens got – even though there stay with us was destined to be fairly short. We did lose one meat chicken – just one – no idea why – it looked like it just keeled over – boof! We were warned that it was fairly common which these types of birds – but still…. I was sad!

I have to admit, raising these guys were a lot of fun.  It is really hard not to get at least a little attached to them – yes even the turkeys, ugly buggers that they are – and you stop thinking about them as food.  And then they get all nice and plump and big and you know the day has come that you have to say goodbye.  Thanksgiving is around the corner…… and I really do love a good turkey dinner……. Yum!