I Love Fresh Eggs
Egg prices have increased by around 40% in the last year, raising your own laying hens can save a lot of money. Your eggs will also be fresher and healthier.
Watching my Chicks Grow
The little yellow ones are pheasants, the big dark ones are chickens.
May 25, 2008 Chicks are now 18 days old, growing rapidly, and no longer need the heat lamp during the day (though they still need it at night). They've just about tripled in size.
Two and a half weeks old.
6 Weeks Old
Things Can Get Interesting
It's been a very rainy end of July and beginning of August. Generally wet and dreary. One of my chickens somehow got herself thoroughly stuck in mud, drenched with water, and nearly died. If my dad hadn't found her when he did I'm sure she would have died. He brought her inside, I washed her up, used a hair dryer to dry and warm her and put her in the chick pen indoors.
Lucky is now completely a pet chicken, very friendly and wants nothing to do with the other chickens. Actually when I tried to reintroduce her to the chicken pen they attacked her. I'm going to slowly try to reintroduce her by setting her pen down next to the large pen for a few hours a day and hope they get used to each other again. If not, when the new chicken pen is built she'll be put in a separate section that was being planned for either some bantams or ducks. She's not aggressive so I don't think she'll pick on smaller birds (not that bantams will usually put up with being picked on).
Update - September 27: Nothing is ever predictable when it comes to animals. When I order my chicks I was told that 9/10 chicks are female which isn't a bad ratio. However probability is just probability, individual result vary. I have 4 roosters! That only leaves 2 hens to lay eggs for me and 3 of the roosters are destined to be dinner because I can only keep one.
CorrectionI have 5 roosters, Lucky turns out to be a rooster as well. I'm not going to be getting many eggs. Next year I'm buying pullets (young grown hens) rather than chicks, this has been quite frustrating.
Me and Lucky
Little More Exotic Poultry
I also have the pheasants which are beautiful birds.
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Raising Pheasants for the First Time
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My family is raising pheasants for the first time this year. We've raised chickens before but this is a little different. Come follow along with our experiences.
Barred Rock Links
- McMurray Hatchery
- Barred Rocks
- Plymouth Rocks
- Plymouth Rock chickens
- Poultry Breeds - Plymouth Rock Chickens
- Developed in America in the middle of the 19th century and was first exhibited as a breed in 1869. Several individuals claimed its invention, using crosses of Dominique, Java, Cochin, and perhaps Malay and Dorking. The first Plymouth Rock was barred and other varieties developed later. The Breed became popular very rapidly, and in fact, until World War II, no breed was ever kept and bred as extensively as the Barred Plymouth Rock.
- Omlet USA | Breed Information | Chickens | Plymouth Rock
- Learn about Plymouth Rock Chickens using Omlet Chickens directory;
What are Barred Rock Chickens?
The Plymouth Rock, often called simply Rocks or Barred Rocks (after their most popular color), is a chicken breed that originated in the United States. The Plymouth Rock is a dual-purpose, cold-hardy bird and therefore makes a great breed for the small farm or backyard flock owner.
These chickens are often called Plymouth Rocks, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the Barred variety.
There are seven varieties of Plymouth Rock chickens: barred, blue, buff, Columbian, partridge, silver-penciled and white.
Barred Rock Videos
Why Raise Chickens?
When I raised chickens for meat last year it only cost about $0.26 a pound to raise 6 chickens for 10 weeks. I estimate that once my hens start laying it will cost less than a penny per egg.
If you don't live in a rural area, please check with local ordinances on raising poultry. Some cities completely bar residents from raising chickens, others require you to only raise hens because roosters are very loud.
Links for Raising Chickens
- Raising Chickens: Keeping a Backyard Flock
- From chick to your first egg, keeping chickens is easy. Have your own PBS Frontier Valley chicken coop in your own back yard!
- Raising Chickens - The basics of how to raise chicks - Back Yard Chickens
- Start raising chickens - Build chicken coops - Everything you need to raise chickens in your back yard coop.
- Raising Poultry
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Raising Chickens and Raising Poultry | PoultryOne.com, Your Guide to Raising Chickens - Chicken Articles, Chicken Links, Chicken Tips and More!
- An online guide to raising poultry and raising chickens. Free poultry articles, chicken links, tips, chicken photos, breed reviews, and much more about everything concerning raising poultry.
- Raising Chickens - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks
- This Wikibook is intended for small scale raising of chickens often referred to as "Hobby Farming". Raising chickens can be very entertaining. They also make a good environmentally friendly way of disposing of organic waste; there is very little that a chicken won't eat. Chickens are flock birds and you'll probably get more than one.
- Friendly Fowl with Martha Stewart
- When you think of pet birds, parrots are probably one of the first birds that come to mind. If you have a big enough yard and are zoned in the right area, then you can actually raise poultry as pets. Chickens, ducks, and geese are all domesticated social animals.
Books on Raising Chickens
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byThis Years Chicks
Those don't look like Barred Rocks
And they aren't. This year I got 10 White Leghorn chicks because that's what was available and again I've been guaranteed they are hens. We'll wait and see.
Leghorns are one of the classic laying breeds, they're smaller than Barred Rocks because they aren't also used meat. Unlike last years roosters any from this batch will really only be good for soup.
Barred Rock Photos
ZsuZsu perched on th...
ZsuZsu headshot
Plymouth Barred Rock...
chooks on the patio
chickens in motion:...
ZsuZsu in the yard
3 of 3: past the gua...
1 of 3: Barred Rocks...
My Mammals
Along with the chickens and pheasants I also have goats, rabbits, dogs, cats, a pig, and a llama for mammals. Also a gecko and several fish. The goats and the llama have their own lenses.-
Nigerian Dwarf Goats - Cute and Friendly Miniature Goats
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Nigerian dwarf goats are a miniature goat breed. They're hardy, friendly, and utterly adorable. Their friendly dispositions and compact size makes them perfect for small farm, 4H, and as pets.
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Lauren the Llama - Follow Along with First Time Llama Owners
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Lauren is a sweet female gelding llama my family recently rescued. He was kept in awful filthy conditions and not given proper care. It will take months if not longer to repair the damage done, this lens is meant to chronicle that process.
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Chicken Scratch
Leave your comments.
AbbasAbedi wrote...
This lens makes me want to start up a coop again. 5*
If you get a chance check out my Instant Stress Management lens.
Posted June 05, 2009
parthmisra009 wrote...
Hey Noadi great lens and great Chickens! I have a similar lens for raising chicken http://www.squidoo.com/chickencoopdesign I'd love your opinion on it! In the meantime 5 stars from me :)
Posted April 30, 2009
CleanerLife wrote...
When I was a kid we had chickens, it was one of the best experiences in my life, since it was my responsibility to take care of them. Sadly, we never had chickens after we moved when I was about 13.
Posted April 04, 2009
P9ner wrote...
I used to have chickens, they are very cool animals and there is nothing like having your own supply of fresh eggs.
Posted February 12, 2009
GreenChickens wrote...
Pretty chickens! We have two barred rocks ourselves, as well as a few other breeds.
Posted February 06, 2009
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