Chick Update On The Homestead
My dear friend @yidneth has been asking for a chick update for these fluffy little guys. This was the first year we hatched our own chicks and we are glad to say we had some really great success. The problem is, these chicks aren’t chicks anymore @yidneth! They are full on chicken teenagers, free to roam with the rest of the flock... and enjoying every minute of it.
We ended up doing multiple hatchings and everyone is doing really well. Pickle here, who some of you may remember was named by our 4 yr old, turned out to be a rooster and has been working on his crow...
Out of the first group of eight that we hatched, we ended up with five Hens and 3 Roos.
We did 2 more hatchings after that and had similar percentages of Roos vs Hens. All have been extremely healthy and are living the good life on the homestead.
Our last hatch is still young enough that they are kept separate but are also doing very well. These are actually a pure bred heritage breed called Swedish Flowering Hens..
They have really beautiful and unique coloring and are perfect for our climate.
I think a lot of people have preconceived notions about what keeping chickens looks like. We personally believe that we are stewards of the land and the animals we keep, and allow them to live the life we feel they were meant to live. I like to say, we let our chickens be chickens... and this is what keeping chickens looks like on our homestead...
Thanks so much for reading,
Happy Homesteading
We are a group of homesteaders coming together to learn from one another. Moving forward, together.
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Ohhhh I was scrolling through the feed and I halted with an awww and a smile on my face.... And then I have been reading with the smile on reaching the the end with happy hurting cheeks.
Ohhh those with the unusual colouring, so cute.
Let me awww a few lines
Awwww
awww
Lol
Thanks for the mention by the way
Those look very happy, bet their eggs are delicious. Happy eggs taste different.
Made my day. Thx
🤗 this comment made my day! I agree, happy chickens lay the best eggs. Thanks for the support and inspiration for this post ❤️❤️
OMG, they're so cute and can imagine how they sound, beeps beeps :)
Do you lose many to predators?
Here it's a major problem. If we let ours roam, we'd have none in a week. As they are our food source and we feed organic feed, that's a big financial hit, not to mention we'd be short food by this time next year.
Just wondering how you deal with predators...
The Swedish Flowers look like they will be real pretty birds.
I totally understand that! We actually have only had one instance where a predator came up on the chickens but we were around and able to deal with it. That being said, the chickens are somewhat close to the house and so someone’s normally nearby. They do go into their secure coops at night etc.
That’s why I really love your chicken tractor design, they get to free range while protected though. I think that’s amazing.
I should have clarified in my post but I had someone on here tell me keeping chickens was inhumane because the were kept in cages so small they couldn’t turn around... I’ve never seen a homesteader keep chickens that way. Even if they are in protected areas, I find homesteaders care about their livestock and take care of them accordingly... people are silly sometimes.
The Swedish are so pretty and each one is unique in its coloring. I’ll take a photo of one of our older hens to show you what they grow up to be.
By the way, I’m in awe of your herb garden!!
It looks like you have taken precautions and watch them.
It's always bothered me that people do not free range responsibly and the chickens are always being killed. On some groups, they will say they just lost their flock to predators, sometimes multiple times, and then ask for more birds to replenish. To me, that is inhumane.
Seems like such a waste, all the time, money for feed, and loss of bird's production.
Yeah, the New Herb garden is flashy. LOL But the veg gardens look pretty good too! I just don't have a high vantage point to get good photos of them.
Oh I agree completely! We have been lucky and have not lost a single one... if that changes we will change our habits with that. No use in investing all the money, time and love just to then leave them in danger. A group of our younger ones have been heading deeper into the forest lately and I am constantly having to heard them back up, I’m hoping they learn their safe borders soon.
And your vantage point is amazing! It’s really beautiful.
We used to let ours roam but they came up on my front andback porch to say hello and it was nasty. So we give them huge runs. Lots of grass. They are so pretty. So fun to hatch babies. Little cuties!
Yes, I have had to direct them off the front patio a few times lol. I totally understand what you mean! The big runs are great and man they love all that grass. I commented to golden oak that I should have clarified lol, someone on steemit thinks we homesteaders keep our chickens in tiny cages where they have no room at all... Which is so absurd. So wanted to show them chickens on a Homestead normally have a pretty good life!
Thank you! We had a blast hatching and oh the cuteness 😍. Thanks so much for the support!
I had to come back to make sure I had upvoted cos I wrote in total excitement ahahah :) well, maybe to watch the pics again too ! XD
Lol!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
First pic is so adorable. And they all look really healthy both as chicks and as teens! Great job on taking care of them.
Hey thank you Jazz! They are funny and keep us entertained. I need to get a video of them running and share it, it’s very comical...
You have sooo cute chicks, nobody can remain untouched seeing such wonderful curious littles. I am wondering how long it takes for them to look like a grown up chicken or hen. The ones from your previous hatching look really strong and healthy. They have huge free land to enjoy freedom.
The Swedish Flowering Hens look unusual when they are so young would be interesting to see them grown up, because normally they have spotty feather and different shades too.
You have really Happy Farm @llfarms :)
thank you! The breeds we have normally start laying when they are around 4 or 5 months old. I would say by 6 months they look full grown.
I need to get a picture of my older Swedish Hens, they all look very different. The younger chicks change quite a bit as they grow.
Thank you so much!!
at indonesia, this chicken called by Ayam Australi mama @llfarms
Awe! Such lovely youngsters and a beautiful setting! I really love the colouring of your Swedish Flowering Hens.
Awe thank you! They are really lovely.. and always so unique looking, makes the flock more fun that way haha.
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