new, chickens

21 years ago

Well today, I found an old black gentlemen up in the woods, that had about 50 hens and a bunch of roosters just running wild around his place. he sold me two hens and then threw a free one in for good measure. S He was so nice just laughed and laughed at everything i said. you should have seen his set up. had nests made from everything from old cupboards to boards nailed together with sheet metal over them. Some nests were nailed to trees, and they were everywhere. when he caught me up the hens. He used a long piece of metal with a home made hook on the end and caught them by the leg and pulled them upside down, through a little hole in the top of the home made box. and they were screaming!! He used pine straw for nesting. and you could hear the roosters crowing in the woods all around. He said they were mixed game chickens. thats that all he could have because they roosted in the trees to keep them from the coyotes and the fox. OH MY. When I think of how gingerly I handle my flock of three at home. I'm feeding my lettuce and tomatoes, scratch and laying mash and he fed his cracked corn.

when I brought them home to my two gigantic roosters and the hen we called baby because she seemed little, (but not compared to these three) LOL Mine are three times as big as these new ones. and they are not mixing. They are just plain wild and keep running into the fence straight on and bouncing back. I think they may either fly out or break their necks. OH MY. This is going to be a real adventure with these new ones. I hope they settle down soon. S The feller said they should mix with my flock fine. but mine are pure breeds and I think they are snobs. LOL

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Comments (6)

chick_mom
21 years ago
I received four young pullets from my son-in-law and will have to add them to my flock in a week or two.. I remember reading that it helps to put them in the coop after dark so they all wake up together.. I hope it works since I have some pretty strong personality tyes in my older birds..Good luck with your additions, it can be a stressful time for all of you..Kit
chicken_ingenue
Original Author
21 years ago
it has been four days, we had a bit of excitement the second nite when one did fly out. but now they are going to bed with the others just fine.

the second nite we had the chickens, one flew over the fence and I
ran into the woods after it. there me and the dog, Dot, are running
this little road runner around the woods. I got caught in a briar
bush and lost site of them. and i'm thinking I am 37 years old and I
am stuck in the woods at nite in a briar bush. LOL but I was really
haveing fun whadda ya think is wrong with me. anyway I hollered out
to my hubbie who wasn't doing anything but standing at the edge of the
woods, he has a bit more sense then I do I reckon. I hollered out "I
can't see them and I'm stuck." He said dot's got it cornered and god
bless her she did. she didn't put a tooth on it, she just cornered
it under some brush. I am sure she could have gotten a hold of it if
she had wanted to. and she certainly was excited about the whole
event. I was able to just reach down and pick it up and it of course
was screaming its head off. S dot ran along beside us so excited, I
still am not sure why she didn't grab that bird. If It hadn't been
for her I NEVER would have caught it. She sure is a good dog, she
actually listens better then my girls LOL.

We had clipped the wings, but obviously they were still able to fly
some, so hubbie started to clip it a little more then we nicked her
and it started bleeding. We felt just awful. but she seems fine,
and they haven't tried to fly out since. I wonder if the ordeal of
being chased through the woods by a dog not much bigger then her and
a crazy women scared her outta her naturel instincts. LOL

chicken ingenue
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chick_mom
21 years ago
too funny... Dignity goes out the window when you have birds.. My moment of glory came when an injured guinea I had found on the highway got of her crate and i had to run her down in my nightgown. I finally cornered her and turned to carry her kicking, biting and screaming back to the garage when i realized that a crew from my electric company was watching transfixed by the sight. They had come to trim some branches and here was a chubby, wildhaired lunatic racing around the property.
Needless to say it made their day and I am sure became the topic at lunch..
Give your dog a treat, chicken herding dogs are few and far between.. Kit
snycal
21 years ago
I would Love to have your dog! Mine (black hunting lab) will only help chase the chickens farther away. He will retrieve birds for my husband but won't help me with chickens.
sullicorbitt
21 years ago
Chicken Ingenue, thank you so much for such a good laugh! your story is just what I needed on this raining depressing day! (It has been raining/cloudy here for almost 3 weeks). Your dog is a good girl indeed.

Kit your story is funny too! you guys are great :)

-Sheila
chicken_ingenue
Original Author
21 years ago
I did love your story too chick mom, I can just see you running around in your nitegown. sheila I have a million of em, but most of my stories are about fishing, it seems that I am one of those people that funny things happen too. I just seem to get myself into situations. It usually has something to do with my mouth though. It tends to run away with me.
I also live in a small southern town and have some eccentric neighbors. LOL
life is only as dull as you let it be.

sheila I hope you feel better soon.

chicken ingenue