Friday, November 13, 2009

And then there were TWO... Cock-a-doodle-doo!


Okay, so now we have TWO roosters, it's confirmed.  That big Black Australorp that I thought might just be "mature" compared to her sisters is most definitely a HE!  So, we've renamed Big Bertha to Franz.  The other morning, I could have sworn I heard 2 crowing out there, but one was a lot more quiet than the other, so I thought it was a weird echo effect... but, no - I witnessed Big Bertha crowing so proudly when I went down to check on their water.  We'll keep him around unless he and Fluffy (our other unexpected rooster - an Ameraucana mutt - who is my daughter's "chicken") start UFC cock fighting out there!  I was afraid at first to have a rooster because I wasn't sure if you could eat fertilized eggs and I didn't want to crack one open one day and be traumatized, but I guess that doesn't happen unless you actually let the hens sit on the eggs.  So, if you collect them every day or every other day, you wont have any surprises.  We gott chickens so that we can be a bit more self-sufficient - both for our own food source, as well as possibly to sell them.  Plus, with raising your own, you know exactly what they are eating and how much "free range" time they are actually getting.  I guess if I get really entrepreneurial, I can sell baby chicks on Craigslist too, but I'm definitely not ready for that!  Our chickens are 5 months old now, so we should be getting eggs any time now!  I'm excited!

The moral of this story is - be prepared if you decide to get your own backyard chickens, that one or more may turn out to be roosters.  Also, check your local codes to make sure you can have them.  I had bought mine online with a guarantee that if one turns out to be a rooster, they'll give your money back.  So, before you buy, check for that guarantee.  There are a few places to find chicks online if it is off-season and you can't find them at your local Feed store, or you can check Craigslist.  Here are a few online sources for you: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com , http://www.cacklehatchery.com/ , http://www.mthealthy.com/

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