Dad knows Jarvis
does not need any more 'stuff', so what does a good Granddad get his youngest
Grandchild for their birthday? Chickens!
Jarvis spent most of the afternoon talking to the "Ducks".
We got the coop
earlier in the week, and today we went for a drive out to a farm to pick up
chickens. Jarvis had so much fun, he was literally shaking with excitement
shouting "Duck! Duck!' every couple of seconds. According to Jarvis all
birds are ducks. There were ducks but we choose three chickens.
Chicken one is
a year old, she is a white Leghorn
We get home and put the chickens inside their coop and the first thing
Jarvis does is go inside and sit with them. Dad is currently building an
extension for them, plus we will let them out to play when we are home, I am
just nervous about leaving them out alone because the back is not fully fenced
and because of Tira.
Okay so now I need as much advice as possible on how to care for these
three girls. Also any suggestions on names?
How about Duck, Duck and Duck?
ReplyDeleteThey will poop everywhere...we have "chicken" shoes for each member of the family that we wear when we venture into their territory. And make sure the parts of your garden that you want to protect are fenced off...they love a good dirt bath!
Ours LOVE shredded cheese, oats and kiwi fruit.
They look lovely...enjoy!
So far we have all taken to calling them Duck. I have been letting them wander willy nilly in the backyard, should I contain them a bit?
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about chickens so I don't have much advice on taking care of them, however I love how excited Jarvis is about them. Dominic loves to look at animals, but as far as touching them goes he flips out. These pictures are ADORABLE. I'd probably name them all something totally cutesy and obnoxious like "Molly, Lolly, Polly" or something HAHA
ReplyDeleteOurs run all over the back yard...they used to have access to the front yard but all of the poop on the front walk drove me crazy. I think wandering wherever they like is probably nicer for them...and if it works for you then go for it!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! What a great birthday gift!
ReplyDeleteWhy of course one should be Daisy and one should be Jemima, and maybe Donna, for the third ?
ReplyDeleteIf you feed them "treat" food like fruit or veg , late in the day it gets them back in the pen without any drama.
Don't let any visiting kids chase them as it stresses them and birds have tiny hearts
It is a good idea to get the waterer and feeder for dry food in the suspended style, at beak level, so no dirt and poop gets mixed in, as this can make them sick, especialy if not cleaned regularly.
They love the pulp from the juicer and carrot pulp makes the yolks nice and yellow, a mixed diet is the healthiest.
Hens can be affected by severe heat and will stop laying for a while, so giving them have a shower under the sprinkler on hot days will keep them happy.
When my kids were little , the hens would sit down as they aproached ready to be picked up and petted or carried around for a while.
Jarvis will have many days of fun and amusement watching his "ducks" and learning to take care of them and the excitement of collecting and eating the eggs.......fun times !
Each night I give them fruit and veg, So far their favourite is banana peel. When I am in the back yard I open the doors and let them come and go as they want. Sometimes they even need encouraging to leave and to play on the grass. The red girl has taken to following Jarvis around the yard, it is super cute.
ReplyDeleteWe have been cleaning their water morning and night, and each morning I give their home a general poop clean up. I got a pooper scoup to do this.