Yes, I know this a bee blog but thought I would tell you about our newest animals. My daughter Skyla said all she wanted for her 5th birthday watch some chicks she could watch grow into chickens *sigh*. I have been managing to hold out against my wife wanting chickens for seven years, now my daughter had joined the fray I knew I didn't have a chance. So it was at the beginning of May we visited a breeder and got 3X Rhode Island Reds and an Auracana, all just one week old. Skyla was very pleased.
We watched them grow, and grow they did. To have some idea of the a chickens growth rate they start of the size of... well... an egg. The "standard birds" you buy in the supermarket are then just 40-50 days old. That is quite some growing. Which takes quite some eating, and results in quite some.. well.. you knowing what eating results in. We were hoping at least two of the birds would end up being girls (pullets) and things were looking good. Two of the Rhode Island Reds had developed combs where as one and the Auracana did not. This was good news because although you obviously don't have favourites, the Auracana (or Fairy Blue) was the favourite we didn't have. Fairy blue was so calm and friendly. But then came the day that Fairy Blue crowed at us *sigh*. So it was that we find ourselves this weekend driving three cockerels back to the breeder.
Bye bye birdies
This time we collected three chicks who are a Rhode Island Red/Sussex hybrid. These should make much better layers and unlike pure breeds will continue to lay during the winter months.
Hello new girls
So, we now have a Rhode Island Red of 7 weeks (renamed Sandy), and three Rhode Island Red X Sussex called Starlight, Moondark, and Planet. I do love how my daughter names things. All I need to do now is finish the coop!
A bit more paint and a roof wouldn't go amiss.
Oh and just so you can have a little bit of bees. Here is my foster son Kyle loving having a bee suit all of his own.
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