# Too cute!



## AngelMomma (Mar 24, 2013)

There isn't hardly anything cuter than spring chickens!  We got a few different varieties this year.  These are all the full size varieties.

Here we have Red Sex Link hens (Full size)  I love having these for their good temperment and plentiful egg laying.

Then we have what we fondly refer to as the 'Chipmunks' which are Americaunas(Full size).  They have a very neat pattern when they are grown and lay green eggs.  At least most hens do.  Once in awhile we have gotten a hen that lays a light tan egg instead.

Lastly is the black chick(Full size).  We have no idea what this is going to be because my daughter brought it home from school.  HA!  Science class, ya know.  They hatched out a bunch of eggs for the kids to watch the process.


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## AngelMomma (Mar 24, 2013)

*Bantams*

This year we wanted to try some Bantams.  We have wanted to have some for many years now so it was about time.

Here we have 3 adorable Silkie Blue Bantams

And 2 Mottled Cochins, also Bantams


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## lsg (Mar 24, 2013)

I love baby chicks and yes, they are too cute!


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## AngelMomma (Mar 24, 2013)

*And lastly*

And lastly we have these 2 tiny White Frizzle Bantams 

We can't wait to see how cute these all turn out.  And hubby will love the tiny eggs for me to make him some Spicy Pickled Eggs with :roll:


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## lsg (Mar 24, 2013)

We used to have some frizzles, but boy they about drowned when they got rained on.


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## AngelMomma (Mar 24, 2013)

lsg said:


> We used to have some frizzles, but boy they about drowned when they got rained on.


 
Thanks, I will mention this to the man.  We are building them new accomodations.  Our chicken house that we have now is getting pretty old.  I think he built it about 8 years ago, nice and solid at the time but thats along time.  He did a cute pitched roof with shingles and all.  I am looking forward to what we come up with this time.  Now if I can only find a nice small weather vane for the top, with rooster.  Wouldn't that just be the best?!


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## Badger (Mar 24, 2013)

Ah, the chicks are all adorable.  Angel, your husband sounds like he makes chicken houses similar to those my BIL makes.  He does custom orders and has them match people's houses.


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## Mommysoaper (Mar 24, 2013)

I love the chicks!  I took my daughter over to the Tractor Supply store the other day so we could look at all the chicks.


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## hlee (Mar 24, 2013)

Aww, just adorable.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

My little cuties are getting bigger every day.  We have started working on making them a new home so they don't have to go in the old 'chicken house & yard'.   Well, really I am just an assistant to Superman, who has the plans, "In his Cranium" :eh:    I will post pics of our building PROJECT.  I'm still exhaused from helping him for hours yesterday!!!

Plus we also realized that we had mis-identified the babies we _thought they were Mottled Cochins._  But as their feathers started coming in I realized that their little legs are _clean_ so that couldn't be.  So my youngest and I sat down at the computer yesterday morning to find out what they were.  We came up with _Houdans_ instead.  If we are correct with our identification this time(I think we are as we had good online pics to go off of)  then these will grow a bit bigger than I had expected.  Which I can already see the difference.  They are bigger than the Silkies & smaller than the full size.

And right now, these Houdans are the funniest looking chick I have EVER seen!!!


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## Sammi_552 (Apr 7, 2013)

Oh my, cuteness alert! I would live to have chickens again.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

*The chicken tractor begins*

I love creating NEW things from OLD things. We are using this concept to make our chicken tractors. Things from around here, his Dads house and buying new what we need to fill in the gaps. 

Its starting with a heavy duty metal cage that is to be the ground floor. We actually helped his Dad build this cage years ago. It was meant for tropical parrots. There is to be a second floor house on top of the cage. So we cut a hole for the stairway and added 2 trays that will pull out, one from each side. I will use the waste from the trays to add to the compost pile.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

My assistance in this project consists of handing of drill bits, screws, helping hold things in place and telling him if I am happy with what he is doing or not  He is very particular with getting things straight and squared up. So it actually is a bit hard for him that I wanted to use old wood for this. But it will all be covered with paint in the end anyway. We made panels that are essentially like a picture frame with a groove that 1/4 inch panelling fits into. Then the panels are connected together. Every screw hole was predrilled and counter sunk. That means a TON of bit changes!!!!! But its worth it not to have any wood splitting.  We are covering the edges of the cut wire with the blue edging that is made just for this purpose.  So it is gentle on their little feet.  There will be a perching area on each side over the trays.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

Here you can see we put in the perches and we also put in a brace on the back wall.  We will add the nesting box on the outside of the back side.  I don't know how he can just come up with a roof structure without plans!  Structurally sound and effective for what we need.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

This is where we stopped last night.  Looks almost like a chicken house now!  The paneling and wire we got out of his Dads garage, lol. The dark boards are old and the light ones are new.  The nesting area will be of the back over the cage and the front will have 2 doors on hinges that we can open to do any cleaning neccessary.  After building the last one the biggest lesson we learned is that you NEED accessiblity for cleaning!  And I love the wire!  I think this house will look very cute in Barn Red & White.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

Another main idea behind this design is to have a semi light weight design that can be move frequently.  This will allow the birds to have fresh green grass all the time.  Where we keep them now they have completely decimated the grass.  Seriously it is just dirt now in their entire pen, which is large. We sometimes let out our old lady chickens so they can roam the yard and scratch up what they will.   But we have owls and hawks that will snatch up young chickens that are not wise yet.   We have lost plenty in the past that way.  I would wake up in the am to see a pile of feathers in the yard and a missing bird. So this house should keep them very safe.  Also it will give a bit of fertilizer that can be watered in after moving them.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 7, 2013)

Lol!  I can't wait until these Houdans feather out.  Crested Chickens are so neat.


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## Badger (Apr 7, 2013)

Looks like a punk rock chicken right now ;-)


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## christinak (Apr 7, 2013)

I miss my babies this year.  I've gotten them the past 2 years in a row and can't fit anymore in atm.  I'd have to build another coop but with the fibro pain in my hands I don't think it will happen any time soon.  Besides, Im way too busy with building my soap empire 

Ill post some pics.  After some wildlife tragedies I am down to 34 hens.  I love them, everyone should have at least a couple chickens.


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## christinak (Apr 7, 2013)

That's last years flock and the coop I built.  The top pic are my girls from 2 years ago.


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## Badger (Apr 7, 2013)

Ah, looks like you have fun with them, I am sorry that fibro has kept you from having more, I know what fibro is like sad to say :-(


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## AngelMomma (Apr 8, 2013)

Christina you have a very beautiful flock!  Don't you just love the Americaunas? What breed are the ones that are black & white.  They are pretty too.


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## christinak (Apr 8, 2013)

Those are silver laced wyandottes!  They are from my first flock.  I also have Partridge Plymouth Rocks, Australorps, and the Easter Eggers in there.  That was my most successful batch...12 for 12 made it.  A year later I lost one girl to being egg-bound.  The second batch had 6 brahmas and 2 golden laced wyandottes.  The third batch was a total DISASTER.  Out of a dozen girls, only 6 made it.  My latest flock had 20 and only 1 baby died.  Then I lost some to foxes.  Sooooo, I now have 34.

Australorps are the sweetest, and the brahmas.  I've got a couple California Whites, a Jersey Giant, a Russian Spangled, Cuckoo Marans, and Welsummers.  I always wanted Salmon Favaroles and I ordered 2 and BOTH were killed.  ARGH.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 8, 2013)

christinak said:


> Those are silver laced wyandottes! They are from my first flock. I also have Partridge Plymouth Rocks, Australorps, and the Easter Eggers in there. That was my most successful batch...12 for 12 made it. A year later I lost one girl to being egg-bound. The second batch had 6 brahmas and 2 golden laced wyandottes. The third batch was a total DISASTER. Out of a dozen girls, only 6 made it. My latest flock had 20 and only 1 baby died. Then I lost some to foxes. Sooooo, I now have 34.
> 
> Australorps are the sweetest, and the brahmas. I've got a couple California Whites, a Jersey Giant, a Russian Spangled, Cuckoo Marans, and Welsummers. I always wanted Salmon Favaroles and I ordered 2 and BOTH were killed. ARGH.


 
Ah, of course!  I have one lone Golden Lace Wyandotte.  I always have trouble remembering her name.  Probably because she is the only one of that kind that I have EVER had.  Even though the old ladies are fading, she still looks nice and fluffy with good color still.  Although I am not for sure who is laying eggs and who isn't.  We only get 1-3 per day now   We have 8 hens so thats not many eggs at all.  We are used to getting 8-12 per day.  I was so bummed when that stinkin' raccoon got into the pen a few months ago.  It seems like it must have taken my best layers.


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## AngelMomma (Apr 26, 2013)

Isn't she/he just the cutest thing EVER?!!!  And its super friendly too.  Will come up in the top floor of their house to see me and lets me hold it without any protest.  Actually seems to enjoy it


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## AngelMomma (Jun 3, 2013)

This is the "Egg Hut" We built for some of our new chicks (which are now young roos or pullets).


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## AngelMomma (Jun 3, 2013)

This is the young chicken that started off our spring adventure with our new flock.  Its so hard to imagine that it was such a tiny thing when we brought him home.  I am 90% sure that it is a "he" :think:  The only thing missing is the crow.  Not sure what we are going to do about him.  Since we are all so attached to him and this breed is known for getting aggressive once they reach maturity.


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## AngelMomma (Jun 3, 2013)

Another Rooster........Gah!  How did I get so many roosters??!  I may actually have 4 all together!  Anyway, if I keep one it will be this one.  His color is not complete since he is young.  He will have much more black when he is older.  He is a Mottled Houdan and we the female as well.  In her pic she had snuck into the veggie garden by the Swiss Chard.  

This little roo is the funniest chicken I do believe I have ever had!  When he runs to go check on a group of pullets that have wondered a few feet away........he has the funniest run.  It is like a combination run, hop, skip, wing flapping, head bobbin' and body weaving run.  He just can't help but have fun, he is happy to be young and alive.


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