Lessons From a New Chicken Owner

A lot has happened since I wrote my last post! Our family has officially grown from 6 to 10. We have a 13 week old puppy, we have 6 non-laying chickens (we're getting 6 more this Friday, that are supposed to be laying), and within the week we should be getting our two goats (Ripley and Liliana) and a llama (who we will be re-naming Dahli the llama). Ripley and Liliana (Lili for short) are both pregnant and will both be due in March. So, as you can see, we are growing!

From front to back: Lyla, Nogs, Spidy, Lumpy,
Chicken the Chicken & Scratchy

So far I have learned a lot about chickens, like it could take up to 6 weeks for them to lay eggs after being moved from one home to another. Also, they need 14-16 hours of light (this could be our main problem)! They stress easily, so little kids chasing them around, catching them, shaking them, poking them, pulling out their feathers, bending their necks so they can look inside their mouths and play with their tongues does NOT help them with their egg-producing and egg laying skills.

I also have experienced the true animalistic meaning of what "pecking order" is. Wow! Chickens can be brutal when you are introducing new chickens into the mix! I couldn't believe it when Chicken the Chicken (yes, we're letting our kids name the animals) went after and attacked little Scratchy (the smallest of the 6) when we first introduced her to the flock. There was more pecking, squawking, and chasing than I cared to see. They seem to have settled down now that Chicken the Chicken has made sure her dominance has been asserted and respected by all 4 of the smaller newbies.