Friday, May 13, 2011

Outdoor Chickens

As of Monday, our chickens are officially outdoor chickens.  I cant tell you the mess they made in the spare bedroom, but we still had many evenings with frost over the last several weeks.

The chickens are turning 11 weeks old this week, and I cant believe how big they are compared to when we brought them home.

Here are a few pictures of the chickens enjoying their coop outside:





Three chickens below and one in her roost!


If you are a chicken expert, can you tell me what breed you think these may be?  Is it a problem if they have ants in their roost or will they just eat them?
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16 comments:

  1. Vicki Longfellow HaynesMay 13, 2011 at 7:37 PM

    I'm no expert but I would say maybe Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire.

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  2. dr momiMay 13, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    .....or Red Sex-Links. They look very happy with the new accomodations :-)

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  3. NancyMay 13, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    The yellow legs are throwing me off -- I'm thinking Rhode Island Red too.

    Ants should be no problem. Looks like they are enjoying their new home. :)

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  4. JocelynMay 14, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    I'm going with Red Sex-Links too. There's no white in a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire. They both tend to go black on the tail end.

    Don't worry about ants. The chickens LOVE to eat bugs!!

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  5. UnknownMay 14, 2011 at 8:55 AM

    Your chicken coop looks great, what size is the whole thing? Very jealous of the chickens I had really wanted to get chickens this year but ran into a few problems.

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  6. LisaMay 14, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    I'm saying a cinnamon queen. Rhode Island Reds are darker and wouldn't have the white on their butts.

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  7. SparingChangeMay 14, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    I think hubby said that it is an 8 x 3, but I could be off. I dont remember.

    I would like to see how the cats interact with the chickens (ie if they try to make them a snack). If they get along well, the chickens will get more freedom in the yard. Otherwise, hubby is making an extension to the coop for more room to run.

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  8. JustineMay 14, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)
    Your chicken coop looks great! Im sure they will find the ants to be a tasy snack :) I love when mine eat all of the wood ticks!
    New follower! :)

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  9. UnknownMay 14, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    Thanks for visiting my blog! Your chickens look great! "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" is something I've heard all my life. Love your blog - good for you guys!!!

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  10. SusieMay 14, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    You are jealous of my grape vines? Dude, you have chickens!!! That's awesome:-)

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  11. Wasatch WifeMay 15, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Those chickens will eat ants, ticks, beetles, grubs, and any other bug you put in their path. If you move that chicken house around every day you will never have need to worry about bugs! :) We have ticks where we are...well we WOULD have ticks, but the chickens eat them all up! :D Also, your chickens are buff orpingtons.(some of them look as if they may have a little mix of something else, but they are dominant buff) :) They are great layers, and I hope you enjoy them. They are our best layers. :)

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  12. JennMay 15, 2011 at 4:25 PM

    Stopping by to say thanks for following me - and following you back. We are also fans of Dave Ramsey. :)

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  13. SparingChangeMay 15, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    Faithful Mama - I cant wait to do research on the buffs! Thank you.

    And as for moving their chicken tractor, we move it every few days. Hoping to keep the bugs down. If they ate skeeters, I'd be THRILLED! We've got lots of those around here, especially now with all of this standing water.

    Welcome everyone to the blog! So glad you have visited - thank you!

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  14. MamaHenMay 15, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    Hi Megan! I wanted to say thanks for visiting my blog and to let you know we did till the garden with a machine! We just use that old plow thingy to make straight lines to plant our rows. The boys work hard, but we don't make them work THAT hard :)

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  15. CharlotteMay 16, 2011 at 2:11 AM

    You don't have to worry about your cats getting along with the chickens once they are full grown. Full grown chickens are a little intimidating to cats. I am kinda thinking that your chickens may be a mix. I read all the other suggestions but they don't really fit the description completely of any that I've ever had, and I've had quite a few over the years. Where did you get them?

    The most important thing is that they WILL lay eggs no matter what kind they are, as long as they are hens:) The color of their eggs will give you another clue as to their breed.

    Like the coop!

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  16. SparingChangeMay 16, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    We got the chicks at TSC. I was looking at the breeds and you are right, they look to be a mix. I guess only time will tell! :-)

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