Chickens: May 12, 2012

We went to the tractor supply tail gate late and all of the chickens were gone. They had goats and oddly enough, pigeons. Jim and I decided to join HudsonValleyChickens.com and put a posting that we're looking for specific breeds. We're interested in cold hardy breeds that lay eggs often. We ended up with a black Astrolorp named Sally , 2 Buff Orpingons named Pipla and Berla and an Ameraucana named Joy. Sally lays light brown missile like eggs, Pipla and Berla lay light brown..sort of pinkish eggs and Joy lays these beautiful bluish-green colored eggs.

Sally - Black Astrolorp

Berla and Pipla - Buff Orpingtons

Joy - Ameraucana

We picked them up from a woman, Donna Haines, near Newburgh in a town called Bloomington. She was decent and showed us her operation. When we got them home, they were relatively calm. Sally had feathers missing and Donna said it was from the roosters. The more I see her the more I'm thinking mites but we'll see because the others ones are fine.



Sally seems to be the smart one and understood how to use the water nipples I installed for them to drink. Pipla and Berla soon followed what Sally was doing and ultimately Joy was operating the nipples like an old timer.















They also understood how to get the food from the contraption we set up. The next day was wonderful because when we opened the coop door, they each had laid a beautiful colored egg.

So far they're interesting to watch. I just wish we could watch them more often. While rehearsing a speech for a meeting I was having, they were a good audience. I thought by talking often that they would be more relaxed around me. They were still a bit skittish.
The last thing worth mentioning is that the solar powerd door opener was a SUCCESS! It opens and closes at precisely the right time. We couldn't be happier about this whole experience.