Hello from NC

[Lisa]

Hello.

I wish to thank Patty for providing this forum, and resources.

My name is Lisa, and live in Eastern North Carolina.

There's a garden in the back, and six hens and one rooster.

Hoping to make lots of improvements through this Spring, so I'll be reading, and have lots of questions!

Lisa

[ecogirl]

Welcome! I am not a expert at chickens so I can't really understand hens and roosters! Aren't they the same?

[Sinfonian]

Welcome Lisa! Sounds like you already have your feet wet with your sustainability efforts. Great. I bet we can all learn from each other.

And as for not speaking chicken, don't worry, if anyone can, it's Fred!

Welcome and don't let your questions go unanswered.

[plantoneonme]

Welcome Lisa, hope you have time to read through some of the previous postings....you will find a wealth of information. Kim

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi and welcome to the Message board!

I'd like to take this opportunity to clear up some terms associated with chickens so everyone can talk... well, "chicken" on the same page (">

First... ah, let's start at conception, chickens mate for like 1 second and the female is fertile for around two weeks after a single mating.

Within the egg, the disc where the germ cells develop after fertilization is the blastoderm.

Second... blastoderm develops into the chick embryo...

Third... Embryo develops into a chick and hatches at or around 21 days fully fluffed and ready to roll...

Fourth... Out of the shell until the sixth week of age, they are all chicks, male or female...

Fifth... At six weeks of age, the males are now cockerels (immature male) an the hens are pullets (immature female)

Sixth... At one year of age you now have a hen (female) and a rooster/cock (male)

They remain hens and roosters for the remainder of their lives.

The hen lays eggs with or without the rooster. The rooster does NOT lay an egg, no matter what the chicken trader is telling you! (';')(';' )

And the hen? She's just an eggs way of making another egg (">

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[Lisa]

Thank all of you for the welcome, and thank you Fred, for the welcome and that info about the chickens.
I really didn't intend to have the rooster, but he is a very calm, very pretty one. He is out there dancing around his hens right now. There are four Rhode Island Reds, and a black hen.....and a buff mix. Those last two, and the rooster were from some chicks given to us last year. Actually those two hens are the ones who laid all winter (pretty mild here though)

Yes....Kim, I've already found those videos from the Worm Guy, that someone nicely posted.
Looking forward to reading more!

[Blossome]

Welcome! :-)

[MoniDew]

welcome! it's nice to have such a knowledgable new member!

[Lisa]

Thank you Blossome and MoniDew!

Oh, I wish........I don't feel as if I know very much at all.

I was lucky enough as a child to have parents who let me sign up in the poultry chain through the 4-H. Then while in school lived with a family who raised chickens, rabbits....
but nothing like what Patty and others demonstrate and share.
I wanted my kids to enjoy having chickens......fresh eggs, the other benefits.

My husband has always gone along with the chickens. It got better when neighbors asked him to help build their coop. Now he has actually set up two rainbarrels, and is more involved.

I guess I should mention that we don't really live in an urban area.....
actually rural, but the methods you all discuss make sense in any area.

I love plants too.

Hope to check in later.....
and do more reading and learning.

[gardengirl72]

Welcome Lisa. That's great that your husband has gotten involved. Please share some images with us.