Welcome to the Chickens
Meet Barbara and Kylo-hen
Since Christmas we have been talking abut getting chickens here at Rushcroft. We managed to get a bargain with an old chicken coop that we will use to house them.
It all started when DJ had a sleepless night and ended up ordering The Practical Encyclopedia of Chicken Keeping: Breed Identifier * Rearing * Care
At this point it was not a good time to consider chickens as we were still working away in the week and had started the process of adopting children.
Then Justine saw a chicken coop on Facebook marketplace. It looked about right for the space we had so we went and got it. The coop needed a bit of work to repair it but that was mostly new hinges and a coat of paint.
It was then a message from a friend stating that their daughters nursery required homes for some chicks that were hatching. We said yes, then we needed to be ready for them in just a few days.
We ended up ordering in the equipment needed to house the chicks in a brooder. DJ made the cage out of old pallet wood and chickenwire. It is a good size for the growing chicks and they are very happy.
The chicks love to be held and have contact. We are so happy to have our first chickens and we look forward to using their eggs.
At the weekend we started to build the run. We still have a lot to do but we will be ready for when the chicks have their feathers.
Naming the chicks
We asked our nieces and nephews to come up with names for the Chicks:
Barbara Named by Justines sisters daughter. A great chicken name. Barbara is the bold one that will explore and fly as much as she can. I’m sure she will cause some trouble.
Kylo-Hen Named by DJs Sisters son. He is a Starwars fan and looked up Starwars chicken names. Princess lay-a was a close call but we stuck with Kylo-Hen. She is more timid and will follow Barbara around.
We’re sure there will be some future chicken updates and we will share any tips we learn along the way.