Bert the bad chicken

**madhen** · 08-22-2009, 09:39 PM

Probably, "Braack brak brak brak BWAACK BWAACK!!!"

**ladytoysdream** · 08-22-2009, 09:40 PM

Bert would say...........

* good morning world.....time for the morning walk...........
okay....hop outta this stupid chicken yard....
hey....Lucy....Red...come on....we need to go for a walk...
how about that bird seed we found yesterday...
oh look.....bugs, worms, butterflies....oh yummy.....

oops.....the human just noticed us.....
okay.....act innocent.....maybe he won't see us....
okay.....drop that act.....let's do the chicken dance for him....
and make sure we "talk" to him with our squeaky voices....
he likes that.....and let him think he is our leader....
follow him down the driveway.....
okay....in the gate....
get the treats....
okay....guys....human went back in the house..........
hey Lucy....hey Red.......
come on.......time for another walk .............

**craftypam** · 08-22-2009, 10:44 PM

OMG you are cracking me up!!!!!

**miss_thrifty** · 08-23-2009, 09:36 AM

OMG ur too funny!!!!

**ladytoysdream** · 08-26-2009, 06:49 AM

Well last evening hubby was picking tomatoes, and Bert was helping him. And then the hubby says to me....come look......
and there was Bert in our addition........he had followed hubby into the house........
both of them were lucky, there was no doo doo....or the hubby would have been cleaning it up. It was cute though to see a rooster in the house.....I think

I got a good deal on some buff orpingtons, 9 weeks old monday evening. Lady has to move and her dog decided to get stupid.
So far I have 14 of the 19 she had. Hopefully she finds the balance of them. Her dog did at least one in, maybe two. She was letting them free range. Right next to a busy road, and her lawn looks like a pasture.
Of the 14, we think 3 are males. We finally got them merged in with the rest of the group. Nice birds. Color me happy

**rsbs** · 08-26-2009, 09:35 AM

I LOVE this post!!!

And am so jealous I almost can't stand to read it.

So I'll use it as my "chicken fix" for now. Keep it coming!

**madhen** · 08-27-2009, 12:08 AM

Buff Orpingtons are BEAUTIFUL birds!!

My Giant Jerseys are getting HUGE. They just started laying a few weeks ago, and their eggs are still not full-size, but at least they don't look like quail eggs anymore!

**frugalfranny** · 08-27-2009, 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by ladytoysdream

I got a good deal on some buff orpingtons, 9 weeks old monday evening. Lady has to move and her dog decided to get stupid.
So far I have 14 of the 19 she had. Hopefully she finds the balance of them. Her dog did at least one in, maybe two. She was letting them free range. Right next to a busy road, and her lawn looks like a pasture.
Of the 14, we think 3 are males. We finally got them merged in with the rest of the group. Nice birds. Color me happy

PICTURES! PICTURES! We want pictures!!! I don't even have a clue what a buff........whatever it is.......looks like.

PLEASE!!!!

**ladytoysdream** · 08-27-2009, 05:09 AM

Yes on pictures. That was the plan

A orpington is a dual purpose chicken, great for a small flock, as layers ( large brown eggs ) and meat birds. They come in 3 solid colors, lavender, black or buff. Very soft feathers on the young birds. Hens should hit 8 pounds and roosters 10 pounds.
Little Red in the photo album is mostly orpington, I think. She now has black tips on her feathers. Where I got her they were free ranging, and her mom is one broody hen. My son currently has the mom and the rooster.

The lady found me two more. So total is 16 orpingtons. We think 4 are males, but not sure. I am sad because she had 19 that morning when I talked to her. But very glad to have saved the rest of them.

We have 3 roosters now. We will have way too many for the male/female ratio. Currently Bert and Ernie are making sure the hens KNOW they are roosters.

We start the coop tonite. Yes.........I should have pictures

madhen...giant jerseys sound interesting

Little Red is laying a quail egg....but it is getting bigger

**ladytoysdream** · 08-27-2009, 07:13 AM

More pics in the album
http://imageevent.com/ladytoysdream/...?rotp=3510&n=0

**frugalfranny** · 08-27-2009, 02:10 PM

Thanks for the pics......I remembered seeing some of them but some new too. Bert does look cute..... and I like the road runner gang.

I want to ask but not sure I want to hear the answer.......are you going to eat them?

that sunflower pic is gorgeous.......now I know who to contact for a pic for a quilt.

I was raised on a farm but some things I just couldn't do. My mom had me help her ONE TIME.......and one time only.....butchering chickens. I could pluck them though..........only the PLUCKING......not the dipping. And my dad had me help him ONLY ONE TIME with branding cattle.......no sir, this stuff just AIN'T FOR ME!!! I am a horrible nurse too!!

**ladytoysdream** · 08-27-2009, 03:52 PM

frugalfranny - HI

Answer to your question is mainly NO, but there will be a few exceptions. Directions for the birds is eggs, and I want to raise some chicks out of them. Plan is to incubate in the spring.
So the chickens can pay for themselves. Some eggs for us, some for sale, and then chick sales.

Now the roosters maybe another story. Hopefully a few of them can be sold as breeding stock. One rooster of the orpingtons is promised to a lady already. One I will keep for the herd sire.
If I come across a mean one....he will be sunday dinner.
I don't tolerate mean animals as future breeding stock or as pets.

Bert will be a pet. Not sure how big he will get yet. When I get ready to set eggs aside for the incubator, I will probably have to keep Bert away from the hens that I want eggs from. I will want pure orpingtons at that point. Bert can stay with the road runner hens, and the older red trio. I am sure he will be a happy boy.

I am not looking forward to any of them for the stew pot. I can hopefully sell or trade some of them off, as we reach different stages of growth here. I think a year from now, I will be looking back on this and thinking......*what was I thinking ???*

Plan is to be frugal, self sufficent, and have a few hobbies that pay for themselves. There is a method to my madness

**crafty73** · 08-28-2009, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by ladytoysdream

We got into chickens ( unplanned ) this spring with the purchase of 12 chicks for meat purposes. Then we got given 6 more chicks ,we labeled the road runner gang. And then I just had to buy 3 older red hens that are laying eggs. Current head count on all the birds is 12 hens/pullets and 4 roosters.

Two of the road runner gang are white roosters that are called *Bert and Ernie*. Bert is the bad chicken. Always getting out. His latest adventure is eating bird seed under the regular bird feeder. I call the chickens cheap entertainment. They put a smile on my face every day I go out there. Bert will usually come to the hubby who picks him up and puts him back in their yard. I no longer chase him........just tell hubby....*YOUR chicken is out again* ...........

One of the hens quacks like a duck...her name is *Ducky*

Hopefully we will have their winter building up soon. And a more pemanent yard for them. Which was not part of our original plans.
Plan was to raise a few meat birds for the freezer.
Not expecting the chickens to have personalities either.
Quite a few of them have names too.
Even the 2 dogs enjoy watching them

Kinda hard to eat them after you name them, almost become pets lol

**frugalfranny** · 08-28-2009, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by ladytoysdream

frugalfranny - HI

If I come across a mean one....he will be sunday dinner.
I don't tolerate mean animals as future breeding stock or as pets.

Oh yeah........I agree with that. We had chickens too, "down on the farm" and I can remember a rooster or two chasing me. But we got rid of them before I had to clean any chicken houses!! yipee!!! Think I could make them dinner for THAT NIGHT if they were mean.