Crop Rotation - Chicken Style!

So in the midst of all the Cornish-Cross meat-bird craziness last Spring, I acquired 6 new chicks.
I wasn't planning on getting new chicks until 2014, but I went to a chick workshop, and they were SOOO cute, and I just couldn't help myself...

Mar 9, 2013: baby chicks - 4 days old

I got 3 Ameracauna and 3 Black Jersey Giant pullet chicks... AWWWW!!!!!
Jersey Giants are the largest chicken breed - I got Black JG, but there is also a white breed. They take 2 years to fully develop and are layers of XL brown eggs. Fully grown, hens can weight up to 11lbs!
The Ameracauna chicks are a standard breed and are "easter egg" layers - eggs will be shades of cream, blue, and green.

Mar 16, 2013:  chicks are 11 days old

The Ameracauna chicks are different colors - one brown, one red, and one white.
They started their new life in one of my blue tubs, and eventually got upgraded to a 3'x3' box with high sides - turns out they're jumpers!!

Mar 24, 2013: 19 days old - starting to feather out

See how the red one is spralled out? This behavior doesn't change much... it's pretty funny in fact! I call this one my "Sun Goddess". Wherever there is sun or warmth, this one is flat out soaking it up!

Mar 30 - first day outside

The same day I had the Cornish-Cross birds out, these guys also got their first taste of the outdoors. (As you can see, the red one found a cozy spot!) These were very excited and started pecking and eating grass right away!

And again, my WR hen - one of the "Ghost Hens" - is curious, and not one bit excited about MORE critters taking up space in HER yard!!

April 6, 2013 - 1 month old

At 4 weeks, the Ameracauna chicks are really starting to show their colors! The white one is knows as a "splash", with the black and white color. And you can tell the Jersey Giants (BJG) are going to be big birds!

April 21, 2013: 6-1/2 weeks old

Most chicks are fully feathered at 6 weeks and can slowly be acclimated to outdoor living if they were raised indoors (like these - they are sharing floor space in the greenhouse; the Cornish Cross are in the next pen over!)

May 9, 2013:  9 weeks old

(May 9) Black Jersey Giants enjoying the great outdoors

June 1, 2013: new chickens have free fun of the yard

Unfortunately, the "splash" Ameracauna started crowing (I knew he was to pretty to be a girl!!), so he was transplanted to another flock who had just lost their rooster. I had named him "Osprey" since he looked like a raptor when he would fly, but that name did not suit his new digs... he is now known as "Ozzie".  : )

There is another Roo in the pack - the red one (I call him "Red Roo") has not yet started crowing but is definately NOT a hen. So I only have 1 hen out of the 3 Ameracauna chicks....How's that for bad luck! Fortunately the seller is going to replace them with new chicks Spring 2014, so we'll start again and see what we get.

Osprey & Red Roo (Ameracauna)

The Jersey Giants were the first to start laying (mid-July) and by mid-August all hens were on board - sometimes 6 eggs a day! The (2) Ghost Hens lay light brown to pinkish eggs, the (3) BJG lay light-to-med brown eggs, and the (1) Ameracauna lays cream-to-blue-to green eggs (depends on her mood I think).

The new flock was slowly integrated with my Ghost Hens and they do get along well. Osprey is gone, but Red Roo is still here. He is the bottom of the pecking order - I believe that is why he is slow to mature. He hasn't started crowing, but at first Cock-a-Doodle, he's outta here!

PEAS OUT!
~GP