The Backyard Farmer

EGGS!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:30:00 +0000

Look at that!

I had read that chickens take about six months to start producing eggs, but our hardworking birds are obviously ahead of the curve. They have been sleeping in their nestboxes for at least a month, but we haven't been checking for eggs because we thought it was way too early. Clearly we were mistaken!

Today we showed a friend/coworker the updated coop and pen, and when Dave opened up the hinged cover of the nestbox to show how we would gather eggs, the friend's wife said, "Oh, and here are some eggs!" We didn't get it for a moment, and looked in, and there they were, two little eggs.
Above is one of the two possible layers, and the other one is below. I just read that chickens are ready to lay when their combs and wattles turn bright red, and both Camilla and Nadine have them. Both breeds lay brown eggs, so that's not a clue. I suspect it was Nadine, just because she's the one we spot in the nestbox most often. I guess we'll figure it out as they all start laying.
We've switched them to organic adult pellets (yum, yum), and give them our leftover scraps every day. They seem to be happy with that, and scratch around for bugs as well. The chicken on the right in the photo above is snacking on an olive. Healthy fat!
Jonah got to help gather the eggs. He knows what you do with a hard-boiled egg, and likes to help me crack, peel, slice, and mix them into egg salad. He hasn't, however, quite gotten the hang of raw eggs. So this time he got to pose for the photo, and then I rescued them. I think within a few months, he'll be able to be the one who takes the eggs inside.
And here they are, shown next to a bunch of sad factory-farmed eggs. (We often buy good eggs from a local feed store, but sometimes backslide.) Right after this photo was taken, Jonah stole the egg on the far right and put his thumb through it. Oops! We definitely need to talk about the difference between raw and cooked eggs.

But aren't the little ones cute? As the chickens mature, the size of the eggs will increase; both breeds lay large eggs. I think the one on the right was the first egg, and the larger one was the next day's. It's possible they've been out there for a few days, of course. Eggs keep well, and I hope they've stayed cool-ish in the straw through our hot weather. I guess we'll find out when we crack them if these guys were left out too long!

So, we're now officially reaping the benefits of our little backyard investment. We've enjoyed their company and it's been neat for Jonah, but now we have egg-producers. I'm so happy!

Ody the Rooster

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:34:00 +0000

I received an e-mail from the guy that adopted our rooster. And he really is a rooster, check him out! He's started crowing, although his new owner says he doesn't have a big voice yet, he just sounds sick. And he finished the e-mail with "Thanks for the rooster (I think)" Heh. Our neighbor's rooster crows constantly, I could see it getting old in your own yard. And doesn't he look scary? I know I keep saying this, but he was the one that really grossed me out way back when.

So here he is with his flock. He looks happy. We still might go out and visit him one of these days.

The masterpiece

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:09:00 +0000

It's been a while, I know. But things have happened! Dave covered the coop with cedar shingles (making the chicken coop smell lovely, if you don't get too close), finished the door, and cut out two windows for ventilation. Before the fall, they will have shutters, but for now the chickens get to look out at the stars as they go to bed.The coop stands on stilts, and we'd been storing hay underneath. That was great, but Zoe loved to go nose around in there, and she'd loosen the hardware cloth. It was only a matter of time before she weaseled her way in the pen. So the outside has been shingled, while the side is left open for ventilation, with slats to keep Zoe out and the chickens in. It's become their favorite spot during the hot weather. I think we'll have to clear out the hay once they start laying, because they've been nesting under there all day. But for now, if they're happy, I'm happy.
The fence is finished, too. Dave completed the whole thing, including building a door, in one morning. Now the chickens actually have room to run around, and they love it. This is the view from outside, showing our neglected rain barrels (they're on the list!) . Can you see the chickens? They come running when I arrive, because I tend to bring tasty treats for them. Chickens love watermelon...Jonah likes to come hang out with the birds, too, although they're just a bit intimidating.Here's the view from inside the pen. They have a pretty nice chicken life.

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:02:00 +0000

This is the time of year that can make even the most mundane tasks fun. Hanging the laundry isn't a chore yet, it's just one more excuse to be outside enjoying everything. I love calculating how many dryer loads I save by doing this...and yes, those are some really sweet bus jammies you see hanging there. Some people get all the cool stuff.
Dave has begun building the permanent enclosure for the chickens. We've got posts set in concrete and the door framed, and there will be more to come. This former dog run is going to be a completely transformed garden room, with the grapes on one side (this is the view from inside), the new garden bed, and then the chickens' spot.

This photo is very "before", with the fencing materials all around, the rain barrels still waiting to be hooked up, and the chickens in their temporary setup. The bed looks better, too - this was taken right after I transplanted the broccoli, and everything is much happier and healthier now. But I think it's a good shot of the space. Soon, really, we will have a lovely "after" photo to share!And the birds. They are doing very well, no post-traumatic fence-encounter issues or anything. Two have combs, two do not yet. So I've named the ones with combs, who you can see lounging in the photograph below. The RIR is Nadine, and the Buff is Camilla. (The link has sound, just in case you aren't checking at home...) Here is Camilla with the RIR I haven't named yet. Hey, these things take time!

And here they are, enjoying the sun just like we did today.

Midnight thrills

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:54:00 +0000

This post has no pictures, because it took place in the dark and well, you'll see why.

Jonah and Dave were in bed and I was on the computer. The computer room has a window that looks out on the chicken coop, which is across the yard, too far to see in the dark. I was typing away and suddenly heard one of the chickens clucking loudly, clearly in distress. bockbockbockbock baGOCK! baGOCK!!

Oh no! Raccoons! Bad cats! Neighbor dogs!!

I ran to the room where our dogs were sleeping, opened the door, and for the first time ever told them to run over to the chickens. Zoe ran straight to the fence and started jumping, not her usual behavior. I peered out and saw nothing, and then because I am a bit chicken myself, ran to our room and told Dave, "Something's happening with the chickens!"

We both put on shoes and threw on sweatshirts. I got to the coop first. Dave luckily knew where the flashlight was living, and came out just a minute after me. And what did we find?

One of the Buffs had gotten herself wedged between the fencing and the lattice. She was completely stuck and scared and furious, and I'd made things that much worse by sending the dogs out to bother her. I tried to lift the fencing off of her from the outside, but it didn't work. Dave went in and moved it. She was still scolding and wouldn't budge, so he picked her up and plopped her back into the pen. Now she flapped and squawked and still refused to go anywhere. By now, the other chickens were starting to get a little agitated, and I suddenly wondered if something could be in the coop with them - did we have another dead chicken?

I put the dogs inside, and Dave opened the side door. As the door opened, one of the Reds fell out on the ground. What?! But in a second she got up, angry and flapping and clucking. She had been sleeping against the door, and when it opened, she lost her balance and plopped onto the ground (cushioned by hay). Luckily Dave caught her before she went anywhere - chasing a chicken through our backyard in the dark would have been a nightmare!

Turns out that by the time we opened the door, the Buff who'd been stuck had gotten herself into the coop in a pile with her chicken friends. Nobody was hurt, but everybody was a bit ruffled and offended by the whole ordeal.

So that was our excitement tonight. Big fat hen wedged in plastic-coated wire fencing, too scared to do anything but yell. I don't know how or why she got herself there. My guess is that she was checking out some tasty grass seed on the other side of the lattice, went too far, and didn't know how to get back.

I think it's time to get the real fence finished out there!

Anybody out there?

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:01:00 +0000

It hasn't been quite a month, so maybe there are at least a couple of you still checking the blog! Since our weather has been nice, work on the coop has been bumped down the priority list, and the chickens really don't need too much attention at this point besides a hello at morning and a good night in the evening.

Something new has happened, though: They cluck! They're real hens now! They're also getting nice combs and fancy tail feathers. Not rooster-fancy, but fancy enough.

They seem happy, eating the leaves off of our raspberry plant, scratching in the long grass, getting into kerfuffles with each other. Our dogs still hang out on the other side of the fence and watch them annoyingly, but the hens now know that they only need to back off a foot or two and they'll be fine. The other day we found Jonah under the coop, draped across Zoe on a pile of hay, just watching the birds. He loves them, although he's found that their beaks pinch when you try to feed them out of your hand. Youch!

Here is a shot of our fortress-garden. Those are potatoes in the foreground. They may look big, but they're nothing compared to the ones in our compost pile. I think the fact that they're there means that our compost isn't really composting, though. We've been eating spinach out of the garden, and have already harvested all of the bok choy! It's fun, but we realized if we want to get really serious about growing food for the family, we're going to need a lot more garden. We might turn the area behind the trellis into more garden space.

Jonah loves everything about the backyard, especially the pile of dirt next to the raised beds. He can be busy all afternoon...
Here he is, contemplating the future of the garden. Good thing we have him around!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:08:00 +0000

I haven't posted lately because there hasn't been too much new happening. The chickens have learned to put themselves to bed at night, so no more running around under the net trying to stuff them into their coop! They've got a little roost set up in their coop, and every time we open the back door we find them all nestled together on it. They're learning to run to the other side of the pen when the dogs come over, and to run to meet us when we come over. They are as low-maintenance as promised and even more fun. It got into the high eighties here yesterday and the chickens spent a lot of time lolling in the shade, but they didn't appear to be distressed.

The dogs got a bath outside yesterday, too. Both girls adore swimming, and they always want attention and petting -so why is it that adding a little shampoo to the mix makes them so miserable? After the torture, they ran around joyously and rolled in the grass, so it looks like it made them feel at least a little better.

Spring

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:27:00 +0000

It's here! Jonah helped me with transplanting by dumping my pots full of soil and delicate little leek and broccoli starts onto our gravel paths. However, it turns out that leek and broccoli starts are more hardy than you'd think - maybe he has found the easy way of doing this for me!

The dogs have found that the straw is a nice place to rest when it's chilly. Zoe makes a nest for herself under the coop (on the other side of the fence from the chickens, of course), and Bella will lie next to her but out in the open. She's a shelter dog and has always been claustrophobic. Here's the back of the coop, sans dogs:The section poking out in front is for nest boxes! It is just tacked down for now. Later, we will add hinges so we can get eggs without having to disturb the hens. Eggs won't happen for a few months, though.

The chickens like their new spot. They hang out in a group at all times, just the four of them. We all love to go back and just watch them. The Buff girls will poke their heads out of the fencing to see us, and they'll eat out of our hands. The Rhode Islands are still more timid, but they'll come over and see us, too. Dave's had to catch them and put them in the coop at night - they won't go in on their own, so he has to chase them. Which is a feat, considering that the bird netting is stretched about 3.5 feet high and he's 6'2". He still likes them.

This is the only decent shot I got of the birds yesterday. I had to poke the camera through fencing, and it was sunny, so I'll try and get some nicer ones later.
Oh! And the new owner of our rooster e-mailed me some shots of the rooster in his adoptive home. The rooster is in chicken heaven: he now lives with eight hens in a huge and fancy coop, shares space with some horses and later will have a whole acre to wander during the day. It worked out perfectly for everyone, and we've even been invited to stop by to visit him sometime. Here he is in the middle of his harem:

We're out!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:16:00 +0000

At long last, the chickens are out of their too-small brooder. It was probably a week overdue - their peep-peeps are gone, now they sort of croon (although I heard some clucking out of our suspected rooster when Dave picked him up). They've had feathers and combs brushing the roof the brooder for days, and whenever I went into the laundry room I saw little yellow heads peeking out curiously at me. Dave made a superhuman effort to finish the coop this weekend, and though there is still quite a bit of finishing that needs to be done, it is now habitable for birds. They are so happy!
Those are nest boxes on the right, spots for future egg laying. We put their food and water inside the coop for now. I'm not sure if we'll keep it in there, or if that will go outside, but since they're still so young, we want to make sure they have access to everything they need. Dave put up the heat lamp out there; it makes the coop glow like a jack o'lantern! I can actually see it out the window behind the computer desk. I wonder what the neighbors think...

It got too dark for more photos. Jonah and I will bring the camera out tomorrow for the chickens' first full day outside.

And, Monday news: Our rooster is officially going to be picked up today and taken to his new home on a farm with lots of hens. The man who is picking him up told me that he'll take photos of his new home and e-mail them to me. I'm so happy, even though this was the chick that completely grossed me out a few posts ago, he's grown into himself and he is lovely, and I'd hate to think of him going off to his death. So after today we'll have four birds, two of each breed. A nice number.

Coop, part one

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:25:00 +0000

Our friends came over this weekend to help us with the coop. Dave and I had no idea how long it would take or how complicated it would be. Well, it's not terribly complicated, but neither of us have any experience with this type of thing. Luckily, our friends built houses with Habitat for Humanity for seven years, and they have real tools and real experience, and they know what they're doing! We were also lucky to have someone in charge of refreshments:Without our friends, this coop would be crooked and rickety and just kind of sad. Happily for us, they actually enjoy doing this stuff and really did most of the hard work! Dave lifted and sawed some things, at least. I mostly sat and was impressed...

Here are some photos from Sunday, showing some of the progress on the coop.

We recycled part of the old shed and turned it into the floor of the coop. It took a lot of scary nail removal and cutting out notches so it would fit snugly within the beams. This is what we didn't realize would take so long. It fits perfectly, though!Here's the floor going in!
Two sides and the floor in:

This will be where the chicken door goes:
Dave put on the front and built in some nest boxes on Monday, and will continue to do more as we have time. I'll put up more photos when the weather cooperates a bit better with us. Watch this space!

No luck

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:03:00 +0000

This morning I decided to take the chickens out for a backyard field trip. We have fortress-like raised beds designed to keep out dogs, chickens, and toddlers. Since they don't have soil in them yet, they conveniently double as chicken playpens. I locked the dogs in a bedroom and brought the squawking birds out one by one. They were a bit nervous at first with the new environment, but pretty soon they started exploring and got comfortable. Dave and Jonah came home and I let the dogs out, and we all watched the chickens run around - some of us with a more benign interest than others...

This gives you a good idea of the setup. The board in the middle is a makeshift roost, which they didn't really use. In the grass behind the pen are some beets I'd brought out for them to try, but the chicks didn't have any more interest in them than we did.

After a couple of rainy weeks, there is a lot to do in our yard. We were preparing to get started on some yard work when suddenly Bella lunged at the pen, causing a big commotion. We quickly shooed her away, and it looked like all she'd done was put a dent in the chicken wire. So Dave and Jonah went to get the staple gun and secure the wire, and I wheeled out the lawnmower. I had a few feet mowed when suddenly Dave shouted at me. One of the birds is dead!

Oh no!

I ran over, and little Lucky was laid out motionless, eyes closed, not breathing. Just like that, one moment all were tootling around, the next, five birds were huddled on one side and Lucky was gone. We didn't know what happened - we hadn't been more than ten feet away from them, always within sight, and they hadn't been outside more than thirty minutes. So shocking, a warm pretty spring day, happy chicks outside for the first time, and then this memento mori...

We have two theories: perhaps Lucky had a little birdie heart attack after the Bella incident; or maybe somehow Bella got hold of her through the wire in that split second and broke her neck. Terrible! But there is nobody to blame but ourselves for being not vigilant enough. Bella is, after all, a bird dog, and this is probably the first bird-dog thing she's done in her life. She's really a very timid thing for being seventy pounds of muscle. Everyone, including the two year old, is dominant over her at our house, and she usually lets everybody else have their way. But those chickens are just too flighty and fidgety for her to ignore...
Poor bird. Once we removed her from the pen, the other chickens appeared to forget about it and spent the rest of the day happily pecking, preening, and napping. We, however, didn't forget so soon - we lost our only named chicken! The little one! The one people actually ask about! But, well, we did get six because we knew we'd probably lose at least one, and we did have chicken for dinner just the other night, so it's a bit silly to get too maudlin about it... Still. A bummer way to start the day. Lucky was buried in our side yard with a few words to send her on her way, and now she must be peep-peeping in chicken heaven. Lucky, we hardly knew ye.
Well, we must soldier on...Some personalities are beginning to show in our chicks. One of the Buff hens is feisty and will suddenly squawk and fly straight towards another bird feet first. The other birds all scream and run around and nothing else appears to happen until the next time she gets a wild ~~hair~~ feather. The rooster likes to lie in the grass and fluff up his feathers and is still the most timid of the bunch. Everybody cuddles up together for naptime in one big mass, even preening each other's feathers. I really enjoy these birds. I hope we don't lose any more.

For a while today we thought Zoe might be guarding the birds, because she'd get after Bella if she got too close to the pen (so did we), but later we figured that she just wanted to be the one closest to the exciting chickens.

The weather was lovely today, so tomorrow we're on for building the coop. Once the coop is done, our chicks will officially move out of the laundry room and into their own place! We have friends coming over to help, and our biggest helper is going to be on the job, as usual.

One of these kids...

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:34:00 +0000

I've had this song running through my head whenever I go take a peek at the chicks:

What do you think?

I think one of these kids is a rooster, don't you? If so, he's the biggest scaredy-cat rooster I have ever met. The madam in the top photograph will let me pet her, has jumped out of the brooder and cruised around the laundry room floor (it's a good four-foot drop), and likes to check out the camera. The beauty below runs screeching away when I take the top off of the pen to change their water. This guy is the one whose grody legs and feet I showed you a couple of weeks ago. He's grown into them, though, and now I think he's pretty. Fickle, I know.

Last weekend it was 84 degrees, Dave framed the coop, and we were all set to finish it tomorrow. Today we woke up to snow, and it is hailing hard as I type this. So, it will wait another week. Here's how it looked earlier today:
We are going to put a gutter up on the metal roof and then attach a rain barrel - that way we'll have a way to catch and collect clean rainwater that can be used for the birds and for the garden. Normal roofs slough off material that isn't safe to ingest, so the water collected from our house's gutters can only go on the ornamental plants around the house. It's really exciting to get some permaculture stuff going in our own backyard.

Now we just have to wait for spring to come back.

New digs

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Our two-year-old is already on the job documenting the chicks' new space. They were starting to get crabby with each other, flying and squawking, so we decided to extend their living quarters. We'd been using half of our dog's old training crate, so we brought the other half in, and Dave put up a nice little bridge between the two. The chicks were hesitant at first, but our friendly
and curious Buff Orpingtons led the way, peering through the bars to see us, checking out the new space. Their old water bowl was constantly full of the wood pellets we use for bedding, so I got them one that would be less likely to get clogged, as well as needing fewer changes.
Because of the new layout, we now have a much better view of the chickens, and they have a better view of us. Since I don't have to pick anybody up, I'm over my slight revulsion and back to thinking they're kind of cute. All of the birds' feathers are coming in and looking lovely. As you can see, most of the photos are of the Buffs. The Rhode Islands are much shyer and will go hide in the corner when I take the lid off for photographing.

I also added a pile of pine shavings for the birds to take dust baths in, and they got right to it. They are so calm now that they have extra space. They putter around, lie down in little nests they make, stretch and preen, and generally seem happy.

There is someone else in our household who is very, very interested in the chicks' development:Any time we open the door, she's right there with us, whining, wagging her tail and licking her chops. Our lab ignores the birds, our cat ignores the birds, but the border collie is obsessed. As is usual. Her way is to be very annoying with anything new, constantly following and bothering it, and then her curiosity is finally satiated and she can coexist peacefully. I hope this will be the case with the chickens.

The chicks are three weeks old now, and we are having more fun with them than ever. I had been hesitant about adding more members to our busy household, but this is more entertaining than TV ever was!

A confession

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:53:00 +0000

I am a little bit grossed out by chickens. I know, it's ridiculous. I eat them and their eggs, and now we have six living in our house! But they just kind of give me the creeps.

In college I once house-sat for friends who had a flock of about fifteen chickens. One of them had been hurt the day before, so Jeff showed me how to keep her warm and separated from the group...and then showed me where they kept the chopping block and cleaver, just in case she took a turn for the worse. They were concerned about her well-being, really, and I pretended to be cool with the whole thing, but there was no chance in hell I was going to chop the head off of that chicken. I did end up having to spoon water into her beak and try to hand-feed her, and then, when she didn't make it, to dispose of her body. This sounds terrible, but touching that bird at all when she was alive was very difficult for me, and I really had to gather up all the bravery I had to pick her up and put her into the compost. Ugh. Poor thing.

But I don't think that was traumatic enough to make me feel this way; it's more just a visceral reaction to the feel of the skin (too reminiscent of a cutlet), the reptilian eyes and those scaly feet. Do you know, by the way, that people actually eat chicken feet? And I respect that. If you're going to kill an animal, you might as well use as much as you possibly can. But still.We took this little/big chick out today for some photo ops. The paper is there to catch the poop, of course - as they get bigger, their output gets bigger too. She screamed and flapped when I picked her up, and I shuddered some, but once I had her out, she calmed down, looked around, and was quiet. Jonah and I sat by her and she walked up to us and even let us pet her lightly. She walked under my legs and looked around interestedly. Buff Orpingtons are supposed to be very docile birds, friendly even, so I was relieved to see her conforming to type. I'm thinking that as long as I don't have to pick anybody up, we will all be happy.

This is one of the birds that we think could be a rooster, but I think some of the aggressive behavior is related to growing out of that brooder. Don't worry, all that "aggression" entails is a flying hop across the brooder and some loud peeps, just a big kerfuffle. But we'd like to keep things as peaceful as possible in order to set the tone for later relations. We have plans to expand their living space this weekend.

Another issue might be boredom, so I'm going to go out in the yard and get a clump of dirt for them to worry. It's warm today, so the dirt shouldn't chill them. I did some research and found it's really not safe to take them out for another few weeks yet, so this will have to do. Other than the crabbiness with each other, they seem to be doing quite well at two weeks old. Just four more weeks indoors!

Awkward adolescence

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:33:00 +0000

It has arrived. Last week our chicks were cute little fluffballs. In a while they will have beautiful soft feathers. But now they're all scaly legs, goose-pimpled (chicken-pimpled?) necks, and exposed quills. And they're getting smelly. But still, there's a certain charm about them. Their peeps are still high-pitched and they're getting very curious. Every time I visit, they stretch those long necks up to check me out and come over to peck at my fingers.

I haven't posted much lately mainly because it's difficult to get a good quality photo of them in the pen; the lighting just isn't right. It's warming up a little bit around here, and I'm planning on taking them out for a field trip in the back yard soon!

A farmer is born

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:52:00 +0000

I know I said that children aren't supposed to handle birds, but I also keep reading how people take their chicks out and let their children play with them, so we got out the antibacterial wipes and let one of the RIRs out (not Lucky) to explore a bit. Jonah was fascinated, and very gentle. The chick wasn't afraid at all - it seems as though they're getting a little bit used to us, and perhaps less fearful as they get older. They're a whole week old now!

I can't tell you how difficult it is to get a non-blurry photo of a two-year-old with a chick - nobody stops moving, ever! But you can get a bit of a glimpse of her new back feathers. Pretty, aren't they?

The other ones

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Here are the other members of our household: Zoe the border collie and Bella the lab, and Gary the mellow Siamese mix. All of them are mutts from the animal shelter, and all are very sweet creatures. We aren't sure how they are going to take a bunch of birds hanging out in their yard, though. Zoe has seen the chicks, and her response was energetic sniffing, whining and chop-licking. Uh-oh. Websites I've been to say that dogs can be trained to see the birds as livestock to protect, but that it's also difficult to make sure they don't get a taste for fresh chicken...feathered sushi!

So our chickens will have their own fortified place in our yard, surrounded by chicken wire and netting on top to keep hawks out. It used to be the site of a broken-down shed and a dirt pile. The shed and dirt pile are gone, thanks to Dave, and Jonah and I mulched the place and sowed rye grass a week ago. The grass has already sprouted - look closely and you'll see tiny red shoots coming out of the seeds.

We spent a lot of time outside yesterday, knowing that the rains were supposed to come back soon. The deluge has arrived, so today we're indoors. I am looking forward to drier weather; Jonah's favorite thing to do is work outside, as you can see.

Thanks, Auntie Lisa!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:32:00 +0000

I mentioned Jonah's love for the digital camera to my sister, and this is what he gets in the mail today! His own camera! He's here with me now, pointing to the picture of himself on the computer and pointing down to his camera happily. He's in love, Lisa. Maybe I'll get him to start documenting the chicks now...
Lucky's doing fine by the way. Here she is, safe and sound. She's remarkably docile, really a nice little bird.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:44:00 +0000

Dave bought some Cadbury Eggs for Easter, and I had wanted to get a cute/cheesy photo of a chick next to the egg for the blog. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to sit down and take a photo, the eggs had all disappeared! So, the chick got to hang out with some Hershey's miniatures. She complained loudly and pooped on one of the candy bars (no, I did not put it back!), but overall did quite well with her first solo photo shoot.

The two chicks that we were holding for our friend until Easter went to their new home yesterday, so now we're left with six. I think the chicks are calmer with that much more space in the brooder - less pushing and pecking, anyway. My parents and Grandma got to meet the chicks for the first time, and agreed with my assessment of little Lucky, she just appears to be a little off. But as Grandma pointed out, she's in the best possible environment (except maybe with her own mama), so if she can make it, she will. Hold on, Lucky!

Things are happening with all the chicks' wings. They spend a lot of time stretching and preening them, and even do tiny test flights. Without the hardware cloth over the top of the brooder, it wouldn't be too long before they could fly themselves right out of it! We've also noticed the beginnings of combs developing above the beaks. The comb is still too tiny to see in the photo, but the chicks are looking more hen-like every day.

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Here is a (rather blurry) chick's-eye view of the brooder. The poor things are getting used to have a huge gray camera suddenly lowered into their world. I wanted to get a view of the nascent wing and tail feathers, but in this photo you can really see the Rhode Island Red I'm a bit concerned about. I know almost nothing about chicks, so it could be this one is just mellow and sleeps a lot, but she is a bit runty and often stands by herself with her eyes closed. It seems to me that she gets shoved out of the way at the feeder by the Buff birds, who are HUGE compared to her, but I've also seen her eat and drink, so perhaps she'll just be a quiet bird. Let's hope, because she is the one bird I've become attached to so far! Lisa - if this one does well, you know her name already!

The thing that looks like a limbo stick running across the picture is a wooden dowel that we've stuck in there for a roost. Nobody has really taken the initiative to hop up there yet, although Dave said he saw a couple of the Buff Orpingtons (see, this is why we need names!) on it when he checked them before bed. Mostly they just jump over it, though I have seen evidence of bird bums having been on the dowel at least for a moment...

You can see them here running willy-nilly to get away from the Big Hand, hopping over the roost, scooting to the corner. This kind of gives a sense of how they move; just imagine little panicked cheeps and you've got it!

Dave was the one who really wanted the Rhode Island Reds and I wanted the Orpingtons, but now we've got them I really am more attached to the little red ones. The feeling does not appear to be mutual, as you can see. I do hope they start liking us soon, they've got to figure out we're the nice guys who give them food, right? I assure them that I won't hurt them but then feel sneaky, because there is that small chance that one of them may end up in a stewpot one day....

Chick magnet

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:06:00 +0000

Early this morning I peeked into the brooder and saw that one of the Rhode Island Reds had a little problem known as "pasty butt". Basically, they get stressed out and have some intestinal problems, which need to be taken care of or else they'll die. Every problem with chicks seems to be magnified: if they have slippery bedding, their legs will dislocate and they'll DIE. If they get a tummy upset, their poop will crust over and they'll DIE. Well.

I took this little one and wiped off its bottom (familiar territory in this household with a recently potty-trained child, really). As I did this, I heard a door open and Jonah shuffled down the hall, newly woken up, squinting and rubbing his eyes. So I showed him the baby chick and explained what I was doing.

You're not supposed to let children touch chicks, first because of salmonella risks, and second because the chicks are so fragile. So Jonah just watched the chick peep for a bit, and then I took pity on the poor thing and put it back with her mates.
The chicks are getting wing feathers to replace the fuzz. We'll have to take them out of the box tonight to change all the bedding, and I'll see if I can get some good shots then.

New baby chicks!

noreply@blogger.com (BF) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:35:00 +0000

With a little push from my sister Lisa, I'm officially dipping my toe into the blogosphere, and I'm taking the little toes of six baby chicks along with me!

The yellow ones hogging the spotlight are Buff Orpingtons, and the shy ones in back are Rhode Island Reds. None of them were at all pleased with the camera I stuck into the brooder.

We picked them up yesterday from the feed store and installed them into our brooder, which is made from the bottom of the crate we used to house-train our border collie. They've got wood pellets to stand and poop on (lots of standing and pooping happening), a little metal feeder with baby chick food, and a tiny dish of water.
On top of the brooder we've set up some hardware cloth, and over that the heat lamp. There's a thermometer inside the brooder. We try to keep the temp around 95 for the chicks. They've got a bright light on them 24 hours a day, and only blank beige walls to look at - seems like it'd drive them out of their tiny bird brains, but evidently their brains are so very tiny that it doesn't bother them. So this will be their home for the next six weeks, until they've got enough feathers and yard-smarts to move into their own coop outside.

We also have a really good two-year-old helper who loves to be involved in everything we do. Right now he is very interested in what the chicks are doing and imitates the little peeping sound they make. He has fed adult chickens at a friend's farm, so he's got some experience under his elasticized waistband. I think he is going to enjoy our little flock.

So far the chicks haven't been named. We're actually chick-sitting two extra babies until Easter for another friend, so there are almost too many to keep track of. I imagine that in a little while we will be able to pick out individuals and get some sense of personality, and maybe we will get to naming them. Dave thinks we might eat these birds someday and is discouraging names. I'm doubtful that we will have the heart or stomach to do that, but if we do, I really have no more problem eating Doris the hen than I do hen #4 or whatever. Naming is fun, so I will at least name them here so we can keep them straight. Sound good?

The other thing we have to do is get the backyard ready for the birds. We have no coop yet, and we have to protect our garden from marauding beaks. Dave is going to build a Place for Poultry with the help of a friend who has lots of experience through Habitat for Humanity...ahem...We've got some new raised beds and just put up a protective cover. We not only have to protect from chickens, but also two dogs, various neighborhood cats, and the aforementioned helper two-year-old, who isn't quite sure of the difference between a weed and a veggie yet. In the winter we'll put plastic over the cover and have a little greenhouse!

Back to the chicks: Right now there's not too much going on in the brooder, just some peep-peeping and running around wildly when the Big Hand comes in to scoop someone up or do a bit of maintenance. I will post more soon!