The New Girls On The Block

 We took the yahoos on a little field trip today to pick up three more chicks.  This time they are Easter Eggers....meaning that they lay blue, green gray...pretty colored eggs.

 

Three very sweet Ameraucana chicks. I can tell you that I can tell the difference in temperament between the chicks that make the trip from Michigan to the ones that made the trip from just up the road.  These sweet things will sit calmly in your open hands.

This is RayJeana.  She is named after my dad and my mom.  My parents were actually going to name me Rayjeana.  I thank my lucky starts that they settled on Jan.  She is just a slight shade darker that the other two.

 I like the little Harry Potter mark she has going on between her eyes.

 

Meet Dory.  She is named after one of my dad's sisters.  My aunt is tall and the chick has a long brown marking down the middle of her back that makes her look a little longer (taller) than the other two chicks.

 This little sweet pea is named after my dad's other sister, Judy.  This little Judy is the smallest (shortest) of the three chicks  just like the Judy in real life.  She has a big brown circle on her back.

I never realized that the Ameraucana chicks could be so different.  I may need to get little bracelets to be able to tell them apart when they get older.  I'll just have to wait and see.

 

So our little chicken family is complete.  The older chicks have two-four more weeks in the inside brooder and then out to the coop they go.  These little guys are just beginning their 8 week stay in the garage.

New To Me Chicken Coop/Rabbit Hutch

Got a special delivery last weekend from my niece via my dad, one of my crazy aunts and cousin...all the way from WV.  We had a great visit.  Emmy fixed an awesome healthy lunch and we had a picnic in the backyard (Hey Ms Renee...we used our new tablecloth/shower curtain and it looked very partyish).  We even had time for a little crafting time.

 

 My niece, Molly, is letting me foster her rabbit, Buns.  Now Binker has a girlfriend.  Which we are excited about.  Maybe one day we will raise bunnies.  But that is in the future. Right now we are chicken crazy around here.  Well, maybe it is just me that seems to be chicken crazy.

 

Molly bought this for Buns awhile back.  It is really nice.  All I need to do it add some wire on the back and predator proofing all around and we will be in business.  But I am not sure three chickens will fit.  We will just have to wait and see.

Then there is the extra little brown house.  Not sure if it is a coop or a hutch.

 

Meet The Girls

Before introductng the girls I must give a little background on their names.  We chose these specific chickens because they would be good layers, cold tolerant, docile personalities and good around children...not to mention being able to learn tricks and become loved members of the family.  And speaking of family...my father-in-law grew up with chickens.  And 8 sisters.  He has been so excited since finding out we were going to become 'chicken farmers' that we thought it would be so fun and funny to name the chickens after each one of his sisters...so please meet my girls...

Effie-Grace.  We had to double up on one of the names to make it all work out.  Effie-Grace will grow up to be a Silver-laced Wyandotte. (I actually have no idea if this is the SLW or not...but for now she will look like this)

 

 Ethel actually named after my grandmother and Mark's grandmother.  She is a Silver Cuckoo Marans.  She is the one that will lay the dark chocolate looking eggs.

Estelle will grow up to be big and a little heavy on the bottom.  She will be a beautiful Austrolorp.

The two brown chicks are the only ones that I can actually identify.  This little brown beauty is a Welsummer named Inez (pronounced I-ness).

This little cutie-pa-tootie is named in honor of my dear father-in-law.  When all the daughter-in-laws, the granddaughters or anyone in general that got pregnant my father-in-law would asked to have the child named after him.  Well, Sweet Pap, your wish has finally come true...meet your namesake...Keithetta.

And last, but certainly not least, is Susie.  She will grow up to be a big old Barred Plymouth Rock.

 

I promise that once they get a little bigger and they have their feathers we will be able to tell them apart and I will post their close-ups again.

One day last week it was warm enough for them to go out into the run and explore the grass.  It was an exciting time for us.  Our neighbors all came over...even the other neighbor's cat had to find out what all the ruckus was about.

A Little More Prep

Lots still going on in preparation of the chicks getting big enough to move into the coop. Right now they are living in a blue tub in the garage with a heat lamp.

 

 See my new chair that I can perch on to watch and take pics of the girls!  I can not believe it matches the run and coop perfectly.  Like they were made for each other.  The Ellison's got me the planter at one of my favorite Amish places.  I can't decide if  want to paint it the same color or leave it like it is.  And I haven't decided what flowers to put in it yet.  I might even have to mover it to another location so it is not in front of what could possibly be great photo opts.

Yep, you see it!  A chicken swing.  Go ahead and laugh and make fun of my chicken swing.  Doesn't bother me at all.  I just don't want the chickens to get bored and start poking on each other.  They look so ugly when that happens.  The yahoos and I make the swing yesterday...for free.  If you check the out on the Internet they are around $50.  Who knows we might make more someday.

 

I have faithfully been reading My Pet Chicken Handbook.  This is the same place we where we ordered my girls.

 

This is what I have learned today.  My chicks came a day old.  That means they were hatched on April 7th and put in a box with a warmer and delivered to my front door on April 8.  The brooder box(cage) needed to be ready for their arrival.  We chose a plastic tub simply because it will be easy to clean.  We needed a one quart feeder and a one quart waterer...got that last summer while we were browsing Tractor Supply...pine shavings, 25 pounds of chick feed (and the bag will be a really nice tote), 250 watt red heat bulb ( the red light keeps them from pecking each other), and some type of covering...we don't have that yet because they aren't jumping or trying to fly out of the brooder yet.

 

You are going to crack  up when you read the next part but it is part of being Chickie Ma and I had to do it.  When I first got them out of their warm little box nest I had to check each one for pasting...crusty chicken butt.  I had to make sure that their little vents were not sealed.  That could be disastrous.  Also I had to check to see if the umbilical cords were gone.  If I had to clean them up I would do it with a warm rag and then dry then thoroughly with a hairdryer. The things you must do...never dreamed I'd be doing that!

 

I also had to make sure that they drank water and ate a little bit.  I can say they are good eaters.  But some of them had to be lead to the water.  I read in the book that is they were having trouble to place clean colorful marbles in the water.  This would jazz up water they would become curious and peck at the marbles resulting in finding the water and drinking it.  Most of them found the water on their own.  I had to help a few.  Now they are all good eater and drinkers.

 

The girls will live in some type of brooder until they are 6 weeks old then they will be moved to the coop and run.  Within two weeks we will move them to a larger brooder with a cover for sure.  The temperature needs to be at 100 for the first week and then it drops 5 degrees each week.  So if you do the math right by the time they are ready to go outside it should be around 75 degrees.

 

When they are two weeks old and if the weather is warm and if there is no wind, I will be able to take them out and let the scratch around in the run for just a little while.  Sorta give them a taste to what is to come.

 

I can hardly wait for you to see them.  I have to get a few extra hands for photography.  So as soon as I can manage that I will post each chick with their name.  You are going to love it I am sure of it!

 

 

 

 

 

I Became A Chicken Farmer Today!

As usual when there is something big going to happen I toss and turn all night.  I don't think I got any sleep last night at all.  First watch the BBN get beat in the finals of the NCAA Tournament and then worrying about the chickens.  Not so much the chickens but how I was going to transport four yahoos, one stroller and a very large umbrella to the Post Office.  About 3AM I figured it out...Plan A  load them up...I would put Madi in the Bob and everyone else walks.  Carter would be the door holder and Doodles would wrangle Noodles...while I played mother hen to them all (ha, ha that was a joke).  Plan B...Call Mr. John and ask him to come over to the house and play with the yahoos.

 

Then right after breakfast the doorbell rings.  I was shocked to see a little man with a box with holes in it.  And it was peeping.  My babies were delivered right to my door!  Thank you PO and My Pet Chicken!  Think I might bake some cookies to drop off tomorrow after the preschool drop off and an email to MPC.

All six well and peeping like crazy.  And the yahoos were just as crazy.  We have checked on the a million times to make sure they stay warm.  So far so good.  Just wondering where I will sleep tonight? Maybe in the garage in my sleeping bag in the hammock.  Or maybe they may make their way up to my bedroom.

 

Checking out the brooder...my little chicken farmers in training.

 

This evening with Chickie Paw's help, we will figure out the different breeds and finally reveal their names.  It's going to be priceless.  I think we might even paint each ones toenails with a different color polish so we can tell them apart.  Maybe even post it on the fridge in the garage.

They're Coming! They're Coming!

Just received an email from My Pet Chicken and the chicks have flown the coop.  The brooder is already at a nice a toasty 95 degrees, water and feed containers filled, and pine chips fluffed.  Not to mention the camera batteries are filled to capacity.  I am so ready.  I called the Post Office to give them a heads up.  They will call me when they show up.  I'm feeling like I have just gone into labor and now we wait and wait and wait some more.   I hope this labor is short and sweet!

 

With the weather we are having today maybe I should consider a few ducks too!

 

Come on babies, come to Chickie Ma!