Small Grown Chickens...

So, all of my chickens look like miniature adults right now. They have all gotten their "big girl" feathers in, and their fluff is gone.

Here they are, eating rice for a breakfast treat.

The "nipple" watering system was a bust. It leaked everywhere, so Tom is revamping it.

We are going to move their dust bath box to the other side, and install their feeder this week.

All of my veggies are reaching the grown-up stage as well, and many have flowers on them. That means, just a few more weeks until we get to eat their first fruits! The strawberries have already given us plenty of luscious snacks!

I got a nice "Welcome" sign from Tom's parents for Mother's Day.

 Tomatoes are in bloom.

 So are the sweet peas.

 Spinach is looking good.

 Our cozy coop with strawberries.

Converting...

My diabolical evil plan has worked...I've converted my husband to a chicken lover!! Bwahahahaha!

Today my dear hubby made my nesting box area. He made a platform to sit the four "milk crates" (that I purchased on sale from "Land of Nod"), and a hinged "roof", along with fixing the boxes themselves. He cut a hole in the "front" of the crate, added rubber mats to the bottom, and then attached the hinged roof. See the pics below:

His next project is to set up our "chicken nipple" watering system, and our PVC feeder. He has also started making a "Bless this coop" sign for the front, and wants to put nice windows in. One of the windows will feature a flower box. He is really getting into this!

Today he was telling me how one of the black chicks has taken him in as a friend and will let him hold her. She peeps at him when she's ready to get down.

I've started driving in the TPosts for the outside run. It will end up being about the same size as their indoor run, so they will get to stretch their legs soon, in double the acerage.

The chicks are getting bigger. They have almost all of their "big girl" feathers in. Leopold is starting to grow his comb. It is still teeny tiny, but you can tell it is growing now.

Here is a recent video I took of them enjoying their first taste of cooked pinto beans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiKobogVRxk

I've switched their brooder light to only come on between 1-4AM. I've kept their "ladder wind guard" up for now, but that will come out soon. Right now they enjoy roosting on it, along with all of their other roosting spots.

Until next time:

Moving Day and a Rescue

As I wrote about last time, we finally finished the coop! Woohoo!!!! I still have to complete the outside run, but the structure of the coop itself is complete.

Friday I received an email about a Silkie chick that needed a rescue. Apparently the chick has a minor flaw that makes it not "show worthy", and the owner was going to cull it. My only dilemma was if the chick was a male or female. I am desperately wanting a female Silkie, because I would (one day) like to brood some chicks, and I've heard that the Silkies are great brooders, and will brood eggs that aren't even theirs.The problem is that no one knows the sex of the chick, but I took it in anyway. If it is a rooster, I pray that it is a docile one, and won't fight with Leopold.

So I picked up this poor "little" chick on Saturday and put it with the other chicks. I was told it is only about a week older than mine, but that appears to be incorrect, as it is a giant, compared to my girls. Silkies are a small breed, so I think this one is actually closer to full grown than a chick.

It was covered in poo, having been in a crate all day, but overnight it (with help of it's new chick friends) cleaned itself up. I trimmed her (I'm calling it a her) feathers by her eyes so she could see better. Here is a before photo:

According to what I've ready, I think she is a she, and not a he, but it is hard to tell.

Anyway, she is getting along just fine with all of the other chicks, and last night, during a cold snap, they all snuggled together in the completed coop.

 So last night, all chicks spent the night in their new coop. According to everything I've read, I'm doing this a week or two too early, but they have been trying to fly out of the water trough, and this was the safest place for them to be. We put up a wind shield, made out of some wood, attached to a ladder for stability last night. They all did splendidly.

Here is a video I took of them. You will see them carrying around fettuccine noodles that I gave them as a treat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai7-62A8obE

So we have everyone in thier new home, along with their new sister Silkie. I've named her Silkie (pronounced Zulka), because that is a German name that I took on when I took German in High School. It fits perfectly. If she turns out to be a he, we will rename him Rod (as in Rod Stewart). Until then it is Silkie.

I added a sandbox to the coop yesterday, so that the chicks can dust themselves, if they choose. It is 95% sand and 5% Diatomaceous Earth (food grade).

For Mother's Day, on top of the finished coop (the most expensive present I've ever gotten), I got some flowers to add as hanging baskets to the front. I think it completes it :)

Coop is finished

Yesterday we put the final varmint proofing wire up on the ventilation gap at the top of the coop. Tom also put in the chicken's door for them to access their outdoor run (when I get that completed).

Here are the photos:

Coop Picture

Here is the picture of the almost finished coop. You can see where the ground in front still needs the gravel added, and the mat moved over to it, but the front is finished, and the door. I still have to put wire inside on the ventilation gaps, and finish off the footing/bedding, but that is it for the coop itself.

The next thing is to start my outside run for the chickens. It will consist of wire fencing, Tposts, and poultry netting (for the ceiling). I will add a chicken door to the front right of the coop (as you are looking at it-opposite side to the human door), that can be closed off at night, when the chickens will be roosting in safety. The run is for when I am not home, so that they can go out and peck around, stretching their legs, soaking up the sun, or finding a cooler place to hang.

The run will be to the right (up against the wooden fence), and behind the coop. It will be relatively small, but enough for a change of pace and extra elbow room. It won't be completely varmint proof, but will be sufficient for daytime use.

Coop Update

Yesterday we finished the front of the coop! Tom did 90% of the labor, but I stapled up the screen and held boards for him. We used 1X4 for the supports, screwed into the front top and bottom boards. Then we stapled the hard-cloth screen on. Tom made the door from 1X4 and hard-cloth screen. I still need to get a good picture of it, as we ran out of daylight. We still have to frame the screen with furring strips to ensure no little varmint claws can get a grip and pull the screen off. I also have to level off the very front, where the ground is uneven, adding limestone grit and a rubber mat in front of the door (so that the entrance doesn't get muddy). Our only slight setback was when we realized that we had inadvertently left the wheelbarrows inside the shed after we had finished the last panel. We managed to get them out, but it was a very tight squeeze...whoops!

I also took some of the scrap wood and made the chicks a perch. I was hoping that they would get used to it, and in a couple of days, start to use it. One of the chicks was eager to get going, and hopped up on it in less than 5 minutes. When I went to check on them before bed, there were several cuddled next to each other on it. My girls are growing up!