Recently I wrote a piece about how chickens were naturally drawn to the color red and that you could use this knowledge to help you manage your flock. Because of this attraction to red, you can use feeders with red bases when you have chicks to get them used to the idea of eating and drinking out of feeders, you can isolate chickens with red wounds so that the other chickens will not peck at them, and by not wearing dangly red earrings into the coop (go ahead and ask me how I know about this one) you are probably going to avoid bodily injury.

This past weekend I was given a solitary, very young Black Copper Marans chick. She couldn’t have been more than a day old and as I set up a brooder for her (Tupperware tub) I was stymied as to how to give her food and water. Oh sure, we have the small sized feeders but she was so tiny I didn’t think she could reach them, it seemed a little overkill. She also lacked older flock mates to show her how to use the feeders.

What to do, what to do.

Then I remembered the red. I sent my son upstairs to get a few of his red marbles and I put a small, low water bowl and feed bowl  in the tub and then placed a few marbles into each bowl.

The light from the heater lamp made the marbles look especially sparkly and red. 
  

Once our chick had gotten used to her surroundings, sure enough, she walked over to check out the water dish. Her first pecks hit the marbles but as soon as her beak slid into the water, she got the idea and started drinking.

The same thing went for the food dish.

Now on her third day of being in our house, she knows exactly where the water and food are located and she’s busy getting her fill and growing like the proverbial weed. When she’s large enough, I’ll switch over to a conventional feeder and waterer.

I certainly wouldn’t use red marbles if you have lot of chicks (low bowls tend to get the bedding kicked into them.) I’ll be careful to remove the marbles before our chick get too much larger in the event that she might try to swallow them, but using red marbles is something to keep in your back pocket (and to add to your chicken first aid kit) if you find yourself for some reason with a young solitary chick or if you might need to isolate a chick from the rest due to sickness or injury and using regular feeders is just not practical.

***

I write about lessons learned living with children and chickens in New Hampshire. You can follow our family's stories at my blog: Lessons Learned From the Flock. 

It’s chick season around here and that means that people will flock (pun intended) to the local feed stores in order to bring home their newest backyard poultry members.  

In a recent chicken workshop, I warned my students that chicks are not like puppies, you don’t want the calm one who is taking a nap when you inspect the litter. Quite the opposite, when you pick out chicks, you want the ones who are most lively and active. Those are the ones who will have the greatest chance of survival. Things to consider when choosing chicks:

Beak– don’t bring home a chick that has a broken or deformed beak. That could translate to eating problems as the chick matures. Depending on the age of the chick, though, she might still have her egg tooth and that’s fine. The egg too tooth is something that will fall off in a matter of days.

Chances are, if you are buying your chicks from a feed store, they will have already been inspected and any chicks that have problems will have already been removed. Because the chicks are also constantly monitored, sick ones are also isolated very quickly. Still, it’s best to know what to look for in a young chick to make sure you bring home hardy stock, especially if you are only buying a few to add to your backyard flock.  

***

I write about lessons learned living with children and chickens in New Hampshire. You can follow our family's stories at my blog: Lessons Learned From the Flock.  

I have 30 chicks coming by mail in one week and I figured I would just find a livestock water tank or maybe a large cardboard box to house them in while little. The problem was the livestock tanks used (and very used) were still quite expensive and the cardboard box was pretty flimsy and not re-usable. So, my lovely husband offered up the idea to use some of the free pallets that we have been getting for the past two weekends and make our own re-usable baby chick (poultry) pen. Yea! Great idea. Fortunately for me, he loves to build stuff! Yes, Kristopher, you love to build stuff...all summer long :) The size is 2'8" X 4'4" X 2'8". It is pretty light as well so I can move it around easily. I will put a strip of cardboard in the middle while my 30 chicks need the extra warmth and after a week or two will open it all up to them. The cost of my pallet pen was $20 for screws (which I now have tons of screws let for more projects). Check out the pics below to see the process!

*Note- I can re-use this as a large planter or compost bin.

Head on over to modernroots.org for more projects as I build up our homestead! 'Like' on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ModernRoots.org 

Preparing for the arrival of the chicks was so exciting!  It was almost like Christmas.  We counted down and with each passing day, our anticipation rose!   In our household, it was a family affair.  I ordered the chicks in February for a June delivery date.  Why did I wait so long?  Well, I had a few reasons.  I wanted to do more research about their permanent coop and run.  I also knew that the chicks would grow very quickly.  In fact, at about 6 weeks they look like mini-chickens!  I wanted the kids participate in the experience as much as possible, so I waited until summer vacation.

About one week prior to the chicks' arrival, we went to our local Feed Store.  We are very lucky to have a terrific store about 10 minutes away that carries all types of livestock products.  They also carry Organic Chicken Feed!  I am a lucky girl and so are my chickens.  I think that one of the biggest decisions that you will have to make is whether you are going to feed your chickens organically or with a traditional non-organic feed.  We chose to go organic.

The USDA organic certification was never truly an option for our family.  The certification process is extremely rigorous including inspections, soil sampling and documentation.  The soil has to have no added chemicals for the past 7 years!  It was too much for me with my small backyard flock.  So, we decided that we would feed them organically and not worry so much about the rest.

Organic feed contains pure ingredients. They do not contain medications, heavy metals, animal by-products or preservatives.  There is also a variety of non-organic feed on the market.  My suggestion is to start reading the labels.  There are good feeds out there that are non-organic.  However, some non-organic feeds contain antibiotics, arsenic, ground up-dead chickens, animal by-products, chicken litter and feather meal.  YUCK!  It's no wonder that I started to think about my food sources!

The next choice is deciding whether to feed your chicks medicated vs. non-medicated feed.  Medicated feed offers baby chicks protection against Coccidiosis.  Some hatcheries also vaccinate against Marek's Disease. I highly recommend vaccinating your chickens for Marek's if this is available to you. The hatcheries do not vaccinate the Silkie Bantams.  So, half of my flock was vaccinated and the other half was not.  I fed them the non-medicated organic chick starter and they all turned out fine.  I credit this to paying close attention to keeping the brooder clean and dry. Good hygiene is very important.

Every manufacturer will recommend on the label how long to keep your chickens on a particular type of feed.  From chick starter, they will go onto a grower feed, then a layer or broiler feed, depending on your final intentions.  Once you decide on the feed, the rest is pretty straight forward.   

At the store, you will need to purchase a chick starter feed, a chick feeder, chick waterer, pine shavings, grit, a thermometer and a heat lamp with a 250 watt heat bulb.  I recommend purchasing one waterer and one feeder per 6-7 chicks.  The rest you can devise from household items and create your brooder.  I'll tell you how in my next part of this series.

So you've decided that this will be the year that you are going to become a bit more self-sufficient and are going to start raising chickens. Raising baby chicks is easy if you use these few simple tips. But let's start at the beginning.

Hopefully you've done your research into how many chickens you are allowed in your area, you've chosen the breeds you want to raise (based on their heat-tolerance or cold-hardiness, production levels, appearance, egg color etc), maybe even placed your order for day old chicks due in the spring or checked with your local feed store about when chicks will be available. Now what?

Now you need to get your 'nursery' ready for your new arrivals.

QUICK CHICK CHECKLIST
Here's what you will need before your chicks arrive:

Brooder Box - either homemade or store bought
Heat Lamp with Two Red Bulbs or Brinsea Eco-Glow
Starter Feed (either Medicated or Non-Medicated that is a personal preference)
Chick-sized Feeder
Chick-sized Waterer with Marbles or Small Stones
Chick-sized Grit
Rubber Shelf Liner/Newspaper
Pine Shavings
Plain Pedialyte, Manna Pro Life-Lytes or Sav-a-Chick

BABY CHICK SET UP AND CARE GUIDE

The first thing you will need to do is set up a brooder box. I made mine out of a clear plastic storage bin (available at Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot and other places). Just cut out a 'window' in the top, cut a wooden frame out of furring strips and bolt on 1/2" hardware cloth for good ventilation. You can also use a cardboard box with hardware cloth bent over the top and secured.

Now you've got a nice place for your chicks to grow up, safe from your cats, dogs and kids. Brooders should always be covered because even without the threat of cats, dogs or kids, chicks learn to fly fairly quickly and you will have escapees in no time.

Newspaper should not be used alone on the bottom of the brooder because it is too slippery, especially if it gets wet, and can cause spraddle leg in chicks. Instead, rubber shelf liner cut to fit the bottom of the brooder on top of several layers of newspaper works great. The chicks can get a good grip on the shelf liner while the newspaper underneath absorbs spilled liquids. After a few days, once the chicks learn what is food and what is not, a thin layer of pine shavings can be added.

A well-secured heat lamp will be necessary to keep the chicks warm. Before they are fully feathered, they can't regulate their body temperature. A red light prevents picking and stresses chicks less than a white light will. The temperature in the box should be 95 degrees the first week, and then reduced 5 degrees per week.

I have a thermometer attached to one wall of the brooder so I can regulate the temperature by adjusting the height of the light, but the best way is to watch your chicks to be sure they are comfortable. Cold chicks chirp loudly and pile up under the light. Chicks that are too warm will hold their wings out, pant and stay in the far corners of the box. Comfortable chicks will move happily around the box, cheeping contentedly.

On the day the chicks are due to arrive, call your post office early in the morning and keep calling until the truck has arrived with your chicks. You will want to be there to pick them up as soon as they are unloaded.

Turn on the heat lamp before you leave the house to pick up the chicks so the brooder is up to temperature when you return. Fill the feeder with chick feed and fill the waterer with water so it can warm up room temperature by the time you get back. Cold water can chill the chicks and actually send them into shock. Put some marbles or stones into the water so the chicks won't fall in and drown.

A small dish filled with coarse sand or dirt can double as 'grit' to help the chicks digest their food and practice taking 'dust baths'.

Okay, your 'nursery' is ready and you're off to pick up the little fluffy, peeping balls of fluff.

It is a good idea to bring a small container of room temperature sugar water or plain pedialyte with you to the post office so the chicks can have a much-needed drink of energy as soon as possible.  

A warmed eye pillow (like those filled with rice that can be microwaved and heated up) is also a good thing to bring with you to pop into the box to help keep the chicks warm for the ride home. They seem to like it in the brooder also as a sort of 'security blanket'.

Once you get them home with your box of chicks, check each chick one by one for 'pasty butt' and clean off any poop on their vent with a q-tip moistened with warm water or vegetable oil. Pasty butt literally stops up the chick so they can't excrete their poop and can be potentially fatal. It can be caused by stress or extreme temperature changes often endured during the travel from the hatchery.

(Continue to check butts for the first few days. Feeding the chicks cornmeal or ground raw oatmeal can help clear up pasty butt. Be sure and provide chick-sized grit if you feed your chicks anything other than chick feed.)

Dip each chick's beak into the water as you take them out of the shipping box and make sure each takes a drink before setting them in the brooder to explore and rest from their trip. There should be clean fresh water and dry feed in the brooder box at all times. Chicks are messy so check often to make sure they haven't tipped over their water or feed containers.  They will get accustomed to their new home in no time.  Even enjoying hopping up onto dowels to practice 'perching'.

You will generally have the option to get your chicks vaccinated against Mareks before they are shipped. Since most chicken runs have traces of Marek's not matter how vigilant and clean you keep them, and which is pretty much un-treatable, out of fear of carrying the virus inside with you to your new chicks, you might feel more comfortable getting them vaccinated.

You can also choose to give them medicated feed for about the first eight weeks. The feed will give them immunity to coccidiosis. After that, they should be strong enough to start to built up a natural immunity, so you will switch them to starter/grower feed which is unmedicated. Coccidiosis is the number one cause of death in chicks, so as an added precaution you can feed the medicated feed to new chicks.

If you decide not to feed the medicated chick feed, be on the lookout for any signs of red-tinted or bloody stools, lethargy etc. It could be coccidia, a highly infectious, potentially fatal, parasitic disease of the intestinal tract. There are commercial medications, such as Sulmet, that can be administered if coccidia is diagnosed, although I don't recommend ever administering Sulmet due to its lack of withdrawal period - meaning you should never eat eggs from that chicken. There are also holistic remedies available:

A bit of apple cider vinegar, such as Bragg, splashed in their water and some probiotic powder in their feed can also help combat intestinal problems in chicks. Probiotics are thought to guard against coccidia as well. Fresh minced garlic will give their immune systems a nice boost.

From the start I also give my chicks clumps of grass (dirt and roots attached) and weeds, soft cooked oatmeal, earthworms, and scrambled eggs as treats. The dish of dirt in their brooder acts as the necessary grit they need to help grind up the fibrous grass.

At about 8 weeks, weather dependent, I will start letting the little ones outside in an enclosed run or pen on nice sunny days, but bring them back into the house to sleep, until the temperature in the brooder box is the same as the overnight ambient temperature outside. At this point, I hope you have given some thought to your coop and run area because your babies are big enough to start living outside full time.

Raising chicks is a wonderful experience and I hope that this has given you some helpful tips to make it easier.

Visit my blog at Fresh Eggs Daily for information on how to integrate newcomers into an established flock, how to incubate and hatch your own chicks and more!

Follow me on Facebook for more tips, tricks, advice, photographs and a whole host of wonderful fellow chicken lovers. 

So, how do I go about this, you ask? Well if you're like me you read everything you can get your hands on, check the internet and dive head first into something figuring you'll just troubleshoot along the way.  However, there is some planning to optimize your chicken experiences that will make life easier.  So, lets start at the beginning.  How do I get the chickens?

Ordering the Flock 

There are a few things that you need to ask yourself before you start.

1.  Do I want roosters?

2.  Do I want baby chicks or full grown egg laying hens?

3.  How many chickens do I want?

4.  What type of climate do I live in?

5.  What do I want my chickens for?  Pets, meat, eggs, or a combination?

There are many ways to get chickens.  Many hatcheries have mail order services.  The United States Postal service has been delivering live baby chicks in the mail since the early 1900s!  Depending on where you live, you can order day old baby chicks on-line from hatcheries.  Chick quantities depend on how fast they can deliver your chicks.  Chicks will huddle to keep warm.  The greater the number of chicks, the longer they can maintain their heat.  Thus if you are far from a large city, you may need to order a larger number of chicks.  Once hatched, baby chicks can survive 3 days without food and water because they ingest part of the egg prior to hatching.  My minimum order for Cape Cod was six.  We are about one hour from Boston. 

Once the baby chicks hatch, they start their journey.    I chose to have my birds sexed because I wanted all females.  YOU DO NOT NEED A ROOSTER TO GET EGGS.  All pullets, female chickens under one year of age, are born with about 4000 eggs.  Pullets start to lay eggs as early as 20 weeks to about one year.  Based upon the breeds you select, some are better at laying eggs than others.  I wanted chickens that were friendly, docile, good egg layers and cold hardy; thus the Austrolorp, Buff Orpingtons and the Silkie Bantams.  Note:  The Silkie Bantams lay smaller eggs.  Two of their eggs are equal to one standard breed's egg.

I paid extra to get all pullets.  I also paid for them to be vaccinated for Marek's disease.  With the sexing and the vaccination, each bird was on average about $12 and it was about $30 to overnight the package I loved the experience. 

The other option is to purchase egg-laying pullets.  Yes, you do get instant gratification.  If not stressed, the pullets will lay eggs immediately.  However, you must be careful because it is difficult to determine the age of the chicken and its overall health.  By researching on the internet, you should be able to find a reputable local farm or vendor that sells egg-laying pullets.

So now that you know about ordering chicks, how about getting ready for those chicks?  What are you going to order?

The Welsummer breed is fairly new to the United States, only having been admitted to the American Poultry Association in 1991, so it is ironic that they are what that average person thinks of when they picture the typical 'barnyard chicken'.  Even more ironic is that a Welsummer rooster, Cornelius, is the guy who graces the Kellogg's cornflake box, instead of an American breed like a Buckeye or a Rhode Island Red.  But no matter where they originated or when, there's no denying they are a gorgeous breed of chicken.    

Welsummers were developed in the eastern Netherlands, in a small Dutch town named Welsum sometime in the early 1900's and were imported throughout Europe, arriving in England in 1928, but not in the United States until much later.  Active and good foragers, they quickly grew in popularity however as a dual-purpose breed, laying nearly 160 terracotta-colored speckled eggs a year on average.

 My first experience with the breed came this past March, when I hatched two Welsummer eggs.  

Knowing the Kellogg's connection, and because these were the last two eggs to hatch, our Facebook fans named our two chicks Cornflake and Late Nate.   At a week old, the two chicks already had subtle differences in size and coloring....  

 and by three weeks old, Late Nate was clearly larger than Cornflake.  It seemed that, prophetically, Nate was a rooster.  By a month old, Nate's comb was much larger and brighter red and his tail was longer than Cornflake's.  

 By five weeks, Nate clearly had wattles forming, although he doesn't have the thicker legs or spurs that some breed roos grow early on.  Nate and Cornflake are six weeks old now and I'm figuring we'll be hearing some crowing from Nate in the next two weeks or  so. 

 He's the cutest thing tho, a miniature rooster, sitting and watching over the rest of the chicks. 

We'll keep Nate until he starts to crow and is big enough to be introduced to a friend's flock, where he'll rule the roost at her farm.  As for Cornflake, she will join our flock with the rest of our hens and lay us some of these beautiful terracotta speckled eggs !  

Fresh and dried herbs have amazing health and well-being benefits...and also provide a bit of aromatherapy for your chickens.
 

Freshly laid eggs in a nesting box full of herbs 

My coop never smelled so good until I started adding an herbal blend that includes mint, basil, lemon balm, lavender and rose petals in the nesting boxes.  The first time I put the herbs into the nesting baskets, one of my hens actually fell asleep after laying her egg. Now that's one relaxed hen !

Buff Grace sitting in the nesting box 

Fresh or dried herbs in your nesting boxes not only work as insecticides, but also have anti-bacterial properties, and can act as natural wormers, anti-parasitics, insecticides, rodent control, stress relievers and laying stimulants.  They will help a laying hen feel safe and relaxed while she is sitting, and calm a broody hen, as well as repel rodents, flies and other parasites. Plus they look so pretty !

Nesting boxes filled with fresh herbs 

They will also benefit newly hatched chicks.  Research has shown that wild birds will line their nests with fresh herbs and flowers, especially those that contain essential oils. The newly hatched baby birds benefit by rubbing against these herbs in the first few days of life.  Same applies to baby chicks. The chicks will also eat some of the herbs, thereby garnering even more health benefits from them.

Baby chick in a nesting box filled with herbs 

Here is a partial list of common herbs and flowers and their beneficial properties:

Basil - antibacterial, mucus membrane health
Catnip - sedative, insecticide
Cilantro - antioxidant, fungicide, builds strong bones, high in Vitamin A for vision and Vitamin K for blood clotting
Dill - antioxidant, relaxant, respiratory health
Fennel -laying stimulant
Garlic - laying stimulant
Lavender - stress reliever, increases blood circulation, highly aromatic, insecticide
Lemon Balm - stress reliever, antibacterial, highly aromatic, rodent repellent
Marigold - laying stimulant
Marjoram - lay stimulant
Mint (all kinds) - insecticide and rodent repellent
Nasturtium - laying stimulant, antiseptic, antibiotic, insecticide, wormer
Oregano - combats coccidia, salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian flu, blackhead and e-coli
Parsley - high in vitamins, aids in blood vessel development, laying stimulant
Peppermint - anti-parasitic, insecticide
Pineapple Sage - aids nervous system, highly aromatic
Rose Petals - highly aromatic, high in Vitamin C
Rosemary - pain relief, respiratory health, insecticide
Sage - antioxidant, anti-parasitic
Spearmint - antiseptic, insecticide, stimulates nerve, brain and blood functions
Tarragon - antioxidant
Thyme - respiratory health, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-parasitic

Basket of freshly cut herbs 

Toss a few handfuls of mixed cut herbs into your nesting boxes and refresh them as needed.  Your chickens will benefit from them and you will enjoy how nice your coop smells.  

Mint and herbs in the garden 

I plant various different types of herbs each spring because of their many uses. In addition to using the herbs for teas and in the nesting boxes, I also enjoy cooking with fresh herbs.

Fresh basil growing in the garden 

There's nothing like going out to the garden and picking a handful of fresh basil for pesto, oregano for homemade pizza or mint to garnish a slice of cheesecake.

 Freshly cut herbs from the garden 

Herbs are easy to grow, do well in most areas of the country and can even be grown on your kitchen windowsill in the winter.

Jars full of dried herbs 

I also dry excess herbs at the end of the summer to use in the nesting boxes during the winter.

I hope this has given you some ideas for raising happy, healthy hens....Happy Growing !

Watering nasturtium flowers in the garden 

 I’ve kept you hanging about Baby Banzai for long enough.  Here’s the whole story.  

 You know that I have two Phoenix/Yokohama crosses.  One day, Sushi (the pullet) started to lay.  Sure enough, I think my Silkie hen (Beautiful Sweet) got the radar.  My Silkie is an amazing layer for a couple of weeks at a time, but after that she goes broody if you look at her crosseyed.  I must have looked at her funny, so she was broody.  I figured what the heck.  If she wants to set eggs this bad, why not let her?  After all, I was pretty sure that the Phoenix eggs would be infertile at this stage.  I’d just have to candle them to make sure they didn’t go rotten.  

So I put three eggs under Beautiful Sweet.  She was rather disconcerted to be moved to new quarters at night, but she quickly settled in.  I put her in my screen porch in a large dog crate with a milk crate stuffed with hay as a nest.  She soon made it her home.  She started to brood with a vengeance.  I’d never seen a chicken go broody before her, and her zombie-like trance was nothing short of amazing.  

Enter my son.  He wants to HELP.  He’s  four.   A few days after I put the eggs under Beautiful Sweet, he decided to help by gathering them for me and leaving them on the counter.  I put them back under her as quickly as I could, preparing for doom.  Several days later, he wanted to check them and dropped one.  Shortly thereafter, he broke another one.  So, we were down to one.    

Again, I thought, what the heck.  I put three more eggs under that gorgeous Silkie.  By now, she’d been setting for about a week, showing no signs of boredom.  I locked the cage.  I chastised my son.  Soon it was candling day.  You could have  knocked me over with a Silkie feather when I found that ALL FOUR were fertile . . .and one was due in a week and a half.  The others had another 2 weeks to go.   It had to be a mistake, I thought.  After all, I haven't candled anything for 20 years, and that was parakeet eggs.  I settled in for the wait.

I went out to candle on what I thought was the night before due date and heard very tiny peeps.  WOW.  I reached under my (thankfully tolerant) Silkie and found the tiniest little chick I’d ever seen in my life.  For some reason I was surprised at her tiny size, even though I knew she came from an egg about the size of George Washington on a dollar bill.  

Now what to do?  If I left that baby with the hen, she’d abandon the other three eggs.  Then there was the question of keeping the baby warm.  Both of my heat lamps were already being used.  I made the choice.  I took her out and set up a box on top of my other chick brooder to use some of the heat from that lamp.  I put some hay chop in it, then covered it with paper towels, even the cutout handholes.  She’s just born, I figured.  She won’t possibly get out of there.  I set up a waterer with marbles and scattered feed.  I put her in the box.  

Shortly thereafter, I heard a very tiny thud.  She had fallen out of the handhole in the box on top of the brooder (which is over 2’ tall and sits on top of a 2’ platform).  With my heart in my mouth, I cradled her tiny body in my hands.  I willed her to be OK.  Soon, she moved and hopped up.  She seemed OK!  I found her a different box (with no handholes!) and placed her in it.  She was promptly christened Banzai in honor of her leap.  

I checked on her constantly.  I had shown her how to drink, and I saw her peck at the food.  Still, on the third day after her hatching, she spent a lot of time sleeping.  I thought she might be cold and lonely, so I picked her up and carried her around with me.  When I had to make supper, I put her back in the box.  

An hour later, her tenacious little heart had stopped beating.  I’d lost her.  I felt like I let her down but I wasn’t sure what I could have done.   

 Her 3 siblings also hatched just a little earlier than I expected, but I thought I’d stay out of it this time.  They’re with my broody Silkie and all are doing wonderfully.  So, lesson learned for me!  

Once upon a time, I dreamed of owning chickens ... then, last spring, the dream came true! As our girls (Henrietta, Cinnamon, Hermione, Spottie, Hershey, and Alex) get ready to celebrate their first birthday on the farm, I thought I'd share their story.

A visit to our local feed store began with the usual excitement of spring fever. We looked over seed and vegetable packets, reviewed the spring magazines, and thumbed through the newest books. The kids wanted their own gardens to tend this year, so we were all excited about the idea of getting started. That's when it happened ... an unmistakable "peep" was heard from somewhere in the back of the feed store.Off the kids ran, and soon they spied them ... dozens of adorable, fluffy, one-day-old chicks. Immediately we were smitten!

Owning a small flock of chickens had been on my wish list for quite a while, but now the opportunity was really in front of us. What would we need? A coop, run, feeder, waterer, brooder lamp ... my mind was working overtime. And yet, my thoughts were cautious because my husband wasn't with us. This had to be a family decision.

Soon my daughter found the smallest chick in the bunch ... she even gave her a name. It broke my heart, but I had to say no. We needed to talk this over as family .. .bringing them into our lives wasn't something to do lightly. And so the littlest chick rejoined the rest of her flock.

Shortly after leaving the store, we joined my husband and in-laws for dinner, and, of course, the excitement of the day was shared. My husband agreed ...  if the chick had been named, well then, it had to come home with us. Oh the squeals that followed! However, the minimum purchase was six ... and so, after dinner, we found ourselves back at the feed store. The littlest chick, Cinnamon, was still there, and she, along with five others, were gently placed into a box and rode home on my daughter's lap under her and her brother's watchful eyes.

The kids slept right beside the chicks the first few nights, and before long the chicks outgrew their box and were ready to make the move to a coop. As moving day came closer, a design was decided on, and I sketched out an attached run for added security. In our part of the Midwest, foxes and raccoons are often seen, and coyotes sometimes heard in the woods. I read everything I could get my hands on to make sure we were prepared. We settled on square lock pins to secure the doors and D clamps for the nest boxes. The run was made with a heavy gauge wire roof to keep the falcons out, and my husband spent many hours pounding rebar into the ground along the outer edges of the run and coop to discourage digging animals.

We then cut a vinyl flooring remnant to fit the coop floor. This keeps the wood floors underneath dry, and clean up is a breeze. When it's coop cleaning time, I simply sweep the pine shavings into a wheel barrow and toss them into the compost bin, remove the vinyl flooring, mop and disinfect it, then let it dry thoroughly before replacing it in the coop. We added 14-gauge wire to the windows, which is kept in place with deck screws and fender washers. This allows me to easily open the windows on hot days (and nights) and still feel the hens are safe and secure.

The coop was soon ready, and moving day came. After a bit of exploring and stretching their legs, the hens began what we call "chicken races," or nonstop back and forth running along the length of the run!

When the hens were 18 weeks old, we discovered our first eggs ... we were thrilled! From then on, it's been a race to see who can make it to the coop first for a "chicken and egg check."

The past year has been a time of teaching our children how to care for their little flock, but also a time of having some old-fashioned fun. In a day filled with so many electronic distractions, it's been sweet to see them enjoy this simple country pleasure.

Mary is a Midwest farmgirl who enjoys the simple pleasures of living in the country. "For us, living where there is plenty of room for gardens, animals, and for kids to play and explore is the best kind of life." You can visit Windy Meadows Farm at www.windymeadowsfarm.blogspot.com. 

They're heeeeeeere!   Eleven new cluckers, including a Black Copper Marans, a Barnevelder, a Welsummer, a Jersey Giant, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, 4 Ameracaunas, and one "stray" blue Silkie.  Later this year, another batch of Speckled Sussex, Anconas, and Salmon Faverolles will arrive.  As soon as they're old enough, they'll join my laying flock of Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons.  I'll tell you the story of how I got hooked on chickens soon.  After all, before my little fluffy lovelies got here, I was up to 13 chickens (including 4 roosters).  My very patient husband even let me get some ornamental birds--Maki and Sushi the Yokohama/Phoenix crosses.  It's only going to get better!

I've been planning for them since January. I thought it'd be easy to just go to Tractor Supply and grab a few Ameracaunas. Apparently they're a popular breed this year, and even the Orscheln nearby that was supposed to have them this week didn't.

Enter my new friend Keena. I'm not the ultimate authority on chickens, but she calls me for clucker advice. Hopefully I haven't steered her wrong! Well, after the deal at Orscheln fell through, I posted madly on the poultry swap site that I was in dire need of Ameracaunas or Easter Eggers. I mean, I've planned for rainbow eggs . . .what's a rainbow without blue or green? Keena came through. She called a friend of hers at her local Orscheln, went in first thing this morning as soon as the chicks came in, and grabbed the 4 that I wanted. She also picked up a cage that another friend was holding onto for me.

While Keena was getting my chicks, I was getting hers. She had arranged to buy some Silkies from a lady who lives just up the road from me.  We met halfway between our towns (and had a nice chat too!). I picked up and paid for Keena's chicks, then headed out for our next rendezvous point to "do the deal."

It turns out that Keena owed me $5. I (half) jokingly suggested that instead of getting change for a $10 bill, I'd take a Silkie. Well, bless her, she said yes. So, my "stray" blue Silkie came home. My daughter thinks I should name her Blueberry. Well, at least that's a fairly non-gender-specific name just in case it happens to be a rooster.

So these little balls of fluff are jetting around the brooder like waterbugs. They're eating and drinking like there's no tomorrow. I guess I would too if I'd spent 2/3 of my life at the mercy of the postal system, living off my yolk sac. Every now and then, one will nod off a little bit, or just fall over asleep. I forgot since last year that they do that--this morning, the one I'm pretty sure is the Barnevelder (her name will be Barnie) just flopped over. OH MY GAWD DON'T DIE!!!! YOU WERE EXPENSIVE!!! When I started breathing again, I noticed that she was too, and in about a minute popped up and zoomed for the food again. They also seem to need some time to get their "land legs." Every so often, one will trip over her own feet and go rolling. You should see them flap their little tiny wings. ADORABLE!

And yes, I have begun to name them. Not only do we have Blueberry the Blue Silkie, we have Wy and Dot the Wyandottes (say it out loud, you'll get it), Barnie the Barnevelder, Ginger the Welsummer, Juliet the Marans, and Hawkeye the lightest Ameracauna. I expect that I'll name the rest of the Amers one of the following (you've got to say these out loud too!) Miss Teak, Miss Steak, Miss Demeanor, Miss Information, or, my favorite, Miss Cellaneous.

Who am I kidding? I'm in love.  I can't wait to see the EGGS!

 Fox Mulder that is... 

I named our young rooster Fox, since one of his flock is named Agent Scully.

You X-Files fans will recognize this...  

Actually last year, I thought he was a she.

He was born hatched here, just last summer.

Click here for the Blog about this young chick's start in life.

Back in November, one of my young Delaware hens decided to go broody. My husband and I were surprised that a hen would want to sit on a nest that late in the season, and this hen was very young, just six months old!

The place she originally chose to sit was not great for the time of year. She was on the ground, and in a place where we couldn’t really keep her warm. We decided to try and move her into a brooder pen. Mama, which is what I named this hen, did not approve of our choice! She would not stay on the nest, so we let her back out. She promptly returned to her original nest place for about a half day. She must have then decided that this wasn’t such a good place after all, and moved herself to a much more suitable location. She was off of the ground, and protected from all the elements, so we left her there.

Mama had five eggs under her. They were not all her eggs; some were from our other chickens. We thought this would be just a nice amount of eggs for a first mother to try, so we left her with that many.

We tried not to get to excited because we weren’t sure that she would hatch the eggs, being so young. It turns out she is a very good mama! The first eggs started hatching on December 7th. The fourth egg to hatch had some problems. The peep started to break out of the shell, but never made it the entire way out, and died. The last egg hatched on the 9th.

As soon as she was finished hatching, I moved her back into the brooder pen in our basement. We now have four healthy, adorable little chicks. I am anxious now to see if we will have more broody hens come spring, and whether they are as good at mothering as Mama is!

Merry Christmas to everyone at GRIT, from my peeps!