With temperatures above 50 degrees today, we decided to take the chicks on a field trip to see their chicken coop! I packed all three into a cat carrier, and walked them out into the yard. At first they were scared to come out of the carrier, but the bold Olive Egger led the way. …
Discovering the crop
Last night, I gently moved my finger toward a chick and stroked her chest. This in itself was a victory, as the chicks usually run peeping, away from my hands. But as I touched the chick, I felt a lump. My stomach dropped. I gently picked her up, and palpated. Did she have a tumor? …
Week one: Tail feathers!
It's amazing how much the chicks have grown in just seven days. They have gone from egg-sized balls of fluff, to having almost fully feathered wings and the beginning of teeny tail feathers. They now stand from 4-1/2 to 5 inches tall and have been testing their wings by taking mini-flights inside the brooder. And …
Homecoming!
The babies are home! After spending the weekend in Cleveland (most of it holed up in a hotel room because poor Matt is awfully sick) we got up early this morning to pick up the chicks. While we were finishing breakfast at the hotel, I received a cheerful call that the chicks were ready and …
The final countdown
Chicks are just seven days away! We've been busy taking care of last-minute details, and prepping the brooder. A couple weeks ago, Matt and I bought a new rabbit hutch that we converted into a brooder. It's just big enough for the chicks to live in for their first six weeks, before transitioning to the …
Meeting our neighbors
When we decided to have backyard chickens, it was clear we needed to include our neighbors. Over time, it came up casually in conversation with the ones who lived on both sides of us, but now that chicks are two weeks away we needed a more formal outreach. So I came up with an idea: …
Chicken Scratch Fever 