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: …
Brooder experiment
I had this weekend all planned out. I planned to team up with Matt to build a brooder for the chicks. This is a box where the chicks can grow up safely and warmly inside the house, until they are strong enough to live outside. Earlier in the week I had even sketched a rough …
It’s how cold in the coop?
As the wind blew outside, I looked out the window and shivered. "It's gotta be cold out there," I said. "Even for chickens." Matt asked the temperature. "How cold is it in the coop?" I pulled out my iPhone, and opened the My Backyard Weather app. "It says 6 degrees. Brrr." The chicks are five …
Chicken techno-geek
So I just ordered a gizmo that will allow me to track temperature and humidity in the chicken coop on my iPhone. Yeah, I'm a geek. Originally we had bought a La Cross Solar Powered Wireless Temperature Station. We selected this model because it boasted of a 200-foot wireless transmission range, which sounded perfect because …
We did it!
This morning the chicken coop was approved for occupancy. The visit from Marc Howell, Ferndale's building inspector, was short and sweet. He immediately said it was a sturdy structure, and well weather-proofed. He asked about underground barriers, and I explained that we had buried cement pavers. If rodents or any other vermin make their way …
“Pretty much, almost, exactly.”
After two days of work in the wind, snow and sub-zero temperatures, we are about 95 percent complete with the coop. Our friend Eric showed up Saturday afternoon with pre-cut window frame pieces and a Tupperware container filled with lemon cupcakes (a gift from his wife Char). After settling in, and eating some shepard's pie …
Chick supplies, and customer service surprise
Piece by piece it's all coming together. Today we received a delivery from Mills Fleet Farm containing three wood nesting boxes for the hens. Technically, we only need one or two for three birds, but I'm hopeful the chickeneers in Ferndale will unite to eventually lobby to increase the number allowed in our flock. Plus, …
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Chicken Scratch Fever 