Moving Day

oh my.... so so SO far behind I am!!  We finally finished the coop, the girls are outside! But here's the route to Moving Day!

First, here are some more gawky photos.. gawky but still so cute!

LET US OUT!!!

I need more room!

"Bald Eagle Baby" as per Hannah

Builders
Here we are.... busy beavers building away...

I Can Do This!

So sweet and the chick's cute too!

Coming Along Nicely

Almost DONE!

A little paint... maybe... we'll try it anyway

FUN TIME

The girls were really really cramped... so I made them a little playpen out of what I could find in our garage... ahem garbage/recycling.  And yes... those are beer bottles... opps!

OUT! for a little while at least...

Fun Time - Josh Style!

Hello there

Fun with Chickens

 MOVING DAY FINALLY

Finally, coop was all done. But the darn thing was SO HEAVY we didn't know how we were going to get it out of the garage!  Tonka Trunk to the rescue!  Josh got the truck when he was 2 and man, its still going strong. Tonka, Built Tough!

Tonka, Built Tough

 And in case you're wondering... we didn't have time to finish painting since the girls were basically BURSTING out of the brooder! So... paint another day.

We are so excited to MOVE TODAY!

Ooooh... so SPACIOUS!.. look  Ruth and Easter, 2 levels! Our bedrooms are upstairs!

Our First Guests!

 So On To the Next Chapter... living outdoors....

Flying

OK I'm ages behind in these posts!  This one was written right after the gawky teenage one.. but... life in our house has been BUSY these past week! Especially with SOCCER! Just back from another tournament this weekend and a game tonight, Hannah's soccer tomorrow.... phew!

So... truth be told.. the girls are now OUTSIDE... but I'll post these old ones cuz they are cute!
-------------------
Last night they pushed their waterer over and spilled all the water out! I think they are getting  a little too big for the brooder now. 

... well... it was a BIG rubbermaid container they they seemed so dwarfed by it only a few short weeks ago! But now they've outgrown their little box they slept in.  Now they like to sleep on the perch Robin installed.

I'm coming up too!

Now they are trying to fly inside that little rubber maid container.. without much luck.  Only 3 can actually fly to the top of it. Autumn actually flew right OVER it yesterday and landed on the garage floor. She was stunned a bit. Summer, after many attempts has also made it to the TOP and so has Ruth. But Easter, Dinner and Hannah are not that "advanced" yet.

Help I'm falling or am I flying?

As we've been working on the coop, we take the top off the brooder, which they really like, especially Autumn who immediately flies up. I have to say that, watching Summer (so determined she is, she CAN'T be outdone.  You know, she HAS to know what's going on!) try over and over again to get up there has been quite funny.




Once she flew straight into the side of the container and basically fell right down on her back. Another time she got her beak on the lip and flapped as HARD as her little wings could go to propel her that extract inch, but didn't make it and fell back down. But she never gave up. I'm sure that's a storybook waiting to happen.

Interesting... Plywood

Here I go... all the way around!

Once they make it to the "summit", they take great joy is shuffling along the edge, eventually making their way all the way around. Although on a couple occasions they stopped tooo long under the heat lamp and suddenly with a little peep-like squawk jumped back into the brooder. Too hot!  Usually they stop for a while at the garage wall and try to peck at the plywood. Mostly they sit and watch us try to figure out how to build their coop.  I guess we are very interesting to watch!

I made it!

We've hit the Gawky Teenage Stage now

Even a couple days ago you could still say the girls looked like cute fluffy soft little chicks....

  But ... ahem.... not sure we can say that now!

Are you saying I'm NOT adorable?

What about this side? It's my best!

My Autumn actually FLEW up and sat on the edge of the brooder today when I went for a visit (see her above there). Boy was Summer mad. She kept trying too to fly up and join Autumn, but just couldn't quite make it.  (see her glaring at Autumn on the right!)

The others also seems quite interested in Autumn's new feat.  Autumn is so far the biggest, with her feathers the furthest along.  (she has CHEST and BACK feathers now too!) She also is the most aggressive eater, pushing Little Dinner and Hannah out of the way.  I can see a pecking order is starting to develop.  Autumn and Summer are pack leaders, then Ruth and Easter (Hannah's friend who donated $0.50 called her's Ruth, my parent's called theirs Easter) and then Hannah and Little Dinner.

Reality Check - Opps! I forgot to post this one! It's OLD now!

Just thought this one was funny.


 Hello? Who ARE you?





Believe it or not, they now also have feathers starting to show on their shoulders!









So... we went to check on the chicks before bed, and to change the water and found Dinner huddled behind the water with droopy wings, not moving or really responding.

Of course when I was researching the chicks I saw info on chick diseases, but in my arrogance, I thought, "Naaahh, our are not on a farm, they won't get sick!"

Well, now we have a sick baby who really, did not look like she would make it through the night. We set up a separate brooder for her and tried to share the heat lamp over the 2. We needed to get her isolated in case she had something contagious.

We all went to bed worried and with heavy hearts.

I hope she does get better. I didn't plan on a little one getting seriously ill so quickly!

Poop

Yep... you have to get to this topic eventually with chickens I think...

The chicks are in our garage... that was a GOOD choice.  Not just because of our 2 cats.

Our lovely silly, playful, sentimental, loving Tommy who climbs onto the roof of our gazebo then cries because he wants his belly scratched (I once watched a mouse attack him in our back yard!) 

And Lucy, our elderly grey Tabby who is still a very good hunter! Albeit not cuddly and quite cranky.

Yes the garage was also a good choice due to start of a bit of a smell. 

I did read that they do smell a bit.. but "if you keep the coop clean this will not be a problem".... and they suggest once a week for routine clean. Again my arrogance thought... "OK once a week I can do, they can't smell that much"... can they?

At first they didn't smell at all.  But now that they are getting SO much bigger!  And we change their paper every couple days.... The smell so far for me isn't a <<terrible>> smell... really and it's not strong at all.  It's more of a slight farmish smell... earthy kinda?  But the kids are starting to comment on it.... so I'm really glad they are in the garage.  I wonder how much stronger it will get?

Betcha thought I would show a big photo of "you know what" eh? Not today!

Did you say I smell?

Weeds and manners

weeds...

They are growing like weeds!

Suddenly feathers are starting to appear right before you eyes it seems. I swear!! You go out in the morning and by night the feathers are NOTICEABLY longer!

Shoulder feathers have now started to sprout, tails are getting longer, wings more robust.  They are spending more and more time trying to hop and fly.

The other funny thing... their necks are also getting longer and they are always craning to see over the top of the brooder.  I've even seen them sleep with their necks stretched WAY out.  I tried to take a photo of that cuz it just looked so darn bizarre! But of course they woke up right away.










Manners
The babes are also becoming more and more interested in eating things other than their boring old 100% complete Chick Mash.  Bread Crusts cause quite the ruckus!! They all start running wildly in ALL directions, Peeping like mad chicks!  And even though we put in MORE than enough crusts for each of them, they don't go get their own and start mowing down.  Nope.  They might even have a crust at their feet that they are pecking at! But if they see a sister with a crust in her mouth, then WHAMO they are off like a shot to chase her and STEAL it!  Of course they are ALL stealing eachother's crusts and the floor is littered with crusts and only 1 or 2 are in active play at any time, the ones they are stealing.  I guess with Chickens it really doesn't matter what YOU have, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Happy One Week Birthday

Wow, one week ago alright? So much has changed already! We have WINGS and now tail feathers are starting and feathers on their shoulders too!

We have learned to peck properly, scratch, perch, flap wings and even fly/hop a bit!

We've become insatiably CURIOUS too! And personalities are starting to emerge. As I may have mentioned, Josh's little one Summer is a NOSY PARKER! When someone comes by or the lid comes off, she's the first to come over and look you over.

Here she is tonight, coming over to check out the camera... just making sure.....

 Look at the difference one week makes!  Lookin' like little chickn's now!





Update on Little Dinner

Well it was touch and go yesterday. When I went in the garage in the morning I thought at first she was gone. I ended up feeding her sugar water by hand (dipping her little beak in the water, she involuntarily swallowed) several times a day.

 By the end of the evening she would lift her head more and even try to stand.  However all through the day, she would chirp LOUDLY, especially when the others were peeping and scratching.

Today she was up and even walking around a bit! She also ate a little dry food a bit.  Tonight when we got home from the kid's Tae Kwon Do I gave them all some bread crusts left over from bedtime snacks. Well, they went NUTS over it, except Dinner.  But she got up, poked her little head over the lip and watched the excitement. Tomorrow if she still looks as strong, we will try to reintroduce her back in with her sisters.

Good Night Girls!

Jumping, flapping and playing... it's a hard life

Forgot this photo from Friday...

All lined up, looking out the side of the brooder.
It was like, suddenly they realized,
"HEY! There's something out there!"




It was a very exciting Saturday.  First Josh came to set us up a very fun little jungle gym!

Ta da! Look at me Mom!

"Ohhh! I'm flying!"  This is Josh holding his little Summer.

THEN, we had a visit from a very nice Sock Monster who came all the way from Blakedown School in Kidderminster Worchestershire England.


The girls could not contain their curiosity! Especially Summer, Josh's little one who is the MOST curious girl so far.  She's the first to check anything out that's going on in their home. Whenever you come out to pay them a visit, she comes right to the edge, cranes her neck, tilts her head and looks at you with her little eye.

"Hello?" She says, "Can I help you?"

Just look at those wings feathers coming in!!

Good Friday Babies

Wow, we've had our babies for 2 days already. We have named 4 of the six:

• Mine:  Autumn (Rhode Island Red.. red leaves in fall... Autumn.. you get it)
• Josh: Summer (she is slightly more blonde than reddish)
• Hannah: called hers Hannah... good choice no?  The full name is Hannah Buzz Lightyear (hehe Loves Toystory!)
• Hubby: first said he called his Dinner... now he's still thinking...

My parents are visiting this weekend for Easter, so they get to name another girl. The last one will be named by Hannah's good school friend who donated $0.50 to our Backyard Chicken Project when she learned that it costs $$ to build the coop etc. How sweet.  Hannah has to find out what she will call her little one.

So what has changed? Well they seem to stay awake a bit longer now than before, although they still plop down mid-eating, walking for a nap! They do tire out quickly. Robin caught one napping on its side with its little legs up in the air! Wish we'd got a photo of that!

They have also suddenly become REALLY interested in EVERYTHING. They were before, but they seem to be much more interested now.  I put a log in today and my goodness, what excitement! I couldn't believe how feverishly they started to try and peck and pull all the bark off. One pulled so hard she fell right back on her bum/back and her legs went right up!  I got scared they'd try to eat the bark to eventually took it out.

Lastly, I'd say they are now trying to "perch" on things and had suddenly started to "flap" their tiny wings a lot. Sometimes they do a little Jump. 

OH - the feathers at the tips of their wings are also starting to show!!

Babies Are Here!

Wow, the day is finally here! The kids and I had a hard time getting to sleep, we were SO EXCITED!!

Robin was the lucky on who was working from home, so he got to go to the Feed Lot to pick up our babes. When he got there, he said there were boxes and boxes of peepers! Must have been hundreds of them! They were so loud! He said he bounded up to the desk, a proud new Poppa and cheerfully declared he was here for his 6 little new additions to the family!

Well, he said the lady behind the counter didn't seem very excited or enthusiastic for him. She didn't seem filled with Spring or Easter Baby Chick Joy at all.  Maybe we are Chicken Crazy already?!

They peeped loudly all the way home, poor little things. They must have been so scared in that dark tiny box.

But they sure settled in quickly in their new home, eating, drinking, checking it out and bumping into each other!  And then falling suddenly fast asleep.  Poor dears, moving house is tiring!

We’re Getting Broody!

April 18 2011

So our babies will be arriving soon!  On Weds to be exact.  They are coming from Frey's Hatchery Ltd in St. Jacob's Ontario, not far from Kitchener-Waterloo.  Believe it or not, they can schedule when the chicks hatch! In Feb when I placed the order at the Feed Lot, the lady there told me we'd get them on April 20th.  "How do you KNOW that?!", I asked.  She looked at me like I had 2 heads...  Obviously I'm a Chicken Newbie. 

So tonight we got our brooder all ready.  I've did lots of research on the web and we'd decided that we would try to use things we had around the house as much as possible (reuse and keep costs down otherwise these will be the most expensive eggs in Prescott Russell!)  So we are using an old Rubbermaid contrainer, left over burlap, chicken wire we already had and newpapers for litter and a broken cabinet door for part of the roof.  We did have to buy a heat lamp (they need to be 35C to keep warm.. there goes the electricity bill my hubby said), a feeder and special waterer (so they wouldn't drown!).   

We decided to put the brooder in the garage.  As we mentioned before, we have 2 cats. Our house is also mostly open concept, so the only doors really are to bedrooms and bathrooms, and as much as I think I will love my little girls, I don't really want them in my bedroom peeping all night.  Or smelling for that matter.  Sorry!

With the heat lamp I'm sure they will be fine, plus we can be sure our kitties don't find them at all. 

Here are a few shots of us creating the brooder. 

My son "rinsing" the tub by throwing a water balloon at it.  

 My daughter showing off the heat lamp. 

Almost finished brooder. Here we are adjusting the temperature with our oven thermometer. Our first try had the temp over 45C!  opps too hot for our little gals

Our chicks come in 2 days....

I am excited.... and nervous! 

What if it all goes pearshaped? 

What if they all get sick and die?

What if they live for 5 years?!

  

Will they be as comical, funny and interesting as people's blogs say they are? 

What if I LOVE them?! Can you fall in love with a pet chicken like you fall in love with your pet cat? 

Will I become the Crazy Chicken Lady? .... to be continued....