Well the award for The Crappiest Blogger goes to me.  So much has happened since my last post: I had surgery, Mom had surgery, weather sucked, coop building kept getting delayed, etc.  And in the meantime the chicks grew...  and grew... and grew some more. 

I owe you all a ton of photos, and I apologize for the delays.  It's been a rough process, but the chickens are officially in their coop now and we are waiting for the posts for the run to dry from the cementing we did yesterday.  If we can just get the run finished, it will all be complete!  I can see the end in sight!

Photos and videos and much more to come!

We lost our first chick this evening: a little buff orpington that we got on Friday. I knew it was coming but I tried my best to save her. Hand-feedings and sips of water did nothing as she showed no interest. From the beginning she had very wobbly legs and then her appetite decreased as each day passed. When she did eat, she sure had spunk. I loved that little creature and I'm mourning her loss in the most agonizing way. It hurts to lose something you cared for, but it hurts even worse to see your child bawl over that same loss. Christian has been heartbroken over this as well.

Several minutes after we lost Adelaide I noticed that Precious was not looking all that great either. Precious is Christian's little chick and she also appears listless and has not eaten much as well due to the small size of her crop. I tried to separate them but I am not equipped with another means of keeping her warm. The other chicks don't really go under the Ecoglow all that much, and instead huddle into a corner together, so I put her back in to keep warm. I pray this isn't spreading (whatever it is) but what else could be going on? I'm at a real loss... It's very sweet to watch them altogether though. We have a nice group of girls assembled and I'm praying we don't lose anymore.

I was prepared for the possibility of losing a chick but I never really thought it would happen to me. I've always been a good and loving pet-owner, and I have researched and analyzed this entire endeavor over and over. I'm terribly frustrated and sad right now. I don't know if I have it in me to watch anymore leave us. No amount of research seems to show me what is going on, and when Amanda called the Feed & Seed to inform them of our situation, they were quite ride and accused us both of lying, claiming they had never most a chick in "thousands of sales." The dude she spoke to suggested we "kill" Adelaide and bring her in. Not "cull" or "euthanize," but "kill" her. Dude gets Sympathizer of the Year award fo' realz. The conversation ended with him hanging up on Amanda as she was thanking him for his time (of which he barely gave any) and told her it was his lunch time.

Just not sure what to do at this point but I am quite livid and very sad...

I apologize for the lack of posting and commenting, but our computer is acting wonky. I'm on my phone for now, but this app leaves a lot to be desired. Again, I'm sorry and hope to have the issue fixes soon...

It dawned on me earlier in the week that the Feed & Seed where I ordered our chicks lost our ticket order when I called over two weeks ago.  It was pretty much confirmed this morning when I contacted them and they said they had 3 Buff Orpingtons in for sale.  That's when I called Mom and we booked it over to the F&S to get the last of our babies.

Additionally, something came up earlier in the week that weighed heavy on my heart.  After Thad went over to the next door neighbors to inform them of Houdina's escapades, he was told that the chickens are raised for food.  Once each of the chickens reaches a specific weight, they are slaughtered and eaten.  I know this is their way of life and that people have done the same for centuries, but I just could not handle it happening to Houdina.  She is the largest of all of them, and I was terrified that she was next due to her larger size when compared with the others they own.

After several days of going back and forth and trying to figure out what I should do in regards to Houdina's fate, I awoke this morning determined to save her.

When Mom and I went with the kids to pick up the last chicks, they only had the 3 orps along with some more Easter Eggers.   When I did the math in my mind, I knew that the 3 Oprs added to our 6 at home came to 9.  That left room for one more chick.  I don't want to exceed 10 for space purposes.  So, my prayer was the have the 9 chicks and save Houdina, making 10 altogether.

After bringing the new chicks home and running a quick errand, I dragged my mom over to the neighbor's house to approach him about my plans for Houdina, which are in stark contrast with his.  I was very friendly, and told him upfront that I loved his chicken with all my heart and that I was terrified that her naughtiness had made her a marked hen.  He told me he had already mentioned to his wife that I had an affection for their black chicken, and yes, her escapades had left him having to complete his fence to keep her in, as well as made her top on the list for the next meal.  Houdina's brother, a rooster, had been roasted several months ago after his consistent crowing.

He then told me that he had mentioned to his wife that he had already thought about offering Houdina to me, so I asked him straight-forward if I could have her, and he agreed.  There are no words to express my relief.  For the time being, he will keep Houdina for me until the time our coop is completed.  I need to do something to thank them for their kindness and mercy on Houdina, but I am not sure what.  Does anyone have any ideas OTHER than me offering them one of our chicks OR buying a new chick to replace Houdina.  I will not be doing either.

Should I bake some cookies or bring them some kind of treat?  They have at least 5 kids too so thought a sweet treat might be nice...


Anyway- here is the OFFICIAL CHICKEN BITCH LINE-UP:






Little squares from left to right:

SAVANNAH BLEU:  Barred Plymouth Rock and my little lady
MATHILDA: Barred Plymouth Rock and Amanda's little lady
STELLA: White Silkie and my little we-don't-know-yet
LUANNA MAY: White Silkie and Amanda's we-don't-know-yet
VIOLET: Easter Egger and Mom's little lady
JOLENE: Easter Egger and Thad's little lady
ADELAIDE: Buff Orpington and my little lady
PRECIOUS: Buff Orpington and my little lady
ALICE (IN WONDERLAND): Buff Orpington and Cate's little lady
HOUDINA: Australorp and my big little lady



We got ourselves a flock!

Who talks about getting chicks on a blog and then when they arrive, they don't post for 5 days?  Don't look too hard because that would be me.

I blame Amanda entirely for this because she was completely selfish and decided to have her birthday the day after we got our first chicks.  But let me explain:

Last Friday morning, I was in full Chick Anticipation Mode.  My phone was fully charged and I was ready to answer at a second's notice.   I had called the local Feed & Seed a week and a half earlier to place my order for our 6 chicks.  Mom had also ordered the ECOGLOW brooder and we were waiting for its delivery.  When Mom came over on that morning to do our regular FFF (for those of you not in THE KNOW, FFF is the day Mom takes me and the kids out for shopping and lunch.  FFF stands for Fun Fabulous Fridays.  And we do have fun.

And it's fabulous.

And it's Friday.)


So anyway, she showed up at the house and told us we needed to stay put because the ECOGLOW was coming PRIORITY MAIL and she had checked the website, and yesiree Bob, we needed to be there to sign for it.  Nope.  We can't leave the house.  We have to wait.  To sign.

We waited, and waited, and waited some more.

During that time, all I talked about was my chickens who needed to be with me because I love them so much  and they were late because they were supposed to have come in 5 minutes after I placed the order.  In other words I got antsy, and so Mom called the Feed & Seed to see if they had gotten any packages and if any of them were for me fortheloveofGod because I needed my chickens and I could not go through more waiting because waiting is something I am no good at.  But... they had had some packages come in but not all and after I heard the Mail Lady finally walk up the porch steps after an hour's wait and throw my box down I was pretty much done for the day.

We went out on our FFF after that and I just kept looking at my phone because how can I be The Chicken Bitch without my chickens?  It was ugly and I kept questioning who I was and what my purpose in life really was without my chickens.  I think Mom was kind of ready for me to get over it, but since she needed to return the heat lamp anyway, we went to the Feed & Seed,and lo' and behold... they had chicks FOR SALE that I could take home.  That day.  That instant.

HOORAY.

"Yes, two chicks please."


And so we brought home SAVANNAH BLEU:





And Pope Mathilda Morris Helderman (but we call her TILLY because Amanda is a goober)







And it was Amanda's bday Saturday so she came Friday afternoon to stay with us for the weekend and she fell in love with Tilly and we spent all evening Friday and all morning Saturday ooh-ing and ahh-ing over our new babies when Amanda gets a brilliant idea.

"We should get two more chicks."


Trust me... I asked her why since with Savannah and Tilly plus the 6 I had already ordered that I would end up with 10, and what's 10 really??  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.9,10.  And I have never raised chickens before and I even thought 6 might be overwhelming in the beginning.  But then she said the word;  SILKIE and I was all  "Let's just go ahead and add two more!"  Cuz what's 10??

So we went to the Feed & Seed and spent way too much time picking out two Silkies out of 4 and with our luck they will turn out to be roosters because it is really difficult to sex Silkie chicks.

Wait.

That totally didn't sound right.

"... really difficult to sex Silkie chicks."


With fingers crossed, we left the Feed & Seed and  introduced the new chicks to Savannah and Tilly:





A bit nervous at first, it soon became clear they would all be ok and get along.  For now, the Silkie chicks really look up to Savannah and Tilly, often trying to hide under them or imitate their actions.  It's super cute, and after all is said and done, I am really excited to have some Silkies since they were really what I had my eye on in the beginning.  But they are super little and lay very small eggs.

Savannah has quickly stolen my heart.  She runs to me when I open the lid to the brooder and tries to jump towards me and when we cuddle, her favorite thing to do is this:





I don't think the video for Savannah sleeping will actually embed here because I have had trouble previously, but please click here if you would like to see it.


And for shits and giggles, I will try to embed it here anyway...




I don't think that worked but... oh well.


Yes, Savannah is my baby right now.  I do try to spend as much time as possible with each of the chicks and  the Silkies seem to like you after you have held them a minute, but Tilly is just like her mother (Amanda: Tilly was her bday gift from me) and she acts all kinds of weird and psychotic.  Maybe she will outgrow it in time.

But Amanda was here for two days and she just distracted me the whole time with her talking and looking at the chicks and having her birthday and stuff that I never got to blog.  So it's all her fault.


For the rest of this week, we continue to wait for our flock to be completed.  Plans are going onto paper for the coop, which needs to be build no later than March 31st.  The shed gets cleaned out this weekend...

March 31st.  No pressure, right?

Just trying to get a feel for how many people are actually keeping up with this thing...  so if you are a reader, could you let me know?


Anyway- no chicks yesterday.  The Feed & Seed only gets deliveries on Wednesdays and Fridays, so for now I am just gazing at an empty brooder.

Ho hum...


In other news, a HUGE GIGANTIC THANK YOU to my mom for ordering the Ecoglow Heat Brooder that I mentioned the other day!  I feel such relief knowing that I can keep the chicks warm without the same worry I had over the infrared heat lamp.  Now we just wait to see which makes it here first:  the chicks or the heater.

Not much other news around here.  Still working on coop plans.


Otherwise, we are just waiting.

Which is not one of my strong points...

We continue to make progress on our brooder, and tonight my father stopped by after work to help Thad add the hardware cloth attachment to the lid of our brooder to ensure extra breathing room.  I feel it is definitely secure enough to keep Oliver out!

So, we've never done this chicken-raising thing before and it's awkward to be on the other side of the fence now... I can't even EAT chicken anymore.  The day after I met the neighbor's chickens, I went out to lunch with Mom to a Japanese buffet and became nauseous after my first bite of Sesame Chicken.  That was about a month ago.

I've raised a miniature macaw so it isn't like I am clueless on aviary needs, but these are chickens (something I used to eat and now love as a pet) and there will be more than one, so I am a little nervous about the initial set-up and making sure we have everything we need.  We took care of most of that today as my mom came to pick me up this morning and took me to the local Feed & Seed supply.

When we arrived they had a box full of little baby chicks and I was able to hold one of the breeds that we will be getting very soon.  She (a Barred Rock) was such a sweetie, only three days old, but I held her and rubbed her sweet face until her little eyes became heavy and she wanted to drift off to sleep.

Such precious creatures:













In the research I have been doing, I've been surprised to learn of the growing number of people who have started keeping chickens in their backyards.  It isn't an overly expensive endeavor for the most part, but of course, as with anything you want to start up, it does cost something.  Due to the fact that my mother insists that one of these chicks (one of the Easter Eggers) be hers, she offered to pay for the supplies we needed today.  Isn't she sweet??

 The first things you need to prepare for chick arrival are:

- a cardboard box or container large enough to house your chickens for at least several weeks ($10) - I recommend the plastic container (thanks, Amy Baker) because it will be easier to wash out and clean, as well as keep dry on the bottom
- pine shavings or sand to line the bottom of your box or container ($6) - DO NOT USE CEDAR as it will harm their eyes and lungs
- a feeder ($5)
- a water container ($2)
- chicken feed ($12)
- a heat lamp ($13)
- a 250 watt bulb for your heat lamp  (preferably one that gives off red light) ($8) -the red light keeps the chicks from seeing injuries on one another to keep pecking to a minimum.  Pecking order is incredibly important in the chicken world and it's wise to keep the peace as much as possible.   I'm not saying it's going to be  WWF CHICKEN SMACKDOWN  but I want to keep my babies as injury-free as possible.  It's Survival of the Fittest in Chicken Land, and any visibly injured chicks are prime for bullying.
- a thermometer ($1) to maintain a consistent and safe temperature in your brooder
- chicks (duh!) (6/$25)


So, less than $100, but this does not include the cost of the materials you will need for a coop.  There are kits you can purchase to build your coop, or you can purchase coop plans, or find them for free online.  With chicken-keeping, I've seen coops that look like mansions and coops that look as though they wouldn't stand up to much.  I suppose you have to do what is best for you if you decide to begin keeping chickens in your backyard, but going above and beyond the call of duty is typically how my family rolls.  We probably overdo it so it's not unlikely that these chickens will have a game room and indoor spa.

But let me go back to what your initial set-up should look like for your chicks so that you can get a basic idea of what we will be going for.  Since I don't have my chicks yet I can't show you my full set-up, but these are the materials my mom purchased for us today:
















These are the basic necessities for chicken-keeping since you will not be removing the chicks from this set-up (entirely) for another 2-3 months.  It's still pretty cold outside during the day and night now, so the best place for my chicks will be indoors under a heat lamp where I can keep a watchful eye on them.  For those of you without other pets who's ultimate goal would be to devour my precious chicks, you may not need to lock up your brooder like Fort Knox.  But I have Oliver, and well, Oliver is bad.  He's really bad.

No.  I mean really, really bad.







So knowing Oliver as I do, and knowing how he stands at the window each day and watches the birds with ridiculous interest, I have to do my best to accommodate a secure lid and the heat lamp without frying my chicks (don't EVEN go there...)


This is NOT my setup.  It's one I found online once I realized that just drilling holes to the side and top of my Rubbermaid container for breathing room wasn't going to keep Oliver out AND keep my chicks warm.  So, it looks like I will be cutting out the lid of my container and adding something like this:






I think this will hold up well once it has been completed.


Well, I think that is all for this post.  Tomorrow I will be at my parents' house drawing up coop plans with my father and taking care of that lid issue.  I will be sure to post on our progress and I might even be ready to reveal the names we have chosen!