Chicken update

Much like all living things, our cute, fuzzy baby chicks are almost all grown up. When I first mentioned our chickens, they were only a few weeks old and just experiencing what it was like to go outside for the first time. They’ve experienced even more big changes since then.

Around five weeks they got to spend their first night outside in the coop. It was difficult for everybody. They acted like they wanted to go back to the safety of the brooder and our living room, but we tried that the night before and it just wasn’t going to happen a second night. I’m also a sap so tough love isn’t really my thing. Thankfully we all got through the experience unharmed.

The flock at five weeks.
From left to right: Tina, Butters, Sara, Whitney.

Tina being held at 5 weeks.

A few weeks later they were moved to a new, more secure coop and run. They learn quickly, and it only took one night of us walking them up the ramp before they got the hang of it themselves. Of course, they were still sleeping in the nest box (a habit they kept from their old coop) which is a no-no. Teaching them to roost was a far lengthier process, but after a few evenings of me physically putting them repeatedly on the roost they eventually got the hang of it too.

So far one of the most surprising parts of owning chickens is learning how each of them have their own personalities. Some of this is breed specific (for example the Ameraucana’s are far friendlier than the Barnevelders), but not all of it. Tina just wants attention, and even hung out on my husband’s lap for a few minutes last weekend. Butters seems generally confused a lot of the time, and loves to take dust baths more than anybody. Whitney is extremely food driven (then again, so is Tina). Sara is very independent, and far more likely to wander around the yard on her own than in the herd. All of them, however, love to be let out of their run. Exploring is their favorite activity, but we have to keep a watchful eye on them. It’s all downhill once they discover the garden has delicious veggies.

Speaking of food, it’s entertaining to see how receptive they are to new treats. So far dried mealworms are the biggest hit, but they also love corn, cauliflower, yogurt, and heads of cabbage. They also enjoy loose leaves of cabbage and spinach as well as fruit, but they aren’t favorites. The only food they haven’t really liked yet is lettuce.

We’re still a month away from getting any eggs, but I’ll be sure to update when we get our first one!

The flock at 12 weeks. Left to right: Sara, Butters, Tina, Whitney.

Tina being held at 12 weeks.

Chicks, man.

Just before Easter we decided to take the plunge and become parents...to chickens that is.

We've talked about it for some time, but we finally have the space and our backyard is starting to come together enough that the timing was right. After doing some research we felt prepared enough to go to our local urban farm store and pick out some girls.

The first trip outside, around three weeks old. From left to right: Tina, Butters, Whitney (in back), and Sara.

Legally we can have up to six chickens, assuming none are a rooster. We figured three is a good starting number, but purchased four in case one turned out to be a rooster or something more unfortunate. Three weeks later I'm happy to report all are alive and well, but I've got my eye on the big one for fear it turns out to be a rooster.

While these chickens are primarily for a food source of delicious fresh eggs, we also want them to be friendly towards humans. With that in mind we picked out two highly-regarded breeds.

Two of the girls were sold as Ameraucana's, although apparently there's controversy over the likelyhood they are "pure-bred" or the mutt variety among the chicken snobs. Regardless, these girls will lay what are called Easter Eggs. The shells are typically varying shades of blue and green, but inside everything is normal. Ameraucana's lay an average of 5 eggs per week, but drop down to about 1-2 eggs per week in winter. Full grown they average 5.5 pounds. However, we have one girl that is particularly small. It's possible she's just a runt, but she could also be a bantam, which would put her at only 1.5 pounds full grown. Of the two breeds, these girls seem to be more interested in human interaction.

The second breed we purchased is a Barnevelder. They are famous for laying large, dark brown eggs but most picture's I've seen don't necessarily reflect that. Barnevelders will grow to a slightly larger size, averaging 6-7 pounds as an adult. They will also produce more eggs than the Ameraucana's. They too will lay around 5 eggs per week, but in the winter that number doesn't trail off as drastically.

In the coming weeks I'll post more about raising them, building a coop, etc.