My BGF (BFF) Deb got 3 girls last spring. Watching her with her girls over the last year got me all excited to start my own flock.
As of today, 3/1/13, I have 3 babies. A Light Brahma (Fluffy) and a Rhode Island Red (Beaks) purchased 2/27/13 at my local country store. Beaks is a tiny little girl. She's smaller than all the other chicks we got. Fluffy is a big fluffy girl. She seems to be leading the flock as of now. Today I picked up 2 more girls, one for me and one for Deb. They are Blue Lace Red Wyandottes. I've named mine (can't tell which one that will be yet) Lace.
In the picture my two babies are the middle two. That's Beaks the second from the left, and Fluffy is the yellow baby. The other two are Deb's babies.
I will post a picture of the pen (soon to be chicken house) and what I have to work with.
3/6/13
Well, here I am. It's only been a week since I picked out my first 2 babies. All I can say is chicken math is very odd. Instead of the three I had planned to have in my mini-flock, I now have 5. Four are at my GF's brooding, the last one is at another house. Once they are all around 6 weeks old we will bring the last one into the group.
It's becoming more urgent to get the pen roofed over and build the coop inside. Time seems to be slipping away.
3/26/13
As of 3/25/13 I now have my 5 chicks. Niqui (Dominique) has come home. I took her out to the brooder,
I brought home my Niqui (Dominique) from Walady944 yesterday. Took her out to the brooder where the other 4 of my babies were. She is at least a week older and she was bullying the smaller chicks. So.... Niqui and Fluffy are now at my house. I have setup a crate with food/grit and water in the upstairs bathroom. There is a wall heater to keep it warm enough, and a light that will go off at night so they start sleeping when it's dark. I'm also hoping this will get the hubby to work on the pen roof so the pen will be ready in about 3 weeks when the girls can go outside.
I was worried about Fluffy when we first got home. She was breathing heavy and wasn't walking around or eating. She snuggled into my hair on my shoulder for about 15 minutes and her breathing calmed down, but she was still lethargic. Today she was eating, and moving around so I'm less worried. I put in both probiotics and electrolites into their water, since they both were moved yesterday. They both eat out of my hand and I can pick them up easily. I'm training them that belly scratches don't always mean they will be picked up. That way I can scratch them, or pick them up as I wish without them running away. So far they seem to like the crate as they don't want to leave it, but I'm guessing that will change in the next few days.
where the other 4 of my babies were. She is at least a week older and she was bullying the smaller chicks. So.... Niqui and Fluffy are now at my house. I have setup a crate with food/grit and water in the upstairs bathroom. There is a wall heater to keep it warm enough, and a light that will go off at night so they start sleeping when it's dark. I'm also hoping this will get the hubby to work on the pen roof so the pen will be ready in about 3 weeks when the girls can go outside.
I was worried about Fluffy when we first got home. She was breathing heavy and wasn't walking around or eating. She snuggled into my hair on my shoulder for about 15 minutes and her breathing calmed down, but she was still lethargic. Today she was eating, and moving around so I'm less worried. I put in both probiotics and electrolites into their water, since they both were moved yesterday. They both eat out of my hand and I can pick them up easily. I'm training them that belly scratches don't always mean they will be picked up. That way I can scratch them, or pick them up as I wish without them running away. So far they seem to like the crate as they don't want to leave it, but I'm guessing that will change in the next few days.
4/2/13
I was able to get outside on Easter Sunday, 3/31/13, to work on the chicken pen. I took my two girls, Fluffy and Niqui, out for some grass time. They loved being able to scratch around, eat grass, and get some sun. They even got 3 worms and it was so much fun watching them fling them around until they discovered they could eat them. Then it was a race to see who got to the worm first. Now that they have been outside they are demanding fresh grass twice a day, along with some wet feed. I sure use less feed when I wet it.
The girls checking out the grass near their pen.
Started digging the trench on the side of the pen. I got as far down as I could and hit clay, so I stopped there. I figured if I can't dig it up with my garden claw, then other animals wouldn't be able to either.
There are some of the rocks being added. They are from 6" to 12" long, so they are bigger rocks.
A close up of the fencing I'm adding and you can see it is in the whole trench.
Rocks all the way in. Next was covering it with some dirt. You can still see some of the rocks. Now to do the other 3 sides.
Here are the girls getting their first dirt bath next to their new home. They were so cute rollling around in the dirt.
4/16/13
The roof is on. Monday the 15th my friend Debbie and I were able to get the wire in place on the pen roof frame. The hubby was wonderful to help get the frame in place on Sunday the 14th. He cut new lengths of pipe to allow for a taller roof, but still have a good slope to allow rain and snow to not puddle on it.
After we got done with the wire we added the tarp. I will post pictures the next clear day I can get out to take them. I'm getting more excited about this each day. Next is to get the coop/house cleaned up and a proper door made without the goat chewed pieces there. I plan to add 2 next boxes and a roost going the length of the house/coop so all 5 girls can roost together. I will add another one to the pen area, and use two roof support poles to tie the roost to so it won't swing much.
As of today, 3/1/13, I have 3 babies. A Light Brahma (Fluffy) and a Rhode Island Red (Beaks) purchased 2/27/13 at my local country store. Beaks is a tiny little girl. She's smaller than all the other chicks we got. Fluffy is a big fluffy girl. She seems to be leading the flock as of now. Today I picked up 2 more girls, one for me and one for Deb. They are Blue Lace Red Wyandottes. I've named mine (can't tell which one that will be yet) Lace.
In the picture my two babies are the middle two. That's Beaks the second from the left, and Fluffy is the yellow baby. The other two are Deb's babies.
I will post a picture of the pen (soon to be chicken house) and what I have to work with.
3/6/13
Well, here I am. It's only been a week since I picked out my first 2 babies. All I can say is chicken math is very odd. Instead of the three I had planned to have in my mini-flock, I now have 5. Four are at my GF's brooding, the last one is at another house. Once they are all around 6 weeks old we will bring the last one into the group.
It's becoming more urgent to get the pen roofed over and build the coop inside. Time seems to be slipping away.
3/26/13
As of 3/25/13 I now have my 5 chicks. Niqui (Dominique) has come home. I took her out to the brooder,
I brought home my Niqui (Dominique) from Walady944 yesterday. Took her out to the brooder where the other 4 of my babies were. She is at least a week older and she was bullying the smaller chicks. So.... Niqui and Fluffy are now at my house. I have setup a crate with food/grit and water in the upstairs bathroom. There is a wall heater to keep it warm enough, and a light that will go off at night so they start sleeping when it's dark. I'm also hoping this will get the hubby to work on the pen roof so the pen will be ready in about 3 weeks when the girls can go outside.
I was worried about Fluffy when we first got home. She was breathing heavy and wasn't walking around or eating. She snuggled into my hair on my shoulder for about 15 minutes and her breathing calmed down, but she was still lethargic. Today she was eating, and moving around so I'm less worried. I put in both probiotics and electrolites into their water, since they both were moved yesterday. They both eat out of my hand and I can pick them up easily. I'm training them that belly scratches don't always mean they will be picked up. That way I can scratch them, or pick them up as I wish without them running away. So far they seem to like the crate as they don't want to leave it, but I'm guessing that will change in the next few days.
where the other 4 of my babies were. She is at least a week older and she was bullying the smaller chicks. So.... Niqui and Fluffy are now at my house. I have setup a crate with food/grit and water in the upstairs bathroom. There is a wall heater to keep it warm enough, and a light that will go off at night so they start sleeping when it's dark. I'm also hoping this will get the hubby to work on the pen roof so the pen will be ready in about 3 weeks when the girls can go outside.
I was worried about Fluffy when we first got home. She was breathing heavy and wasn't walking around or eating. She snuggled into my hair on my shoulder for about 15 minutes and her breathing calmed down, but she was still lethargic. Today she was eating, and moving around so I'm less worried. I put in both probiotics and electrolites into their water, since they both were moved yesterday. They both eat out of my hand and I can pick them up easily. I'm training them that belly scratches don't always mean they will be picked up. That way I can scratch them, or pick them up as I wish without them running away. So far they seem to like the crate as they don't want to leave it, but I'm guessing that will change in the next few days.
4/2/13
I was able to get outside on Easter Sunday, 3/31/13, to work on the chicken pen. I took my two girls, Fluffy and Niqui, out for some grass time. They loved being able to scratch around, eat grass, and get some sun. They even got 3 worms and it was so much fun watching them fling them around until they discovered they could eat them. Then it was a race to see who got to the worm first. Now that they have been outside they are demanding fresh grass twice a day, along with some wet feed. I sure use less feed when I wet it.
The girls checking out the grass near their pen.
Started digging the trench on the side of the pen. I got as far down as I could and hit clay, so I stopped there. I figured if I can't dig it up with my garden claw, then other animals wouldn't be able to either.
There are some of the rocks being added. They are from 6" to 12" long, so they are bigger rocks.
A close up of the fencing I'm adding and you can see it is in the whole trench.
Rocks all the way in. Next was covering it with some dirt. You can still see some of the rocks. Now to do the other 3 sides.
Here are the girls getting their first dirt bath next to their new home. They were so cute rollling around in the dirt.
4/16/13
The roof is on. Monday the 15th my friend Debbie and I were able to get the wire in place on the pen roof frame. The hubby was wonderful to help get the frame in place on Sunday the 14th. He cut new lengths of pipe to allow for a taller roof, but still have a good slope to allow rain and snow to not puddle on it.
After we got done with the wire we added the tarp. I will post pictures the next clear day I can get out to take them. I'm getting more excited about this each day. Next is to get the coop/house cleaned up and a proper door made without the goat chewed pieces there. I plan to add 2 next boxes and a roost going the length of the house/coop so all 5 girls can roost together. I will add another one to the pen area, and use two roof support poles to tie the roost to so it won't swing much.