Where's my peeps?!?
Hello! We are brand-new, in spring 2011, to urban chickens. We have: dad & mom (Jim & Sheri), 5 boys (& one future daughter-in-law), two laying EE/Ameraucana hens, ten Isa Brown chicks, two Miniature Schnauzers (& a Rottweiler next door), one indoor cat (and an outdoor hunter-cat next door), one cockatiel, a fish tank, and a smallish duplex. We are blessed... and overflowing at times. Our chicks are starting in a decent 'brooder' set-up, and temporary housing for the hens, so we have our work cut out for us. We are so excited, though, to already have some eggs (blue, 'Easter-Egger' eggs!) from the 6-month-old hens, and to have a go at this. I (Sheri) also run an online bookstore from home (see below). The hens are hilarious and the chicks are adorable (for now...). Sooo... here we go, huh?!?...
EE('Easter-Eggers')/Ameraucana eggs are blue/green!! Cool!!
Sometimes you just gotta have some space!
This chick likes to get on top of the water or feeder jar to lay down. The chick-'tanning booth'
Spring & Summer 2011...
We have a female dog for whom that type of 'nurse'/sub mama role was very much to her natural liking. She was from our dogs' first batch of pups (miniature schnauzers) and helped mama raise all of the subsequent batches, very much to her delight and her mama's relief. Now she has her eyes on our chicks... I think if we let her and them out in the yard together she would mother them up good! 
(See my images/pics for a shot of her guarding their 'cage'.) Pretty sweet, actually. They figured her out and then she has to keep her nose back a bit from the cage or one would peck her on the nose!I know one pest I will not worry about... our scrawny cat ~ I checked on the hens and found the cat had gotten out our slider screen and was in the cage/crate (the 'roost'). The hens (who each definitely outweigh the cat) wear standing at the door to the crate. The kitty looked puffy and alarmed. She was ever so delighted to flee when the chance finally came! Hahaha... I laughed so hard!
June is almost done... and so is our coop (finally!!). The peeps/mini-chicken-size now, are starting to do that silly 'chicken-walk', with the gyroscopically-comical head-action!
July 5th/6th is here and the coop is in place! Yea!!! The fencing is still temporary (needing final stability/some framing and posts), but the coop is up and the peeps and hens are in it... pretty much. They are learning to transition. First night appears the peeps slept huddled in a nesting box and the hens at the foot of the ramp, and so far nobody has learned to use the perches or explored to the shelves/ledges inside, but the eggs are appearing in the nesting boxes and they are coming and going, so they are slowly figuring it out.
It has cost more in time, money, and exhaustion than I anticipated, but the deed is done (almost). Our hope is to house some hens year-round for eggs and to aim at raising an additional batch in the summer(s) for meat. This has been an interesting experience so far, we have learned a lot, are pretty happy with the coop, and we are looking forward to the 'maintenance' mode...
August...
I FINALLY found a good home and job for the roosters (both)! [Can't have them cock-a-doodle-dooing to the whole neighborhood... SO...] I traded them for hens to a nice man (retired teacher) with a nice farm, and they are going to be his roosters he uses, starting next year (or when they are old enough) to mate with and guard his hens! They are gonna be daddies, be daddies, be daddies, be daddies, be daddies, be daddies, be daddies, be daddies... etc., etc... That's their new job. Not a bad life for a chicken, huh?!? I will have to post a pic soon of one of the hens we 'traded' for... also lays the blue/green eggs but looks a bit like it has a little toupée/wig of feathers! Lol! What a hoot!
| If you seeking to shop from a family business that strives hard to give excellent service and a personal touch, you've come to the right place! Who is 'Heart & Mind' (Books and Bookmarks)? "We are a family living on the margins of the Empire here in southwest Michigan which some would say is the heart of the Empire of Christian publishing. Baker Bookhouse, Eerdman's Publishing, Kregel Publishing and Zondervan all here in the metropolitan area of Grand Rapids, MI. Initially and continually we have slowly drawn upon both my hypertrophied personal library and the resources we have here in the area for books and start an online bookstore. It really is an adjunct to a single primary income that comes from my employment in an inner city Christian residential substance abuse treatment program as a counselor/teacher. We desire to provide interesting, helpful and diverse reading material..." (from a previous 'note' from Jim) 
We sell used books and handmade bookmarks, mainly of a Christian 'theme'. Our books range in focus from Christianity, Theology, Bible commentaries, and 'Christian Living', to Classics, Biographies, History, Homeschool resources, youth and children's books, fiction, and much more! We (Jim and I) hand-pick the materials we carry, and I try to make the listings reasonably informative. Our store 'search' box and 'store categories' in the left column should assist you in searching and browsing our store. 
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This bookmark was crafted with a handmade tassel from a print of one of my illustrations. Please enjoy, and happy reading! (I personally sign and emboss each of these tags). Sample of this tag: 
The drawings that the bookmarks are printed from are often a 'mixed media' (any combination materials used to create the original rendering). I normally rely most heavily on ink, water color, and sometimes colored pencil. One drawing was done in charcoal. I (Sheri) am an at-home Mom, and have enjoyed and been blessed by the opportunity to create these bookmarks. I have taken art courses at Central Michigan University. The drawings that the bookmarks are printed from are often a 'mixed media' (any combination materials used to create the original rendering). I normally rely most heavily on ink, water color, and sometimes colored pencil. One drawing was done in charcoal. I (Sheri) am an at-home Mom, and have enjoyed and been blessed by the opportunity to create these bookmarks. I have taken art courses at . Central Michigan University Samples of Our Bookmark Designs: 
Thank you for your interest! We hope to hear from you in the future... Jim &Sheri ![URL]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5BURL%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fi.ebayimg.com%2F00%2F%2524%28KGrHqN%2C%21hkE2fE%2Ce9ppBNpyJKwbP%21%7E%7E_1.JPG%5B%2FURL%5D&hash=873afd1399257d5482b7d7023a2a4f34)
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