Excited to become a part of this community!

For years, I've gardened and grown my own food, but this is definitely my next step in creating my little urban farm. I'm so excited to start this journey! I just picked up my chicks: two Golden Comets and two Barred Rocks. They are adjusting well! Now I'm finalizing my coop plans. I'm so glad that I consulted the boards first before starting to build. I'm planning to use the All-In-One coop design from the book Building Coops for Dummies. I read here that some of the measurements are incorrect so I'll be sure to be careful when constructing. I also plan to make some adjustments like a taller run and raising the shelter higher off the ground.

I'm a little nervous about making sure that my chicks get off to a good start. Regulating the temperature has been a challenge. The thermometer doesn't seem to register very well, so I've just been watching their response. Moving the heat lamp further away if they seem to be migrating to the brooder edges, or vice versa.

They're definitely skittish and scared of me still at this point, but a few have been eating out of my hand so that's a good sign. It's funny to see their different personalities emerging! The Comets are definitely less shy and love to eat. The Barred Rocks seem to be more reserved and a bit more inclined to nap than anything else.

My labrador Molly is VERY interested in watching over the babies. She goes crazy if I don't let her in the room to check on them. She's acting like a mom! I let her peek in the brooder but don't let her stay around so that the babies don't get scared.

It's the start of something special!

Cal

 

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!