Hello from Cedar Rapids!

Hello, my name is Tom, and I've come into possession of 6 little baby chicks about two weeks ago.

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
My wife actually got me these chicks two weeks ago, on my birthday. They were hatched March 24th and March 22nd, so they're a bit over 2 weeks old now.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I have 6 chicks, all of them pullets. Cedar Rapids does not permit roosters.

(3) What breeds do you have?
I have 3 Barred Rock (Mariah, Veronica, and Debbie), 1 Buff Orpington (Goldie), and 2... brown chicks (Stripe and Betty)? They're kind of mottled brown and black. I'll post pics later on.

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Through Google - searching for "chick nursery." and "chick treats."

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I like to fix cars, work on electronics, and do some computer programming. My wife likes to do landscaping, gardining, and raising different varieties of berries.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
So, I've been married to 8 years to my wonderful, beautiful wife Viki, and we have 4 boys. Oldest is 11, then 7 going on 8, then twins that are 2 going on 3. We also have 2 cats, a dog, 2 fish, and a large albino bunny.

We converted the bunny's old cage into a chick nursery for now, with a heatlamp, a waterer, and a feeder that we got from Theisens (local farming supply store chain). I put in a wooden stick and tied it down so they can perch on it. There is a top lid, and I was thankful for the lid last Monday when Goldie decided to try to fly out of the cage and actually managed to perch on the edge.

I am concerned the chicks are going to run out of room soon, though - the cage is 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot. They're all healthy and their feathers are coming in nicely. They all have wing and tail feathers, and their back and breast feathers are coming in nicely. They're also used to to us for the most part, though they do not really like being grabbed. However, I have found that if you gently lift the chick from the bottom, as like a fork, they don't seem to mind that at all. I can actually get one or two of them to do their little chick-nap while perched on my hand.

Well, that's all for now. TTYL!