Intro - hi!

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MamaBearGardens said:
Hello! I've lurked on and off for a bit, having waited 19 years for my town to change its ridiculously restrictive chicken ordinance (it's still fairly ridiculous, but at least I can have them legally! I'd happily have had them illegally, but have next door neighbors who just live to call town hall on anything that irritates them... but that's a story for another day!)

I just got my first-ever 18 chicks in the mail from McMurray a little over two weeks ago - 7 Australorps, 2 Ameraucanas, 2 Pearl White Leghorns, 2 Whiting True Greens, 2 Cuckoo Marans, 2 Red Star, and 1 "surprise" free chick - I almost got all Australorps, but then I fell victim to rainbow egg envy and had to diversify. Luckily, everyone arrived healthy and well (mostly - I did end up having to "surgically" remove a prolapsed/unabsorbed yolk sac on one at a week old with the help of youtube videos, after realizing the problem went beyond a regular case of pasty butt!) Lol, the warnings about dust and mess and their obsession with fouling their clean water were spot on, and led to me nicknaming them The Tiny Terrorists, but it's been so much fun watching them grow. The inside of the coop finally got finished 2 days ago, so out they went (with their heating plate, and I have the safety-cage heat lamp hung for backup - I did plug it in for them, since nights are 50s - 60 right now here, but I think it's more for my comfort than theirs). The inside of the coop is 8x8, so they now have lots of space to really try out those little wing feathers that are coming in fast! I'll wait another week or two - or until the run is finished - to expose them to the actual outside. Good heavens, they are hilarious; if my back would let me, I'd stand there all day just watching them!

I've been giving them access to chick grit since their second day home, because eventually I'd like them to work a large compost pile in their (predator-proof, but not yet finished) outdoor run as a part of their future adult diet. So, I've been exposing them to little bits of various foods they might eat if they were out with a mama hen - grass (cut into half inch pieces for now), greens, some bugs (I'l thrilled that they like aphids, but the mealworm stampede is my favorite thing to watch!), etc, and starting slowly on a few other foods they will be exposed to with compost and kitchen scraps - cooked potatoes caused almost as much of a tizzy as mealworms, lol. I'm also fermenting some of their chick starter, as well as them having 24/7 access to the dry starter in a chick feeder. They do love their morning ferment mash, and I laugh at myself because I'm sure after several years of chickens, I won't be nearly so obsessive with their diet. But I've waited a long time for them, and have the time to be a little obsessive, so I'm enjoying it as much as they are.

I'm looking forward to being able to ask questions and chat with the chicken folks here. As for about me: I'm a middle aged organic gardener, former nurse (now disabled), and have a spouse and 2 dogs (who are not allowed access to the chicks - one is an accomplished rabbit killer with a strong prey drive, and the other is a giant year-old puppy who is still working on the concept of "gentle", and I fully expect that it is my job to keep them from being able to do something I would regret). I've been reading and learning as much as possible to get ready for these chicks, and am looking forward to incorporating them sensibly into my gardening ecosystem (my permaculture/gardening/chicken hero is Sean at Edible Acres - his chicken composting setup is something I aspire to!). And luckily, most of my neighbors are much more excited about the chickens than the grumps next door, whom I hope to pacify with fresh eggs eventually.

Possibly the longest newbie intro ever - but I'm really glad to be here, and finally be a chicken mama!
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Welcome to BYC!!
 

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