For Michelle ;-)

The day in Pictures

Four dresses finished and out the door!

Chickens playing in the yard

Devon spelling out his name in Legos, legos are the greatest toys ever!
Of course we did a bunch of other stuff but these were the most fun!

The sky is falling.....

.....OK not really. Its just that Eve and I have been reading Chicken Licken at bedtime, and well....this post is about chickens.

The chickens are doing well. Growing quickly. I suppose they are halfway to being their full size. The breed I chose definitely grows slower than birds bought specifically for meat. They are about 5-6 weeks old now. Meat birds are ready to butcher at 4 weeks. These just aren't big enough to process anytime soon. We plan to keep these gals simply for eggs though, so they are safe. We will have to build another tractor, as it looks like 5 (full grown) chickens will fit comfortably in each one.




There is one anomaly that has me stumped. All of the chickens have pale pink feet, except one who's feet are very orange. I'm not sure what this means. Perhaps its a rooster. Is it sick? Not sure. Can you see the difference?

Chicken Licken

Well they are 10 days old today. Feathers are coming in and they love to try them out. They are experiencing the great outdoors for the first time today. I had an old raised garden bed that is perfect size for them. They are chasing little flying bugs around, their sight is impeccable. Maverick really wants to play with them, or eat them not sure which one....but he is behaving himself as long as someone is looking. I haven't introduced Franklin to them because I have a feeling they would become a snack, and he is to big for me to hold back.


I ordred 11 because that was the least I could order, I want 8 for layers and they sent me 13 so 5 of these little ladies will not be so lucky as I try my hand at dressing them for my freezer. I have learned quite a bit this first time around and am glad I didnt just go for the gusto and order my meat birds at the same time. I will write a post soon on what I have learned and tips for those who may also be wanting to raise their own backyard chickens.

Chicks

Our day old chicks came in on the 10th and we have been enjoying watching them peck and scratch and huddle together. They are so funny. I had them in my room the first night, but the heat lamp was bothering my hubby so I turned it off and they just threw a fit. Chirped so loud! I had to move them out of the room. Another side note about chickens is they grow really fast. I am about to have to split the chicks into two separate containers...sense it is to cold still to move them outside into there chicken tractor. ;-/ I am ready for warm weather.