Our baby chicks have been growing like weeds. They will be 6 weeks old soon and they just moved out into their own house… messy little ladies needed their own space.
They started out like this:
Just look at those adorable little faces! From left to right we have; Moonblack (a Black Australorp), Goldie (an Isa Brown), Donnie (a Buff Polish Laced), and Chippie (an Americana)… proudly named by the dear child. In our chicken catalog (everyone should have a chicken catalog- ours is from Hoover’s Hatchery), these breeds are supposed to be good egg layers and friendly with kids. Although to be honest we got Donnie mostly for her bouffant. Check out what she’ll look like when mature, and no prizes for guessing why Donnie is her name.
They stayed in a toasty room in our house for a few weeks… starting to get their real feathers and imprinting on the dear child. She is 100% their mother now. They did a great job eating chick starter, but loved treats like grass, peas, and spaghetti. The spaghetti party got wild with yelling, running, and literally tug of warring over noodles.
They all have their own personalities. Chippie is a wild child. Donnie is fearless and inquisitive. Goldie is a good jumper. Moonblack is calm and snuggly. They are also all messy to heck. With warmer weather and the final coat of paint on our “Chateau Poulet” we were ready to move outside!
Now they have a light for warmth on chilly spring nights and they get to have outings in the garden during the day. Lucky chickies!
I’ll keep you posted on our grand chicken experiment… and I’ve been pulling some fun colors out of the dye pot I need to post about too. The weather has just been too gorgeous for sitting at the computer.
What about you? Have a small flock of chickens? What are your favorite breeds? Any burning chicken questions? I’ll do my best to answer!
Reading: Lately I’ve been rereading and referring to Michael Judd’s book, Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist. My parents have a plot that needs amending and we’ve been talking raised beds, lasagna gardening, and Hugelkultur – basically burying a bunch of wood in a super raised bed that will turn into rich soil! And the word is really fun to say…