Special lady

My Grandma passed away three years ago today. We miss her so much and treasure the impact that she's had on so many people. Rarely in life do find such a hard-working, classy, spiritual, funny, gentle, caring person. She was an excellent mother, a great cook, a supportive wife, and a whopper of a grandma. I want to be just like her so I try a little bit harder everyday.

Look what my girls did!

September 14th, 2008, we found 3 eggs in the coop. It was like Christmas. The eggs are tiny right now as I read they would be for a while. It's like the girls have to practice making eggs or something. They'll get bigger and more normal looking in a few weeks. Since that first day we've had a total of 8 eggs. Sometimes just one a day, sometimes more. I wish I knew who was the early egg-layer of the group and who hasn't started laying yet. But now, each morning I go to the coop and see what they've done for me. Life is good!

Ryan's gone again!

Well, last Tuesday we made the drive to Allendale to take Ryan back to Grand Valley State University. He got placed in a newly constructed dorm with apartment suites. He 's in a four bedroom, with two bathrooms, and a central eating and living space. He even has a full-size fridge, oven, and dishwasher!! It's definitely better than my fist apartment! The bedrooms are tiny with just enough room for a twin bed and a desk, but with all the other ammentites who can complain?

He's so excited to be back on campus with all his friends. This first time coming back home isn't easy after a year of freedom. We'll all be used to it by next summer break, but it was a little hard for everyone to adjust to another adult living in the house. :) We'll miss seeing him everyday... but we already have plans to meet him at Uncle John's Cider Mill in a couple of weeks.

Love ya, Ryan!

The girls are getting big, just eating and sleeping the summer away. I was grocery shopping and saw this beautiful watermelon slice and had to get it for the chickens. They are so used to getting treats now that they rush the gate when we try to come in the run. They come running out of the coop when we call to them. It's so cute! I think within a few weeks I'll have the first eggs.

More details complete

We've got a cute new paint job and nesting boxes and perches installed inside. The only thing left to do is paint a sign for the coop that says "Yik's Chicks". We've discovered that the chickens love treats: strawberries, mulberries, and blackberries, as well as eggplant and watermelon. Mike loves to give them treats so much they have started getting a little pushy when I come in the coop. If I'm wearing sandals they peck at my toes thinking the nail polish is berries! I've got one sweet girly though, that will jump up into my lap and eventually get on my shoulder every time I'm in the run for more than a few minutes. Then when I try to put down she wants right back up. Such a snuggler! I'll try to get a picture with her for next time. Molly, we're ready for your inspection so give me a call! :)

Coop is done, I think. Well pretty much.

Lots of photos, I know. When I get time I'll learn more about how to post them with captions. I wanted to show you what we accomplished yesterday. Lots of sore muscles and sunburn but we're proud of a job well done. The girlies go in and out of the hatch door and seem really happy with their new digs. It was hard getting them in last night but they were like sleepy toddlers, overstimulated by exploring and falling asleep in the grass, so I picked them each up and put them inside for the night. This morning I went out at about 7 and opened their door and they're having fun exploring again. They make the cutest little sounds to each other, a cross between a coo and clucking. So sweet to hear. Come visit, friends!

More coop progress

The weather has been terrible this week and we've been so busy. So our progress is painfully slow for my poor big chicks. They are in their coop but have to stay in the kennel cage during the day so I can leave the doors open. The run isn't ready and they have no hatch door yet.

Sorry, I'm not really good at formatting this blog. I've figured out how to load pictures, but not how to put them where I want them. But the pictures show that some things are happening. One side of the run has chicken wire. That's our big garden and outbuilding in the background. Jessie and Parker and I picked out paint colors for the coop...Parker hates what we chose cuz he got voted against 2 to 1. The shade names are lettuce alone (kind of a light pale green like iceberg lettuce) and sunbeam (a buttery pale yellow). The yellow is for the trim.

It's 90 degrees today so we have to get the run done tonight. They can't be cooped up, literally, much longer!

Daycare chicks

Here are some other baby chicks that I take care of. This isn't everybody but it's who was here today, except for the sleeping one year old baby boy. I've had a home daycare for the last two years, but I'm closing in June and preparing to go back into teaching public school. I'll miss these kiddos but it will be nice to de-clutter my house. I've got baby stuff and toys everywhere!

Coop is coming along slowly but surely

Here's a photo of Mike working on installing the posts that will support our fenced in area of the chicken run. The run will be about 12 x 24 feet when done. We have 6 foot tall chicken wire for the surround and also 24 inch chicken wire to bury at the bottom to discourage digging predators. Eventually the run will also have a chicken wire or hardware cloth "ceiling" so owls and hawks won't visit. The girls are huge and are already crowded in the large dog crate. They tip over their water often and I have to clean out the cage EVERYDAY because the manure is in such a concentrated place. Needless to say we're all anxious for the coop to be done! If the weather had been nicer in May, we would have been able to get this project done a bit faster.

Also above, there is an up to date picture of one of the barred rock girls. See the comb developing? (Sorry for the picture quality. I just got a new phone with a camera so I'm experimenting.) The blurry movement in one picture is probably the naughty girl pecking me. They've got a little attitude once in a while.

Wow I'm bad at this!

My babies are almost a month old and have already outgrown their baby brooder rabbit cage. Now they are in my garage in a big wire dog crate. It got really cold last night so they have a space heater and a heat lamp and the crate is draped with blankets and rugs. They all snuggled down and kept each other warm. The have shed most of their fluffy down (all over the basement!) and have more real feathers now. Their combs are starting to develop.

Remember the mean one? She's my favorite and I named her Winnie! See picture of me holding her off to the side? She isn't mean just confident...runs up to the door and lets me pet her everytime. The rest are more skiddish.

The coop is mostly done but I forgot to get a picture. It's an 8x8 shed that we bought as a kit. Now I just have to make the adjustments to turn into a chicken dwelling. I'll add a shelf for nesting boxes and a 1x4 for roosting at night. And we need to fence in the outside run and cut a hole in the wall so they can get outside. That's on the agenda for this week. Fun!

Pictures of the girlies

I hope these pictures load properly and forgive me for the low-grade photography skills. I should hire a couple of my cousins who are much better at this to come over for a photo shoot! But at least I can share pictures of the sweetest lil chicks taking over my laundry room. All they do right now is eat, drink, poop, and sleep. Sounds like any other baby, huh? They're a little scared to be held but they're getting used to it. If you look closely you can see the two different breeds, the Barred Rock and Australorps. One is almost all black with just a yellowish smudge on the top of the head and the other has lots more white and yellow on the belly. The all black ones are much smaller than the other. I have to admit, at the moment I can't remember which breed is which. But I'll figure it out and let you know.

One of the chicks is pretty assertive and has rushed at and pecked my hand when I reach in. I hope she doesn't turn out to be a rooster! My neighbors would not appreciate a noisy rooster so she/he will have to be adopted by a farmer friend if it happens. More later...

They are here, but no camera until tonight. I promise to post photos soon of the cutest little fluffy-puffs you've ever seen! They're making that soft peeping almost non-stop and already found the water and food bowls on their own. Fascinating! It's so cute when they are standing and then suddenly fall asleep, falling over to let their beaks rest on the floor.

YIPEE!!!

I GOT THE PHONE CALL! CHICKS WILL BE HERE TUESDAY!

Coop in progress and still waiting

Well, the donated shed didn't work out so we're back at square one. The shed was huge and falling apart. Mike and I shopped at Lowes today and priced out the lumber needed. I think we may start building this weekend. (YAY!) I'll try to get pictures of that process. Should be interesting since neither of us is very good at carpentry. If any of our friends and family are reading this...you might get a phone call asking for advice or tools to borrow. :0)



I found some cool plans online for a 6'x6' coop that's 8 feet tall. Here's the link for those of you planning to start this hobby, like Diane! www.buildeazy.com/chicken_coop_8.html that will get you there and you can choose different parts of the plan to look over.



My brooder works! I heated up the heat lamp and got it to stay 95 degrees. Now we just need the chicks. While we wait I'll post a picture of my real baby chicks, my kids: Ryan, Jessie, and Parker. Also known as my coop cleaners! Now they're groaning in the background, reading over my shoulder, wish you could hear it!

More waiting!

I just called the feed store today who were supposed to order my chicks and have them ready for me when I got back from my cruise. I guess they tried to get a hold of me while I was gone to confirm my order. They didn't want to order the chicks without confirming that I wanted to pay extra to guarantee that they all were female. Only 30 cents a piece more and they couldn't just go ahead and do it. Now I have to wait two more weeks. UGH! It's only $3 more than what we originally planned! Oh well.

The brooder is ready...I even warmed it up last night to be sure it was all set. And I just got a call about someone's shed they want to donate to me. Have you heard of freecycle.org? It's this great site about passing on stuff you don't need to people who can use it. Like a classified ad but all free. I posted a request for an outbuilding or leftover building supplies and someone is letting me have a shed. CHICKEN COOP IS ON THE WAY!

Oops!

Just checked the blog for comments and noticed that picture of the chicks didn't load in my previous post. Sorry about that. Still a newbie at all this blogging. I don't have time to figure it out today. Too much to do getting ready to leave for spring break. My next post will be after we return from the trip. We get back on Thursday, late, and by Monday I might have chicks! My daycare kids are so excited! ME TOO! Love to all.

For Heather, my motivator!

I was just thinking I should write again when I checked the comments from the previous post. My dear cousin invited me to write some more. Thanks Heather!

This weekend I visited a friend's farm and toured their coop and incubator and brooder. The teenage boy of the family taught me so much about the kinds of equipment I need and where to get it. My husband made this contact for me and even said he'd go to the auction next weekend to look at buying some equipment. WOW! He's been reluctant so this is very cool.

I held my first grown up chicken. The Australorp breed pictured at the bottom of this page is the one the boy handed me. I was so excited. You can't believe how soft they are. The feet are kind of scaly and might take some getting used to, but that doesn't bother me. (Former science teacher, remember?) This sweet chicken just sat on my one hand while I supported her underneath with my other. Now this boy is more the farmer-type, these are egg layers and meat birds...not pets. My babies will be spoiled rotten and loved to pieces.

I set up my brooder as soon as I got home from the farm. It's on the basement in a little area with a counter up off the cold floor and easy for me to get to without bending over. The heat lamp is set up and ready to go. Now just waiting for the baby girls to arrive! I promise to post pictures eventually. For now here's one of what the babies will look like:

This blog is designed for anyone interested in raising chickens for the first time, but wants to watch someone else do it first! I'm going to start raising chickens this spring and I'm so excited! I've been wanting to do this for years but could never convince my husband that it was a good idea. He's still not convinced...but I think I wore him down. :) I'm really a farm girl at heart so this is a great opportunity to explore that part of me.

I spent all winter researching the process of raising chickens. Two of my favorite sites are:

backyardchickens.com and mypetchicken.com

On these sites I was able to learn all the particulars of this hobby, and even research the kinds of chickens that fit my needs. I wanted chickens who would be friendly, hardy in Michigan's climate and lay lots of eggs. So I chose Australorps and Barred Rocks. And last week I ordered 5 chicks of each breed. They will arrive early in April...after I return from my cruise (aren't you jealous!). So, here's what I need to do before the babies arrive at a local farm supply store.

1. I need to create a temporary chick home called a brooder. The chicks need a place that stays clean and warm and safe from predators. They don't get to go outside until they are about eight weeks old when the adult feathers are more pronounced. This brooder can be as simple as a cardboard box with a heat lamp, or something more hi-tech that you purchase. I'll be using a wire rabbit cage, inside a cardboard box. This will protect the fluffy babies from my cat (!) and the cardbaord will help me regulate the temp. It needs to be 95 degrees F the first week then 5 degrees cooler each week after. The chicks will tell you if they are too hot or cold because, so the websites say, they will huddle together under the heat lamp if the temp is too cold, or they will stay far apart at the edges of the brooder of they're hot. I will have a good thermometer in the brooder as well. I'll need pine shavings, chick food, a chick feeder dish, and a water supply. All these can be ordered from mypetchicken.com or from the local feed store.

2. I'll need to build a chicken coop for when the babies are old enough to be outside. We have an existing outbuilding that has an indoor/outdoor dog run. We'll be converting that part into the coop. For coop designs look at the websites I already mentioned. Each coop needs three components: nesting boxes where they'll lay an egg each day, roosting poles(1" dowels at different heights across one wall), and an outside area for exercise.

3. Contact my neighbors and let them know they can buy eggs later this summer. I think the chickens will be ready to start laying in August.

4. Keep reading and learning so I do this right!

OK, that's all for today...I'll give you another update and maybe pictures when I get the chicks!