Saturday Fun

Matt puts on my red crocs before entering the coop with Reed and Emmy.
Looking through the screen I see Matt having chick fun.Emmy, Reed, and Matt play with the chicks. Matt's holding a Barred Rock.Abby and Ruby aren't allowed in for the fun.
It was another fun-filled day playing with chicks, running through the maze, riding on the go-cart. Uncle Matt joined in the fun.

Updated Info

Thursday morning, about 2:30am, Ruby woke us up with her barking/whining. Steve went outside and saw Ruby shaking with her tail between her legs and a coyote along the fence. The coyote ran off and Ruby went into the coop/dog house. She may be chicken, but she did alert us to chick danger.
I have toured another chicken coop and once again it is evident that my chicks are living like kings. Jennifer can verify this.
To add to the fun at 'KimberlyParkFarm' Steve went into the tall grass (2 feet-3feet high) and mowed a "maze" for the grandkids to run through. He also got the mower, the dog tether, and a peddle go-cart for Trevor to hook all together for pulling the grandkids around the yard. Now we're talking fun!
I've once again got the bucket under the air-conditioning drain, and yes it is draining much to everyone's skepticism, so I will have 'free' water for my flowers. We've also got a line on 55 gallon drums for $5 so soon we'll be making rain barrels.

Chick Ramp

PuffBall tries out the ramp. She's following a 'bigger' chick.

The Houdans think they're all that.

The chicks have taken to going up the ramp and sitting around and then "flying" down.

Holiday

Today started out rainy but ended sunny. The chicks are really growing and have yet to be stepped on. In fact, there haven't been any dead chicks in over a week. Neighbor kids came over and chased and caught chicks, as did the grandkids, and various neices and nephew. Ruby has yet to be tested and her interest hasn't lessened in the chicks. Soon we'll see if she can be with them without eating one. All is up in the garden although there are bare spots where some seeds didn't take, or they're deep and still haven't sprouted yet. The asparagus are ferning out. I will have to replant the cucumbers since they haven't rebounded from being eaten by rabbits. A giant toad also likes the garden, but may move on since Reed is bent on playing with him ("making him a pet").

Ruby Moves In

Ruby now sleeps in the coop. Steve put a doggy door in the front of the coop so Ruby can come and go as she sees fit. Tonight the lock is on so she will realize she is to stay in the coop. Her crate with padding and blanket is in there. Now, although she is in the coop it is in the foyer part. The screen door (locked) is between her and the chicks. Ruby gets all excited when watching the chicks, of course she is in watching when the grandkids are in chasing chicks so there is a lot of excitement to watch. Sometime next week we'll start taking her in to the chicks to see if she will protect them or eat them.

Rainy Day

Wouldn't you know it, I watered the garden and my flowers yesterday and today we've had rain. My potatoes are up, so now all the veggies are showing.
The roof in the coop leaked where the turbine sits so I put a bucket under it and the chicks did just fine. I did leave the heat lamps on today since it was chilly.

Chicks, dog, grandkids

A giant pink chick tries to blend in with the rest.

A chick among the chicks.

Reed on a chick hunt.

The grandkids make their way to the chicks.

The chicks are looking incredibly healthy, I think its all the running (exercise) they get trying to escape the grandkids.

As I was sitting on the patio reading today I heard, "Help, a chicks out, a chicks out!!" While going in to the coop Mandy, Reed, Emmy, and Abby were a little slow; actually Reed was already in chasing chicks and getting them wild running everywhere. So as Mandy and the girls were entering a chick came out. As I was running to help corral it, on its own it jumped back through the door. Let the fun begin.

Steve and Reed got the invisible fence in; though I can't verify it since I can't see it :). So now Ruby should stay in back and quit zipping to the neighbors.

New Dog

Ruby, a one year old mix of beagle and boxer joins the farm. Her job is to protect the chickens, not eat them. She has been in the coop - the foyer - and didn't even bark. Next week I'll take her inside with me to get her used to being with chicks.
Emmy and Abby came up today and they are chick gals. Abby loves to throw feed at the chicks and Emmy loves to hold them. They even brought up crocs to wear into the coop.

One More

I went out this morning to feed the chicks and one more was dead. It was the small one I was concerned about yesterday. Strangely, it is the same type of chick that was dead last night. Now I have concerns that chick gangs are being formed and they are 'taking care' of certain types of chicks. There is one left of that type of chick, so we'll see how it fairs. I need chick cam running 24/7 so I can monitor what is going on in the coop.

The end result: 15 original chicks, 1 turkey, 4 Orscheln's, 4 Robin's, 3 new Orscheln - 27 total.

Good news: the greenbeans and beets are up and the iris' are blooming. Bad news: rabbits have been munching on my cucumber and tomato plants. I've got to get a fence around the garden.

Jennifer's Lost

There was another death. Its very puzzeling. I checked the chicks around 9:20pm (during commercial break for Top Chef) and stay for about 5 minutes. They were all doing well, the little ones would run into the 'safe house' when chased, all looked perky; except the small one that looks lost that I've been giving vita-water to today.

I checked back in at 10:15pm and one was dying; just lying, not moving, not quite stiff, barely breathing. It wasn't one of the little ones, just a regular one, but an original. It quit breathing in a few minutes. What happened? Maybe a run-in with one of the bigger ones. Maybe on my way out the door hit it (although the chicks stay away from me, so not likely). Anyway, we're to 16 original chicks.

CHICKS MOVE

All 29 chicks (17 original, 1 turkey, 4 Orscheln's, 4 Robin's, 3 newer Orscheln's) made the move successfully.

Not Col. Sanders and a bucket, but Steve and a box of chicks.






















Steve sets free the first load of chicks. He brought over the small ones first so they could get settled before the Houdans and turkey came in to bully them.


Misc chicks getting to know their new home.

The Houdans in the foreground. The one looks like its bowing before the other, but usually they're 'fighting' each other.

Coop Living

Our internet was down last night so I couldn't update on what was happening. We finished (or nearly, some outside calking needs done, and painting) the coop and had it set up for the move on Saturday morning. Its too good for most chicks, but not ours.

This is looking in through the screen door. Reinforced with wire.

A view looking in. You step in the coop and enter the foyer. Then you go through the screen door to be with the chicks.

Laying boxes (three more are on the other side of the door) and watering can. A closed window is on the one wall.

Roost for sleeping when the chicks get bigger. Under the roost is a "safe house" for the smaller chicks. They can get under the wire and get away from the turkey and big chicks if they want. Later we'll take off the screen and move the unit into the yard for sun shelter.

Coop

Whew....this farming life if hard. We've worked all day on the coop and just have the nesting boxes and calking left for tomorrow. I'm tired and sore and all my nails are gone and my hands look worse than Suzanne Summer's.
Those stinking chicks, and I mean that literally, are all getting skittish/fiesty. They need more room so its a good thing that this Saturday they'll be moved to their new lux place.
I had to water the garden since those weathermen missed again and we've had no rain for days. Now that Jo the Dog is gone rabbits have been running wild through the yard. I've even seen squirrels in the back yard, something I haven't seen in years.
By the way, about 8:45pm tonight I heard a coyote howling- Jennifer's number 17 isn't a sure thing. Also the Rogers' boys in our ward stopped by and told me they started with 50 chicks and now have 30+/- 1 or 2, so I'm not doing bad. They also said our coop was so much more fabulous (not their exact words) than theirs. Pictures tomorrow.

Coop News

Yesterday Steve and the Elders moved all the stuff out of the red barn and into the container. Its not organized, but its there and thats the main work. Today Steve started turning the barn into the chicken coop. He's got a wall dividing the chicken area from the entrance/storage area with wire and screening to keep bugs and critters out and chickens in. Tomorrow the windows get installed.
The chicks are doing great, but I don't get why they insist on scratching the litter into their water and feeders. Hopefully when they get moved there will be enough room where this won't occur. I spend my day cleaning up their mess.
My iris I transplanted are getting ready to bloom and the peonies are up and getting fuller. Considering I transplanted these mid-growning season last year and hacked them up pretty badly, they're doing way better than expected.

All systems go

The chickens are looking great, but they are skittish when I'm around, hmmmm. Steve has the container set, so tomorrow we move the wedding stuff and start to get the coop ready for the big move on the weekend.
Next week we hope to set the fencing so the chickens can go outside during the day. In a month we'll let them free range when we're home.
The strawberry plants (from Stephanie) are looking good but nothing else is showing yet (except tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers which were plants when I planted them).

Another Tragic Death

The chicks have been doing so good for the past few days, even CC is physically healthy. But alas, there was another death today. Before church I was getting water and food in the pens. The turkey/Houdan pen was done and I was working on the main pen. The water was in and the two small feeders; I finished filling the large feeder (two feet long, metal) and setting it down. As I looked in to see how CC was doing I noticed a chicken foot sticking out from the long feeder. Picking it up I saw a smashed chick. It was one of the midget puff-ball ones from Orscheln's (not an original so the count is still 17), one of my favorites. It obviously didn't move out from the feeder place and I didn't notice it there (the chicks usually run to the far side opposite of where I am putting things).
So we have learned two things from this - 1)Chicken Little, sometimes the sky really is falling 2) A lot of food will kill you.
Happy Mother's Day

Getting into the Routine

CC made it through the night. She still is a little odd. I've determined that she is autistic and/or somewhat retarded, bless her heart.
Steve swears that he will move the container today after we get back from a baptism. So, this afternoon the excitement will roll.

PM: Update. We did not move the container due to weather and too much partying (graduations, etc.) so Tuesday is the move day.

PS- Why is the time on these posts not correct?

CC Returns

CC is now back with the other chicks. She was doing so well today and was fiesty when I was trying to give her water with the dropper. She wandered around kindaof lost but then started feeding at the feeders, even pushing her way in, and drinking at the waterer. What ever she had has seemed to pass.
The cargo container was delivered today. For fun join us on Tuesday when we will position it the Egyptian way - putting round fench post under it and rolling it into place. The pyramids were probably less trouble.

Looking Better

Well, crazy chick made it through the night and was looking OK this morning. I was gone all day but when I got back at 6pm cc (crazy chick) was looking much better. She's peeping and preening, and had eaten and drank. I gave her more vita-water, so another couple of days of isolation, and if she holds her own she'll go back with the others.
The storage container is due tomorrow, and once set we'll start moving everything out of the barn into it. Then retro fit the barn and hopefully move the chicks in a week from this Saturday (May 17).

Crazy Chick

Last night one of the chicks started acting crazy - walking backwards, plowing its head through the litter, falling down, and even somersaulting. It wasn't all the time, and other times it was normal. But this chick just wasn't "right". I rubbed its tummy and craw, tried to get it to eat and drink, but really there wasn't much to do. It would act normal for a while and then go into one of its strange behaviors.
This morning it seemed OK but a little scraggly, then I caught it doing its strange behaviors. By now the other chicks would either step on it or pick at it. So I had to remove it and try something else. I read where it might need AD & E vitamins (or culled).
So I set it up in its own box (the chick hospital) and dissolved one of Steve's daily over 50 years old man vitamins and added to it water. I bought a dropper and have dropped the vita-water into it. Even before this it started to look and act better, but I think its because it is lonely and perked up enough to cheep for its friends.
By this evening it was looking much better and wasn't acting crazy, in fact I was thinking of putting it back in with it friends in the morning. But then I saw it backing up with its head in the litter again, so I'll keep it separated for at least two more days. More vita-water and belly-rubs are what the Chibber ordered.

Ready to Harvest

I finished putting in my garden; strawberries, asparagus, tomatoes, squash, beets, pepper, beans, and potatoes. I needed seed potatoes so I ran to Orscheln's and of course had to look at the baby chicks. They were just too cute, little grey bantums, so I told Steve about them. We had to go to the bank to pay for our storage container (that will be delivered in 3-5 days, one of those metal cargo 40' sea-going things) so we stopped by to look at the chicks while we were in town. We came home with 2 of the grey bantums and 2 more of the striped ones (brown leghorns I think). Chicks = 17 original, 1 turkey, 4 Orscheln, 4 Robin, 4 new - for a total of 30. The madness stops here.

UPDATE: More Chicks

Known chicken expert Robin (the one who came to Steve's rescue) received 4 more chicks from her mother-in-law. Since she had 14 chicks (about 2 months old) and is expecting 25 mail chicks next week, she didn't want this gift. Knowing I was down several chicks she has given me these 4. So now I have 4 Barred Rocks fresh from Orschlen's on Sunday. Total chicks - 17 original, 1 turkey, 4 Orschlen, 4 Robin = 26 chicks.

Once Again

When I dropped the wipes box into the chick bin it hit one directly (yesterdays death) and one half-way. Well, the half-way hit chick was dead this morning. Down to 17 original chicks. I will say that I think that some of the deaths are due to the turkey. I catch him all the time pecking at the butts of the other chicks. When he does this to the small ones they actually fly up into the air a few inches. One today had a bloody butt from him doing this. Also the Houdans are fiesty and peck at others' butts.
So I purchased another bin and separated the turkey and the Houdans from the rest of the group. The Houdans hold their own against the turkey. They aren't too happy being away from the rest, but the good chicks society must be protected from the criminal element of these chicks.
I think this move will put an end to the death of any other chicks.
17 original chicks, 4 Orschlen chicks, 1 turkey chick for a total of 22 chicks.

Not a good day for chicks.

The turkey chick just wasn't doing well. I think the bump was smaller, but he had lost knowing how to walk and the other chicks were using him as a rug. So Steve "the exterminator" took care of things. Also another original chick is dead. The was due to a freak accident; while I was cleaning the pen and adjusting the heat lamp my box of wipes fell into the pen and landed on a small white chick. This was yesterday and the chick rebounded so I thought it would be OK. Even this morning all of them looked good, but when we got home from partying at a missionary farewell, the chick was dead. So the count is 18 original chicks, 4 Orscheln chicks, 1 turkey. At least the 25 left are very happy chicks.

A Good Day for Chickens

No dead chickens again this morning. I think all the ones left are now healthy enough to survive until they're food. The turkey's foot is the same, but I'll keep treating him and we'll see how it looks in a week. Since they're in a small space he can easily get to food and water so he's still growing.

Besides the chicks I have my bird feeders to keep full along with hummingbird feeders. I've had hummingbirds and yellow finches for the past week eating up in the back yard, and today there was a Hairy Woodpecker. There are the usual sparrows, blackbirds, robins, and house finches.

CHICKEN DIARY

Here's the running commentary on the chicken experience. Its taken from different photo comments and discussions on MyFamily...and is my reason for this blog.

Apr 09, 2008
The "Wedding Chapel" shed is being turned into the coop. The wedding stuff is going into a different "shed".

Apr 09, 2008
ETA is April 28. I will have possession of 25 chicks until I send them to my freezer.

Apr 26, 2008
Jo the Dog has gone to live with another family in JoCo KS. Now is the time to revise your numbers. ETA this Tuesday.

Apr 28, 2008
24 hours and counting down!!!!

The chicks arrived a day early. I'm down in Andover, so Steve went and picked up the chicks. From there...chaos. He didn't prepare the pen with food, water, heat, paper, etc. before getting the chicks. After opening the box, then calling me under duress, he called Robin (from the ward who has 6 week old chicks and is expecting her own mail chicks in a few weeks). She helped him get paper dwon, food, water, heat (after the first lamp blew-out), etc. so far two chicks aare separated in a box and one is down and needs put in the box. Jennifer<>

Chaos as Steve is in charge of the chicks.

Monday- food, water, everyone is still alive.

Apr 29, 2008
CHIBBER'S LOG, DATE: April 29, IN A LAND FAR, FAR, AWAY.
So far 4 lost chicks, may they rest in peace. 24 left, 22 looking great, the other 2 OK.
2 of the chicks are much older and bigger than the rest, perhaps they're turkeys.

Tuesday night and settling in for bed. 24 critters total.

Apr 30, 2008
That Steve thinks he is funny. He went out and bought 2 turkey chicks, (ergo the big ones). So the count is 22 live chick chicks and 2 turkey chicks. With four dead chicks that means we started with 26 chicks.

The chick that wasn't doing well no longer is. So out of the original 26 chicks 5 have died. We now have 21 original chicks, 2 turkeys, 4 new chicks for a grand total of 27. Peep Peep.

One more chick went to the big farm in the sky. Now 20 original ones left.

We went to Orscheln's to get the red bulb and came back with 4 more chicks. 2 Mottled Houdans, and 2 New Hampshire Reds. The other breeds we have (maybe) are White Silkies, Black Silkies, Buff Cochin, Partridge Cochin, Birchen Cochin, Lakenvelders, Buttercups, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, and the two turkeys (I don't know what kind).

May 1, 2008
Happy May Day...viva la revolution. All chicks alive and well this morning. Hopefully the deaths are over (for the next 6 months ;) ).

All made it through the night. BUT... one was slow moving when I went to seminary and it it fading fast as I type. It now just lays there and peeps pathetically.

Another small black one is dead. So a total of 7 dead, leaving 19 original, 2 turkeys (one with a cyst on the bottom of a foot, we'll see about that) and 4 Orscheln chicks for a total of 25. Whose crazy idea was this??

It was a dark and stormy night...

Last night we had a big storm roll through about 2:15am. I don't know if it was the wind, the house shaking, or no 'white' noise going since the electricity was off. I went downstairs and checked on the chicks (they were huddled together peeping) and got my battery TV to check out what was going on in the world. The weatherman said it was just a storm with high winds (hurricane MPH wind) and would pass in a bit. I went back to bed hoping that the electricity would get back on so the chicks wouldn't freeze to death.

I woke up at 5am and the electricity was on, checked the chicks and they were all alive and well (except for the turkey with the bum foot, he's not getting around too well). Luky for me we have a circle drive since one side was blocked with giant limbs from two of our trees, so I could get out. Of course the patio furniture was blown down to the fence line, Grandpa's bench had traveled across the patio, and the grill was overturned. It must have been quite a wind.


Back to the turkey. I have diagnosed his condition as 'bumblefoot' after searching the internet. My chicken expert (not Jennifer or Kate) told me to just cull him, but I'm going to try to cure him. I've poked the bump with a needle but nothing came out. Today I've started to rub the bump with tea tree oil (from a web remedy) so we'll see how it works.

CONTINUING FROM YESTERDAY

Last summer I also decided to try to 'go green', not to any extreme or discomfort or great effort on my part naturally. I did hook up a pipe from my air-conditioner drain to a bucket and I would use the water on my flower plants. This actually was between 3-6 gallons daily of water that other wise just went down the drain. I also had a de-humidifier going in the basement which produced 1+ gallons daily, plus this made for dryer air for the air-conditioner to produce. Since I water my flowers a lot this made a dent in my usage and bill. This year I'm going to set-up rain barrels for more free water.

BEGINNING

I've been putting pictures and info about my attempts to raise chickens on our family web site, but with the different pictures and news posts its getting hard to keep anything in chronological order. So I've decided to blog, that way the updates and info should flow.

Let me give a little background.

Starting last summer I started to feel a need/yearning/indigestion to get back to simpler times and to be more self-sufficient.

I put in a few tomato and cucumber plants, and planted green beans and squash. If I had depended on this "garden" for more than a meal I would have starved. Did I mention that I planted all but the beans in tires? This was supposed to cut down on weeding and watering, and make the plants grow better. It didn't.

Also last summer I found out about the Amish produce auction. Now this was great fun. The prices are a little less, but you have to buy in bulk for the most part. You can't beat the ambiance; Amish, Mennonite, farmers, basic middle America, and tourist all mingling. The grandkids get to see horses up close and working, and you realize that you can live a lot simpler.

I have a few walnut trees on my lot which for the past years (since we moved here) I mainly cursed for the mess, but I would also pick up several Wal-mart bags of walnuts and put at the end of the drive-way. Our neighbor would pick them up and take them to people at his church who shelled them and sold them for their fundraiser. The neighbor and the church people would also come over and gather walnuts. Last summer was a bad year for walnuts, or so people kept telling me, so the church people weren't messing with them. The walnuts were messing my place...so I started bagging them. I had my brother and my neices and nephew bag them. We ended up with 30 bags full. What to do...what to do... My brother came into visit so I told him we were going to take the walnuts to the Amish. I figured we could sell them at the auction or just dump them on someone. The auction didn't want them, but an Amish guy there bought walnuts, so he sent us to his house and told us to tell his son to take of things. BONUS! We went to an Amish farm, they (the son @ 14 years old, the mom, and two young kids @ 3 and 5 years) hulled (using a gas powered huller) and weighed the walnuts and paid us for them. I think it was @$15, not enough for the gas to and from, but well worth the adventure. Oh, I'll be going again this summer.