When you get serious about wanting chickens, one of the first questions you ask yourself is, “Which breed should I get?” There are hundreds of different chicken breeds, and each one has its pros and cons. As I was researching the different options, I actually made myself a handy breed reference chart! (No I’m not overly Type A, why do you ask?) I decided I’d share the chart with you here, and go over some of the most common chicken…
Your chicks are no longer chicks anymore. They are eating a ton, pooping a ton, staying out past curfew, and getting themselves into riskier situations. If you have a rooster, he will be strutting his stuff soon. And your girls are getting hormonal, preparing to lay their first eggs. It’s time to for them to move out from under your wing, but to where you can still keep a careful eye on them. That’s right… they’re big chick teenagers!! The truth is, chicken adolescence is…
(Or should I say, chicken-richment? Get it?! Chick enrichment! … No, I’m not sitting here giggling at my own cleverness, why do you ask?) It has bothered me for a few days that maybe the chicks aren’t being entertained enough. As they get bigger their brooder gets smaller, and there just isn’t much to do during the many hours that I’m not down there with them. Chickens are very intelligent animals, and they need some activities and challenges. Enter: Operation Chick Enrichment!…
The chicks are now 4 1/2 weeks old, and have been home with us for 3 1/2 of those weeks. I can’t believe how much they’ve grown just in the past ten days! They are so much bigger and are doing so many more things now. I even made them a trampoline chicken tractor because they want to spend so much time outside! Getting Bigger To give you an idea of how much they’ve grown, this photo was taken 9 days ago, when the chicks were…
We have had our chicks for 11 days now, and they have been growing so quickly, it’s impossible to keep up on here! They were about a week old when we brought them home, so we started out on their second week. I’ve kept a daily notebook on their changes in appearance and behavior in the first two weeks, and I think the best thing is to just share that with you here! Sweet baby Pepper sleeping in my hand Day…
No, this is not dating advice (sorry). Rather, it’s a warning. This is what happens when you go to the store to see the baby chicks six weeks before you’re planning to actually bring any home: Who could resist those sweet little babies? Of course I have spent months researching chickens and pretty much knew what I was doing, even if I wasn’t expecting to do it quite so soon. One thing that really concerns me is when people buy…