Day 16 - They Just Keep Growing

The chickens are doing well and growing fast.  They're eating more of the sprouts than they were before and are all eating the grain mash that I mix for them much better.  They still love the hard boiled eggs but I only give it to them a few times a week.  I thought I'd show some pictures to show how much they've changed in the past two weeks.  They almost have all their wing feathers and all but Bertha have started to see their tail feathers arrive.  I put in a small roost for them on Sunday and they've started to sit on it from time to time.  They're not actually roosting yet but they're learning.

Saturday (Day 13) I took some new pictures.  I've put them below with to their Day 2 photos.

Molly's gotten much bigger!

Ruthie's really developing fast.

Bertha's still growing the slowest but her wing feathers are coming in nicely.
Her wings are much smaller than the other birds.

For some reason, Ruby refused to wake up during here photo shoot.
Don't worry, she's still running around like crazy.

Bob's definitely continued to grow the fastest.

While we were shooting pictures, my almost 2 year old was watching.  He loves the chicks and loves to pet them and look at them when they're out.  My biggest joy of having the chicks has been watching the boys connect with nature and learn more about animals and growing their own food.

Here he is giving Molly a hug.  He's so gentle with the girls.

Bertha is Kaisyn's favorite!

The chickens are doing well and growing fast.  They're eating more of the sprouts than they were before and are all eating the grain mash that I mix for them much better.  They still love the hard boiled eggs but I only give it to them a few times a week.  I thought I'd show some pictures to show how much they've changed in the past two weeks.  They almost have all their wing feathers and all but Bertha have started to see their tail feathers arrive.  I put in a small roost for them on Sunday and they've started to sit on it from time to time.  They're not actually roosting yet but they're learning.

Saturday (Day 13) I took some new pictures.  I've put them below with to their Day 2 photos.

Molly's gotten much bigger!

Ruthie's really developing fast.

Bertha's still growing the slowest but her wing feathers are coming in nicely.
Her wings are much smaller than the other birds.

For some reason, Ruby refused to wake up during here photo shoot.
Don't worry, she's still running around like crazy.

Bob's definitely continued to grow the fastest.

While we were shooting pictures, my almost 2 year old was watching.  He loves the chicks and loves to pet them and look at them when they're out.  My biggest joy of having the chicks has been watching the boys connect with nature and learn more about animals and growing their own food.

Here he is giving Molly a hug.  He's so gentle with the girls.

Bertha is Kaisyn's favorite!

The chickens are doing well and growing fast.  They're eating more of the sprouts than they were before and are all eating the grain mash that I mix for them much better.  They still love the hard boiled eggs but I only give it to them a few times a week.  I thought I'd show some pictures to show how much they've changed in the past two weeks.  They almost have all their wing feathers and all but Bertha have started to see their tail feathers arrive.  I put in a small roost for them on Sunday and they've started to sit on it from time to time.  They're not actually roosting yet but they're learning.

Saturday (Day 13) I took some new pictures.  I've put them below with to their Day 2 photos.

Molly's gotten much bigger!

Ruthie's really developing fast.

Bertha's still growing the slowest but her wing feathers are coming in nicely.
Her wings are much smaller than the other birds.

For some reason, Ruby refused to wake up during here photo shoot.
Don't worry, she's still running around like crazy.

Bob's definitely continued to grow the fastest.

While we were shooting pictures, my almost 2 year old was watching.  He loves the chicks and loves to pet them and look at them when they're out.  My biggest joy of having the chicks has been watching the boys connect with nature and learn more about animals and growing their own food.

Here he is giving Molly a hug.  He's so gentle with the girls.

Bertha is Kaisyn's favorite!

Where's Your Abundance?

Why do we always fool ourselves into thinking that we never have enough?  The culture we're in reinforces every day that we are never thin, rich, smart, accomplished, and good enough.  We're taught to always want more, which in some ways isn't a bad thing.  However, we're not just taught to strive, the world we live in teaches us daily not just to want more, but that we're not good enough until we get or accomplish more.  This creates an impossible paradigm in which many people push themselves throughout their lives to accomplish the next thing, hoping that it will bring happiness, only to get there and identify something new that they must make happen in order for happiness to be in there grasp.

I have fallen in this trap often, as I'm sure many have.  I've come to realize that if you don't force yourself to make very intentional choices of how to want to live your life, you end up going with the flow and not realizing often that the values you're living out aren't really consistent with the values you hold.

I, today, can say that I live a live of abundance and am grateful for all (or at least most) of ways that my life is abundant.  The days I see something on the internet or in a store and think "I want that," or the times that I feel like there's never enough time to get everything done, I try to feel the coin above (and below) that I carry in my pocket.  Remembering how abundant my life is reminds me that I need very little in my life and helps me to remember to really intentionally spend some time every day thinking about the things in my life I'm grateful for.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus wrote, "Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance."  I think that is so true.  I think the problem for our world today is that many people don't even stop to think about or realize what they enjoy.  We're always too busy going on to the next thing.

Bryant McGill wrote "Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive."  When I let go of the 'should's' and realize that I really am enough, today the way I am, I free myself up to be open to realizing the abundance around me.

I choose to recognize the beauty and abundance that is everywhere - the joy I get from spending time with my family, growing things, playing and listening to music, driving on a country road on a sunny day, helping people struggle to find their truth and make changes in their life, watching the chicks scratch and eat, playing with the dogs, cooking great food, taking photographs, building things, looking at a starry sky, reading a great book, sitting in my backyard, and walking across the campus of the college where I work, just to name a few.  The truth is there really is abundance in everything under the sun.

Challenge yourself to spend time everyday recognizing the abundance in your life.  Where is your life abundant?

Why do we always fool ourselves into thinking that we never have enough?  The culture we're in reinforces every day that we are never thin, rich, smart, accomplished, and good enough.  We're taught to always want more, which in some ways isn't a bad thing.  However, we're not just taught to strive, the world we live in teaches us daily not just to want more, but that we're not good enough until we get or accomplish more.  This creates an impossible paradigm in which many people push themselves throughout their lives to accomplish the next thing, hoping that it will bring happiness, only to get there and identify something new that they must make happen in order for happiness to be in there grasp.

I have fallen in this trap often, as I'm sure many have.  I've come to realize that if you don't force yourself to make very intentional choices of how to want to live your life, you end up going with the flow and not realizing often that the values you're living out aren't really consistent with the values you hold.

I, today, can say that I live a live of abundance and am grateful for all (or at least most) of ways that my life is abundant.  The days I see something on the internet or in a store and think "I want that," or the times that I feel like there's never enough time to get everything done, I try to feel the coin above (and below) that I carry in my pocket.  Remembering how abundant my life is reminds me that I need very little in my life and helps me to remember to really intentionally spend some time every day thinking about the things in my life I'm grateful for.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus wrote, "Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance."  I think that is so true.  I think the problem for our world today is that many people don't even stop to think about or realize what they enjoy.  We're always too busy going on to the next thing.

Bryant McGill wrote "Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive."  When I let go of the 'should's' and realize that I really am enough, today the way I am, I free myself up to be open to realizing the abundance around me.

I choose to recognize the beauty and abundance that is everywhere - the joy I get from spending time with my family, growing things, playing and listening to music, driving on a country road on a sunny day, helping people struggle to find their truth and make changes in their life, watching the chicks scratch and eat, playing with the dogs, cooking great food, taking photographs, building things, looking at a starry sky, reading a great book, sitting in my backyard, and walking across the campus of the college where I work, just to name a few.  The truth is there really is abundance in everything under the sun.

Challenge yourself to spend time everyday recognizing the abundance in your life.  Where is your life abundant?

Why do we always fool ourselves into thinking that we never have enough?  The culture we're in reinforces every day that we are never thin, rich, smart, accomplished, and good enough.  We're taught to always want more, which in some ways isn't a bad thing.  However, we're not just taught to strive, the world we live in teaches us daily not just to want more, but that we're not good enough until we get or accomplish more.  This creates an impossible paradigm in which many people push themselves throughout their lives to accomplish the next thing, hoping that it will bring happiness, only to get there and identify something new that they must make happen in order for happiness to be in there grasp.

I have fallen in this trap often, as I'm sure many have.  I've come to realize that if you don't force yourself to make very intentional choices of how to want to live your life, you end up going with the flow and not realizing often that the values you're living out aren't really consistent with the values you hold.

I, today, can say that I live a live of abundance and am grateful for all (or at least most) of ways that my life is abundant.  The days I see something on the internet or in a store and think "I want that," or the times that I feel like there's never enough time to get everything done, I try to feel the coin above (and below) that I carry in my pocket.  Remembering how abundant my life is reminds me that I need very little in my life and helps me to remember to really intentionally spend some time every day thinking about the things in my life I'm grateful for.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus wrote, "Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance."  I think that is so true.  I think the problem for our world today is that many people don't even stop to think about or realize what they enjoy.  We're always too busy going on to the next thing.

Bryant McGill wrote "Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive."  When I let go of the 'should's' and realize that I really am enough, today the way I am, I free myself up to be open to realizing the abundance around me.

I choose to recognize the beauty and abundance that is everywhere - the joy I get from spending time with my family, growing things, playing and listening to music, driving on a country road on a sunny day, helping people struggle to find their truth and make changes in their life, watching the chicks scratch and eat, playing with the dogs, cooking great food, taking photographs, building things, looking at a starry sky, reading a great book, sitting in my backyard, and walking across the campus of the college where I work, just to name a few.  The truth is there really is abundance in everything under the sun.

Challenge yourself to spend time everyday recognizing the abundance in your life.  Where is your life abundant?

Working on the Chicken Coop

This weekend I was able to make some headway on the chicken coop.  The girls are one week old and continuing to grow fast.  I think that by next week they'll have outgrown their brooder and I'll have to make them a bigger one.  They won't be ready to be outside, but I'm hoping that somewhere between four and six weeks they'll be big enough and the weather will be warm enough that they can go in the coop.

I was able to work for about five hours and made good progress.  Our friend Cathie was able to come and help some for a few hours.

The last two walls are up and the doors and windows are finished and installed.

Door & window inside the coop

A closer view of the window

The Side Door

We also installed inexpensive floor tiles in the inside to make it easier to clean and cut the hole in the floor for the flip up door.

The interior of the coop.

The main entrance and exit for the girls.

The door in its open position.  

The wood around the opening will keep the deep litter that I'm putting in the coop from getting pushed down the hole.  I'm in the process of building a ramp for them to use, as well as rigging the door to be opened and closed from the outside.  The next part of the project is to start weatherproofing and get the roof on.  Hopefully those tasks will be completed next week.  I'll keep you updated.

This weekend I was able to make some headway on the chicken coop.  The girls are one week old and continuing to grow fast.  I think that by next week they'll have outgrown their brooder and I'll have to make them a bigger one.  They won't be ready to be outside, but I'm hoping that somewhere between four and six weeks they'll be big enough and the weather will be warm enough that they can go in the coop.

I was able to work for about five hours and made good progress.  Our friend Cathie was able to come and help some for a few hours.

The last two walls are up and the doors and windows are finished and installed.

Door & window inside the coop

A closer view of the window

The Side Door

We also installed inexpensive floor tiles in the inside to make it easier to clean and cut the hole in the floor for the flip up door.

The interior of the coop.

The main entrance and exit for the girls.

The door in its open position.  

The wood around the opening will keep the deep litter that I'm putting in the coop from getting pushed down the hole.  I'm in the process of building a ramp for them to use, as well as rigging the door to be opened and closed from the outside.  The next part of the project is to start weatherproofing and get the roof on.  Hopefully those tasks will be completed next week.  I'll keep you updated.

This weekend I was able to make some headway on the chicken coop.  The girls are one week old and continuing to grow fast.  I think that by next week they'll have outgrown their brooder and I'll have to make them a bigger one.  They won't be ready to be outside, but I'm hoping that somewhere between four and six weeks they'll be big enough and the weather will be warm enough that they can go in the coop.

I was able to work for about five hours and made good progress.  Our friend Cathie was able to come and help some for a few hours.

The last two walls are up and the doors and windows are finished and installed.

Door & window inside the coop

A closer view of the window

The Side Door

We also installed inexpensive floor tiles in the inside to make it easier to clean and cut the hole in the floor for the flip up door.

The interior of the coop.

The main entrance and exit for the girls.

The door in its open position.  

The wood around the opening will keep the deep litter that I'm putting in the coop from getting pushed down the hole.  I'm in the process of building a ramp for them to use, as well as rigging the door to be opened and closed from the outside.  The next part of the project is to start weatherproofing and get the roof on.  Hopefully those tasks will be completed next week.  I'll keep you updated.

Day 7 - Here Come the Tail Feathers

The chicks keep noticeably growing every day.  Their wing feather are filling in and Ruth & Ruby have easily visible tail feathers.

I decided to make a change in the way I gave them their feed.  Even when softened with yogurt & water, the girls were still having difficulty sometimes eating all the items in their mash.  So, I took the dry mash and chopped it up more finally in a food processor.  I then still moistened some of it in yogurt & water but I also started putting some in for them dry.  They loved it.  I left the top off their feeder for about thirty minutes and they had a blast.  They jumped in the feeder and ate and ate.  They had a great time scratching and flipping food everywhere.  Their chicken-ness is definitely coming out.  They're spending a lot of time scratching in their bedding and are doing a good job turning it over.

I'd stopped giving them hard boiled eggs for a few days, but tonight I gave them some again.  I've realized that hard boiled eggs are their absolute favorite.  They rush to the feeder when they realize I've put some in and one will take out a piece and start running around the brooder, often with multiple chicken chasing her to try to get the piece out of her mouth.  I don't understand why since there's plenty more but they definitely think that if one of them has something, it must be better than what's in the feeder and start squabbling for whatever it is.

They all seem to be doing well - no more pasty bottom - but Bertha was red under her right wing.  It looked crusty and I think that somehow she got some droppings from one of the other girls under her wing.  I used warm water and cleaned under her wing, which she loudly let me know she didn't appreciate.  I'm hoping that tomorrow she's starting to get less red.

Here's the newest photos of the girls feather development:

Bertha's little wings.  She definitely developing feathers
but overall, her wings are so much smaller than the others.

Molly's wing - it's fascinating how different the look of their feathers is from breed to breed.

Ruthie's beautiful wingspan

Ruth's new tail-feathers!

Ruby's wing

Bob's beautiful wingspan.  She's definitely developed her wing
feathers the fastest and is the most beautiful chick so far.  My 4 year old is thrilled that she's his. 

The chicks keep noticeably growing every day.  Their wing feather are filling in and Ruth & Ruby have easily visible tail feathers.

I decided to make a change in the way I gave them their feed.  Even when softened with yogurt & water, the girls were still having difficulty sometimes eating all the items in their mash.  So, I took the dry mash and chopped it up more finally in a food processor.  I then still moistened some of it in yogurt & water but I also started putting some in for them dry.  They loved it.  I left the top off their feeder for about thirty minutes and they had a blast.  They jumped in the feeder and ate and ate.  They had a great time scratching and flipping food everywhere.  Their chicken-ness is definitely coming out.  They're spending a lot of time scratching in their bedding and are doing a good job turning it over.

I'd stopped giving them hard boiled eggs for a few days, but tonight I gave them some again.  I've realized that hard boiled eggs are their absolute favorite.  They rush to the feeder when they realize I've put some in and one will take out a piece and start running around the brooder, often with multiple chicken chasing her to try to get the piece out of her mouth.  I don't understand why since there's plenty more but they definitely think that if one of them has something, it must be better than what's in the feeder and start squabbling for whatever it is.

They all seem to be doing well - no more pasty bottom - but Bertha was red under her right wing.  It looked crusty and I think that somehow she got some droppings from one of the other girls under her wing.  I used warm water and cleaned under her wing, which she loudly let me know she didn't appreciate.  I'm hoping that tomorrow she's starting to get less red.

Here's the newest photos of the girls feather development:

Bertha's little wings.  She definitely developing feathers
but overall, her wings are so much smaller than the others.

Molly's wing - it's fascinating how different the look of their feathers is from breed to breed.

Ruthie's beautiful wingspan

Ruth's new tail-feathers!

Ruby's wing

Bob's beautiful wingspan.  She's definitely developed her wing
feathers the fastest and is the most beautiful chick so far.  My 4 year old is thrilled that she's his. 

The chicks keep noticeably growing every day.  Their wing feather are filling in and Ruth & Ruby have easily visible tail feathers.

I decided to make a change in the way I gave them their feed.  Even when softened with yogurt & water, the girls were still having difficulty sometimes eating all the items in their mash.  So, I took the dry mash and chopped it up more finally in a food processor.  I then still moistened some of it in yogurt & water but I also started putting some in for them dry.  They loved it.  I left the top off their feeder for about thirty minutes and they had a blast.  They jumped in the feeder and ate and ate.  They had a great time scratching and flipping food everywhere.  Their chicken-ness is definitely coming out.  They're spending a lot of time scratching in their bedding and are doing a good job turning it over.

I'd stopped giving them hard boiled eggs for a few days, but tonight I gave them some again.  I've realized that hard boiled eggs are their absolute favorite.  They rush to the feeder when they realize I've put some in and one will take out a piece and start running around the brooder, often with multiple chicken chasing her to try to get the piece out of her mouth.  I don't understand why since there's plenty more but they definitely think that if one of them has something, it must be better than what's in the feeder and start squabbling for whatever it is.

They all seem to be doing well - no more pasty bottom - but Bertha was red under her right wing.  It looked crusty and I think that somehow she got some droppings from one of the other girls under her wing.  I used warm water and cleaned under her wing, which she loudly let me know she didn't appreciate.  I'm hoping that tomorrow she's starting to get less red.

Here's the newest photos of the girls feather development:

Bertha's little wings.  She definitely developing feathers
but overall, her wings are so much smaller than the others.

Molly's wing - it's fascinating how different the look of their feathers is from breed to breed.

Ruthie's beautiful wingspan

Ruth's new tail-feathers!

Ruby's wing

Bob's beautiful wingspan.  She's definitely developed her wing
feathers the fastest and is the most beautiful chick so far.  My 4 year old is thrilled that she's his. 

Day 4 - Growing Fast

The girls are still doing well.  Tonight's the first night I'm not giving them hard boiled egg to eat.  They're eating the mash better every day and though I'll probably put it in tomorrow, I wanted to see what they'd eat of their other food.  This morning when I came down almost all the egg was gone but during the day, they didn't seem that interested in it but ate the mash well.

It's amazing how much fast these girls are growing their feathers.  It's changed noticeably since yesterday.  I'm going to have to put the lid on their brooder Saturday because with their feathers coming in so quicily, they'll be flying in no time.  I'm waiting until Saturday so that I can be here to monitor the temperature in the brooder since I haven't had the lid on since they arrived.  Here are some comparisons of their wing growth from yesterday to today:

Ruth yesterday...

and today.

Her wing was a little wet tonight when I took the photo but I can't believe how fast her second set of feathers is coming in.

Bertha's are the hardest to see a difference but she has more down on her wings than the others which makes it harder to see her wing.

Ruby's are opening up nicely.

Molly's are filling out wonderfully.

The feathers closer to Bob's body really came in today.  She's also starting to lose some of the fuzz on her wing.

The girls are still doing well.  Tonight's the first night I'm not giving them hard boiled egg to eat.  They're eating the mash better every day and though I'll probably put it in tomorrow, I wanted to see what they'd eat of their other food.  This morning when I came down almost all the egg was gone but during the day, they didn't seem that interested in it but ate the mash well.

It's amazing how much fast these girls are growing their feathers.  It's changed noticeably since yesterday.  I'm going to have to put the lid on their brooder Saturday because with their feathers coming in so quicily, they'll be flying in no time.  I'm waiting until Saturday so that I can be here to monitor the temperature in the brooder since I haven't had the lid on since they arrived.  Here are some comparisons of their wing growth from yesterday to today:

Ruth yesterday...

and today.

Her wing was a little wet tonight when I took the photo but I can't believe how fast her second set of feathers is coming in.

Bertha's are the hardest to see a difference but she has more down on her wings than the others which makes it harder to see her wing.

Ruby's are opening up nicely.

Molly's are filling out wonderfully.

The feathers closer to Bob's body really came in today.  She's also starting to lose some of the fuzz on her wing.

The girls are still doing well.  Tonight's the first night I'm not giving them hard boiled egg to eat.  They're eating the mash better every day and though I'll probably put it in tomorrow, I wanted to see what they'd eat of their other food.  This morning when I came down almost all the egg was gone but during the day, they didn't seem that interested in it but ate the mash well.

It's amazing how much fast these girls are growing their feathers.  It's changed noticeably since yesterday.  I'm going to have to put the lid on their brooder Saturday because with their feathers coming in so quicily, they'll be flying in no time.  I'm waiting until Saturday so that I can be here to monitor the temperature in the brooder since I haven't had the lid on since they arrived.  Here are some comparisons of their wing growth from yesterday to today:

Ruth yesterday...

and today.

Her wing was a little wet tonight when I took the photo but I can't believe how fast her second set of feathers is coming in.

Bertha's are the hardest to see a difference but she has more down on her wings than the others which makes it harder to see her wing.

Ruby's are opening up nicely.

Molly's are filling out wonderfully.

The feathers closer to Bob's body really came in today.  She's also starting to lose some of the fuzz on her wing.

Day 3 Update - Getting Their Wing Feathers & Importance of Brooder Temperature

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.

Our First Photos of the Girls

Tonight I was able to set up a little photo booth and take my first pictures of the girls.  They're still doing very well.  The Black Langshan had pasty bottom this morning and tonight so I'm going to have to keep a close eye on her.  The Brahma's are still in charge of the brooder but all seem to be settling in and getting along well.  Here are the new additions:

Dominique #1

Dominique #2

Buff Brahma - Bob

Black Langshan - Molly

Light Brahma - Bertha

Denise decided that she wanted the Light Brahma to be named Bertha.  My 4 year old thinks that the Buff Brahma should be Bob - but he's thinking on it.  We've decided to name the Black Langshan Molly after our  black lab/chow mix who died before Christmas.  That probably just leaves the two Dominiques to name.  I know that one of them will be Ruby and we're trying to decide on the other name.  My 4 year old thinks that even though their girls we should call them Max & Ruby after the kids show that he watches.  We're open to suggestions!

Tonight I was able to set up a little photo booth and take my first pictures of the girls.  They're still doing very well.  The Black Langshan had pasty bottom this morning and tonight so I'm going to have to keep a close eye on her.  The Brahma's are still in charge of the brooder but all seem to be settling in and getting along well.  Here are the new additions:

Dominique #1

Dominique #2

Buff Brahma - Bob

Black Langshan - Molly

Light Brahma - Bertha

Denise decided that she wanted the Light Brahma to be named Bertha.  My 4 year old thinks that the Buff Brahma should be Bob - but he's thinking on it.  We've decided to name the Black Langshan Molly after our  black lab/chow mix who died before Christmas.  That probably just leaves the two Dominiques to name.  I know that one of them will be Ruby and we're trying to decide on the other name.  My 4 year old thinks that even though their girls we should call them Max & Ruby after the kids show that he watches.  We're open to suggestions!

Tonight I was able to set up a little photo booth and take my first pictures of the girls.  They're still doing very well.  The Black Langshan had pasty bottom this morning and tonight so I'm going to have to keep a close eye on her.  The Brahma's are still in charge of the brooder but all seem to be settling in and getting along well.  Here are the new additions:

Dominique #1

Dominique #2

Buff Brahma - Bob

Black Langshan - Molly

Light Brahma - Bertha

Denise decided that she wanted the Light Brahma to be named Bertha.  My 4 year old thinks that the Buff Brahma should be Bob - but he's thinking on it.  We've decided to name the Black Langshan Molly after our  black lab/chow mix who died before Christmas.  That probably just leaves the two Dominiques to name.  I know that one of them will be Ruby and we're trying to decide on the other name.  My 4 year old thinks that even though their girls we should call them Max & Ruby after the kids show that he watches.  We're open to suggestions!

Mixing your own chicken feed.

My chicks seem to be enjoying their food.  Today I started using their chick feeder and they seem to be eating out of it well.

The morning feeding - mash, hard boiled eggs, sprouts, & spinach.
It was too much food for 5 chicks but I needed to try to get the food up high enough that
they could easily get it through the holes in the cover.

The mash is the dry grains, legumes and seeds mixed with some Greek yogurt and water that sat in the fridge overnight to soften so the chicks would be able to eat it more easily.  It was the hardest thing for them to eat last night because I hadn't made any ahead of time so the larger grains and legumes weren't very soft.

Since someone asked, I thought I would show the spreadsheet that I created to calculate the percent protein of their food, as well as the cost.  After researching many, many websites I had a good idea of the types of foods that I wanted to provide the girls that would give them variety and provide the nutrients they need.  However, I was having difficulty trying to determine a way to get the percent protein right.  Starter feed (for chicks) usually has about 20% protein and layer feed has about 16%.  Some sites also suggest giving them grower feed at 17-18% protein starting at about 6 weeks of age.  I wanted something that would make it easy to calculate the percentage protein and the cost as I  change proportions and ingredients.  Here's what the spreadsheet looks like:

I did a ton of research to determine the percent protein of each of these foods.  It was not easy because different sources have differing numbers.  Also, as I buy items (especially the dairy) I'll look at the package and make sure my calculations for that specific brand are accurate.  For example, we usually buy Fage Greek yogurt and I was able to go to their website and calculate the percent protein.

If you need to calculate the percent protein from looking at a nutrition label - take the number of grams of protein and multiply it by 4 (there are 4 calories in each gram of protein) and then divide that number by the total number of calories in that serving size.  For example, 1 cup of Fage 2% Greek yogurt has 170 calories and 23g of protein (taken from the Fage website).  So, 23 x 4 = 92 / 170 = .5412 or 54.12% protein.

To determine the percent protein in your feed mix, you multiply the individual ingredient percentages by the amount of that ingredient that you want to put in your feed.  I used 1 unit to equal 1 pound since most of my ingredients were easy to price by the pound.  However, I now mix them in 1 cup increments since I don't need to store 18 pounds of food right now and it's no more expensive for me to mix in small batches.

So, using lentils as an example - 29.24% x 3 (parts) = .8772.  This was easy to do using formulas in Excel.  Once you do this for every ingredient you plan to use, you add up the total protein and divide it by the total from the part column.  For example, under the starter feed column - 4.10294/18.85 = .2177 or 21.77%.

Because the amount protein, cost column, and the totals at the bottom are all equations in Excel, I can play with the amounts in the part column and immediately know the impact that will have on the percent protein of  the feed.

In addition to the ingredients listed, they also get powdered kelp mixed in their dry food.  It doesn't have a protein content so I didn't include it above.  Kelp gives them their sodium and other helpful nutrients.

If you would like to have a copy of the Excel spreadsheet I use, feel free to send me an e-mail at lynnlivinlarge@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send it to you.  I'll keep you updated as my feed mix changes.

My chicks seem to be enjoying their food.  Today I started using their chick feeder and they seem to be eating out of it well.

The morning feeding - mash, hard boiled eggs, sprouts, & spinach.
It was too much food for 5 chicks but I needed to try to get the food up high enough that
they could easily get it through the holes in the cover.

The mash is the dry grains, legumes and seeds mixed with some Greek yogurt and water that sat in the fridge overnight to soften so the chicks would be able to eat it more easily.  It was the hardest thing for them to eat last night because I hadn't made any ahead of time so the larger grains and legumes weren't very soft.

Since someone asked, I thought I would show the spreadsheet that I created to calculate the percent protein of their food, as well as the cost.  After researching many, many websites I had a good idea of the types of foods that I wanted to provide the girls that would give them variety and provide the nutrients they need.  However, I was having difficulty trying to determine a way to get the percent protein right.  Starter feed (for chicks) usually has about 20% protein and layer feed has about 16%.  Some sites also suggest giving them grower feed at 17-18% protein starting at about 6 weeks of age.  I wanted something that would make it easy to calculate the percentage protein and the cost as I  change proportions and ingredients.  Here's what the spreadsheet looks like:

I did a ton of research to determine the percent protein of each of these foods.  It was not easy because different sources have differing numbers.  Also, as I buy items (especially the dairy) I'll look at the package and make sure my calculations for that specific brand are accurate.  For example, we usually buy Fage Greek yogurt and I was able to go to their website and calculate the percent protein.

If you need to calculate the percent protein from looking at a nutrition label - take the number of grams of protein and multiply it by 4 (there are 4 calories in each gram of protein) and then divide that number by the total number of calories in that serving size.  For example, 1 cup of Fage 2% Greek yogurt has 170 calories and 23g of protein (taken from the Fage website).  So, 23 x 4 = 92 / 170 = .5412 or 54.12% protein.

To determine the percent protein in your feed mix, you multiply the individual ingredient percentages by the amount of that ingredient that you want to put in your feed.  I used 1 unit to equal 1 pound since most of my ingredients were easy to price by the pound.  However, I now mix them in 1 cup increments since I don't need to store 18 pounds of food right now and it's no more expensive for me to mix in small batches.

So, using lentils as an example - 29.24% x 3 (parts) = .8772.  This was easy to do using formulas in Excel.  Once you do this for every ingredient you plan to use, you add up the total protein and divide it by the total from the part column.  For example, under the starter feed column - 4.10294/18.85 = .2177 or 21.77%.

Because the amount protein, cost column, and the totals at the bottom are all equations in Excel, I can play with the amounts in the part column and immediately know the impact that will have on the percent protein of  the feed.

In addition to the ingredients listed, they also get powdered kelp mixed in their dry food.  It doesn't have a protein content so I didn't include it above.  Kelp gives them their sodium and other helpful nutrients.

If you would like to have a copy of the Excel spreadsheet I use, feel free to send me an e-mail at lynnlivinlarge@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send it to you.  I'll keep you updated as my feed mix changes.

My chicks seem to be enjoying their food.  Today I started using their chick feeder and they seem to be eating out of it well.

The morning feeding - mash, hard boiled eggs, sprouts, & spinach.
It was too much food for 5 chicks but I needed to try to get the food up high enough that
they could easily get it through the holes in the cover.

The mash is the dry grains, legumes and seeds mixed with some Greek yogurt and water that sat in the fridge overnight to soften so the chicks would be able to eat it more easily.  It was the hardest thing for them to eat last night because I hadn't made any ahead of time so the larger grains and legumes weren't very soft.

Since someone asked, I thought I would show the spreadsheet that I created to calculate the percent protein of their food, as well as the cost.  After researching many, many websites I had a good idea of the types of foods that I wanted to provide the girls that would give them variety and provide the nutrients they need.  However, I was having difficulty trying to determine a way to get the percent protein right.  Starter feed (for chicks) usually has about 20% protein and layer feed has about 16%.  Some sites also suggest giving them grower feed at 17-18% protein starting at about 6 weeks of age.  I wanted something that would make it easy to calculate the percentage protein and the cost as I  change proportions and ingredients.  Here's what the spreadsheet looks like:

I did a ton of research to determine the percent protein of each of these foods.  It was not easy because different sources have differing numbers.  Also, as I buy items (especially the dairy) I'll look at the package and make sure my calculations for that specific brand are accurate.  For example, we usually buy Fage Greek yogurt and I was able to go to their website and calculate the percent protein.

If you need to calculate the percent protein from looking at a nutrition label - take the number of grams of protein and multiply it by 4 (there are 4 calories in each gram of protein) and then divide that number by the total number of calories in that serving size.  For example, 1 cup of Fage 2% Greek yogurt has 170 calories and 23g of protein (taken from the Fage website).  So, 23 x 4 = 92 / 170 = .5412 or 54.12% protein.

To determine the percent protein in your feed mix, you multiply the individual ingredient percentages by the amount of that ingredient that you want to put in your feed.  I used 1 unit to equal 1 pound since most of my ingredients were easy to price by the pound.  However, I now mix them in 1 cup increments since I don't need to store 18 pounds of food right now and it's no more expensive for me to mix in small batches.

So, using lentils as an example - 29.24% x 3 (parts) = .8772.  This was easy to do using formulas in Excel.  Once you do this for every ingredient you plan to use, you add up the total protein and divide it by the total from the part column.  For example, under the starter feed column - 4.10294/18.85 = .2177 or 21.77%.

Because the amount protein, cost column, and the totals at the bottom are all equations in Excel, I can play with the amounts in the part column and immediately know the impact that will have on the percent protein of  the feed.

In addition to the ingredients listed, they also get powdered kelp mixed in their dry food.  It doesn't have a protein content so I didn't include it above.  Kelp gives them their sodium and other helpful nutrients.

If you would like to have a copy of the Excel spreadsheet I use, feel free to send me an e-mail at lynnlivinlarge@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send it to you.  I'll keep you updated as my feed mix changes.

The Chicks Are Here!!

It's been an exciting day at our home.  My friend Cathie and I drove the 2 hours to Meyer Hatchery to pick up our chicks.  My 20 month old ended up coming with us and he had a great time.  He chatted and sang the whole way down and fell asleep on the way back.  We're so lucky to have two boys who travel well.

We got to the hatchery and they brought out our birds.  My son was enthralled with the two tubs of baby chicks and turkeys that were on the floor.  He became very upset whenever you tried to take him away from them.  I picked up some nesting mats, chick feeder and waterer, a few organic chicken snacks for when they get older, and some chick grit.

We also found out the type of chicken that they provided for our Meyer Meal Maker - another Dominique!

Our 5 new additions on the store counter.

Getting ready to get in the car.
Black Langshan on left, then Buff & Light Brahmas.
2 Dominique's in front.

My 4 year old loved watching them start to eat and run around their new home.  

It's already clear that the Brahma's are going to run the roost.  They have been the most adventurous and are the first to eat and drink.  They've even started pushing the other three around a little to make sure that they get dibs on the food.  I started with their food in the chick feeder (above) but got concerned that they might not eat well from it their first day so I moved their food to a plastic lid (below).  The got sprouted grains, a mash with their dry mix with Greek yogurt & water, chopped hard boiled egg, and finely chopped spinach.

The hard boiled egg is definitely the favorite.  They love pecking around in the mash but I think it's a little hard for them tonight.  They are eating well on the sprouts and spinach.  Just before coming up to finish the post, one of the Dominique's grabbed a piece of spinach and started running around the nest chirping up a storm, trying to find a place to stop and eat the spinach before one of the other chicks tried to come take it from her.  It was really funny.

 Sorry the photos are red - the heat light makes getting good photos hard but the girls didn't like it when I turned it off temporarily to get some shots.

The Brahma's definitely took charge of the food early.
Buff Brahma in the food, Light Brahma to her right, one of the Dominique's coming in at the bottom left.

I was initially worried about our Black Langshan because she was laying around a lot but she soon started getting up and eating and drinking.  She still sleeps a little more than the others but is eating and drinking well and is acting just as lively as the other girls when she is up and moving.  I found I had to put their beaks in the water 3-4 times before they started drinking readily.  They spent the evening in little bursts of eating, drinking, & sleeping.

Tomorrow I will put their food back in the chick feeder so that they will stay out of it.  They're clearly not shy about eating.  I also mixed the sprouts, mash (with yogurt), eggs, and a small amount of chick grit tonight so they could meld together well before morning.  I'll still put out some spinach and hard boiled eggs separately since they're eating so much of them.

Everyone ate great on their first day!
Black Langshan upper left, Dominique right below her, Buff Brahma drinking,
another Dominique bottom right, & Light Brahma to her left.

Both boys had me lift them up about 30 times tonight so they could look at the chicks.  The brooder is put up high so the dogs can't get to them.  I can tell that we're really going to enjoy having these birds in our lives.

Down for the night.
Can't wait for tomorrow!

It's been an exciting day at our home.  My friend Cathie and I drove the 2 hours to Meyer Hatchery to pick up our chicks.  My 20 month old ended up coming with us and he had a great time.  He chatted and sang the whole way down and fell asleep on the way back.  We're so lucky to have two boys who travel well.

We got to the hatchery and they brought out our birds.  My son was enthralled with the two tubs of baby chicks and turkeys that were on the floor.  He became very upset whenever you tried to take him away from them.  I picked up some nesting mats, chick feeder and waterer, a few organic chicken snacks for when they get older, and some chick grit.

We also found out the type of chicken that they provided for our Meyer Meal Maker - another Dominique!

Our 5 new additions on the store counter.

Getting ready to get in the car.
Black Langshan on left, then Buff & Light Brahmas.
2 Dominique's in front.

My 4 year old loved watching them start to eat and run around their new home.  

It's already clear that the Brahma's are going to run the roost.  They have been the most adventurous and are the first to eat and drink.  They've even started pushing the other three around a little to make sure that they get dibs on the food.  I started with their food in the chick feeder (above) but got concerned that they might not eat well from it their first day so I moved their food to a plastic lid (below).  The got sprouted grains, a mash with their dry mix with Greek yogurt & water, chopped hard boiled egg, and finely chopped spinach.

The hard boiled egg is definitely the favorite.  They love pecking around in the mash but I think it's a little hard for them tonight.  They are eating well on the sprouts and spinach.  Just before coming up to finish the post, one of the Dominique's grabbed a piece of spinach and started running around the nest chirping up a storm, trying to find a place to stop and eat the spinach before one of the other chicks tried to come take it from her.  It was really funny.

 Sorry the photos are red - the heat light makes getting good photos hard but the girls didn't like it when I turned it off temporarily to get some shots.

The Brahma's definitely took charge of the food early.
Buff Brahma in the food, Light Brahma to her right, one of the Dominique's coming in at the bottom left.

I was initially worried about our Black Langshan because she was laying around a lot but she soon started getting up and eating and drinking.  She still sleeps a little more than the others but is eating and drinking well and is acting just as lively as the other girls when she is up and moving.  I found I had to put their beaks in the water 3-4 times before they started drinking readily.  They spent the evening in little bursts of eating, drinking, & sleeping.

Tomorrow I will put their food back in the chick feeder so that they will stay out of it.  They're clearly not shy about eating.  I also mixed the sprouts, mash (with yogurt), eggs, and a small amount of chick grit tonight so they could meld together well before morning.  I'll still put out some spinach and hard boiled eggs separately since they're eating so much of them.

Everyone ate great on their first day!
Black Langshan upper left, Dominique right below her, Buff Brahma drinking,
another Dominique bottom right, & Light Brahma to her left.

Both boys had me lift them up about 30 times tonight so they could look at the chicks.  The brooder is put up high so the dogs can't get to them.  I can tell that we're really going to enjoy having these birds in our lives.

Down for the night.
Can't wait for tomorrow!

It's been an exciting day at our home.  My friend Cathie and I drove the 2 hours to Meyer Hatchery to pick up our chicks.  My 20 month old ended up coming with us and he had a great time.  He chatted and sang the whole way down and fell asleep on the way back.  We're so lucky to have two boys who travel well.

We got to the hatchery and they brought out our birds.  My son was enthralled with the two tubs of baby chicks and turkeys that were on the floor.  He became very upset whenever you tried to take him away from them.  I picked up some nesting mats, chick feeder and waterer, a few organic chicken snacks for when they get older, and some chick grit.

We also found out the type of chicken that they provided for our Meyer Meal Maker - another Dominique!

Our 5 new additions on the store counter.

Getting ready to get in the car.
Black Langshan on left, then Buff & Light Brahmas.
2 Dominique's in front.

My 4 year old loved watching them start to eat and run around their new home.  

It's already clear that the Brahma's are going to run the roost.  They have been the most adventurous and are the first to eat and drink.  They've even started pushing the other three around a little to make sure that they get dibs on the food.  I started with their food in the chick feeder (above) but got concerned that they might not eat well from it their first day so I moved their food to a plastic lid (below).  The got sprouted grains, a mash with their dry mix with Greek yogurt & water, chopped hard boiled egg, and finely chopped spinach.

The hard boiled egg is definitely the favorite.  They love pecking around in the mash but I think it's a little hard for them tonight.  They are eating well on the sprouts and spinach.  Just before coming up to finish the post, one of the Dominique's grabbed a piece of spinach and started running around the nest chirping up a storm, trying to find a place to stop and eat the spinach before one of the other chicks tried to come take it from her.  It was really funny.

 Sorry the photos are red - the heat light makes getting good photos hard but the girls didn't like it when I turned it off temporarily to get some shots.

The Brahma's definitely took charge of the food early.
Buff Brahma in the food, Light Brahma to her right, one of the Dominique's coming in at the bottom left.

I was initially worried about our Black Langshan because she was laying around a lot but she soon started getting up and eating and drinking.  She still sleeps a little more than the others but is eating and drinking well and is acting just as lively as the other girls when she is up and moving.  I found I had to put their beaks in the water 3-4 times before they started drinking readily.  They spent the evening in little bursts of eating, drinking, & sleeping.

Tomorrow I will put their food back in the chick feeder so that they will stay out of it.  They're clearly not shy about eating.  I also mixed the sprouts, mash (with yogurt), eggs, and a small amount of chick grit tonight so they could meld together well before morning.  I'll still put out some spinach and hard boiled eggs separately since they're eating so much of them.

Everyone ate great on their first day!
Black Langshan upper left, Dominique right below her, Buff Brahma drinking,
another Dominique bottom right, & Light Brahma to her left.

Both boys had me lift them up about 30 times tonight so they could look at the chicks.  The brooder is put up high so the dogs can't get to them.  I can tell that we're really going to enjoy having these birds in our lives.

Down for the night.
Can't wait for tomorrow!