Chickens

About a month ago we got our first batch of chickens. I put them in the garden tub in my bathroom with a heat lamp to keep them warm. We had 6 Rhode Island Reds (RIR) and 6 Partridge Plymouth Rocks (PPR). We think the RIR's were close to a week old but the PPR's were only a couple of days old. For two weeks they were in our bathroom. We cleaned the tub out daily or every other day. I loved the chirping sounds! I actually miss that now that they are not in the house anymore.

We also had a "Sizzle" added to our flock, which is a curly feathered chick that is a cross between a silkie and a frizzle. We called it the ugly duckling.

About 2 weeks ago we moved them outside to the "coop". Which is a 10' x 10' dog pen that we put a roof on and put tarp around the sides of. We got a big box to put them in and moved the heat lamp with them. After a week we decided to let them out of the box and just let them roam the coop, but that didn't work out so well. The first night that we left them out of the box (or rather we turned the box on its side), the dogs decided to dig a hole under the coop and steal 10 of our 13 chickens and kill them! Archie saw what happened when he got up for work in the morning and buried them before anyone else had to see what happened. We were all so sad. The only 3 chicks that were left were 2 RIR and 1 PPR.

The funny thing about the PPR that survived, is that it was the runtiest chick in the whole flock! The smallest and least feathers.

We dug a trench on one side of the chicken coop and buried chicken wire so that the dogs couldn't dig under the coop again. I want to do the other sides too, but for now we just did the side that they originally dug under. We also put up "hot wire" around the coop. It has shocked all 3 dogs and none of them will go near the coop now! Which is exactly the point. Even when the chicks are roaming the coop and sticking their heads out through the gate, the dogs won't go near! Ultimately I would like to put up a fence around the chicken coop so that the chickens can roam around outside during the day without fear of dogs. That can wait for a few months until they are full grown though I think.

We were gifted with a black Silkie and that brought us up to 4 chicks. The Silkie seems like it might be a little older than the other 3 and pecks at them a lot when they are in the box. It doesn't bother them so much when they are roaming the pen though.

On Tuesday Archie brought home 12 Buff Orpingtons. They are adorable! They were a day old and so tiny! They are yellow now and will become a golden color when they grow up. They are much more calm than the other chicks. You can hold them and they just sit there calmly in your hand. The others can't wait to get away when you pick them up! The Orpingtons are supposed to be very friendly birds. I absolutely love the color, gold. Gold for Silas, gold for childhood cancer awareness, and gold for Heaven, our eternal home!