Chicken-eaters need not visit

I kinda like chickens. I totally blew it as far as this blog. I had great intentions of documenting our journey from chick to chicken. But our girls are now chickens and this is my second post. I wonder if I can remember back to their cute stories?  Maybe I'll go back and check my facebook posts - that seems to be all I write about. In fact, I'm thinking people have started considering me that 'Crazy Chicken Lady'...

Well, the coop is finally done and the chickens have moved out. At first, they weren't too keen on the idea. There were many days where they would peck at the front door or living room window to come in. It was if they were saying, "Um, excuse me. That's our coop!"  But they seem to have gotten used to their new home. It's possible that it's because they are quite spoiled and their first week 'outside', they had blankets to sleep on and I checked on them hourly. Yes, I'm showing my crazy-chicken-lady persona, aren't I?

Checking out the new coop

Their first night out, I hooked up the heat lamp and put in those blankets. It was cold! I also covered their windows with sheets. It was cold! I went out to check on them in the morning and we had had a visitor in the night. I had left a bin of 'stuff' outside from when I cleaned out the car the day before. I forgot that Colin's lunch box was at the bottom of that bin. It wasn't anymore! It had been pulled out and torn apart. I was wondering about a raccoon or possibly a bear until I spotted the big ol' bear hand print on the sheet covering the window. Ha! My little sheet worked - Mr. Bear didn't get a good look at my chickens!

A few nights later, I went out to check on my chickens (OK, I am crazy, but they're becoming my babies...) and behind me sat a big, fat raccoon. It had to be like 50+ lbs! That was one big coon.  It looked at me and just kept coming across the yard. Travis was out there with me and asked if he should shoot it or take it's picture. I said, "Take it's picture and then shoot it."  By the time he got the camera the coon had made it's way back into the woods. Trav tried to snap a shot, but it was too late. So he grabbed a BB gun to scare it off. It was probably too fat, even if it did get hit, to feel a little BB. He sat up in the woods and growled and made whatever else awful sounds a raccoon makes. When we couldn't see or hear him anymore, we headed back inside. I got out my chicken-raising book and read about the nasty little creatures and hoped for the best as far as my chickens went. I certainly didn't want to go out in the morning and find headless chickens. (That's a coon's trademark)



Magda saying 'hello' to the turtle

Well, the coon may or may not have come back. As far as we can tell, he didn't bother our chickens. But something else went missing that night - turtles. Pretty sure he left the chickens alone because he had a nice little snack of painted turtle.

I think we've only had one more coon visit - at least only 'proof' of one more visit. One morning, we noticed little hand prints all over the coop. Not little boy hands either. That coon climbed up on the run and must have scared the chickens senseless! Who knows just how bad he tried to get in, but for at least the next week, those chickens were scared! Prior to that visit,  only Magdalene would sleep on the roost. But after Mr. Coon said "hello," (or whatever it was that he said) all 4 chickens crammed themselves on the roost and made little scared sounds every time we came outside and they heard us! They were spooked!

So now the girls all sleep on the roost. Every night. Travis even built a second roost - which has turned out to be Buttercup's as the other three continue huddle together on the original roost.

We are extremely fortunate to still have all of our chickens. It seems that half of Hayward has chickens now - ever since L & M came to town and sold chicks. We, however, are the only people we know that haven't lost a chicken to some nasty creature. We've heard stories of chickens being nabbed by dogs, hawks, bears and other rotten predators. People (including neighbors) have had bears right in the coop! I hope I'm not jinxing ourselves by typing this, but so far so good at the Hand House.

And I hope we continue to keep all the chicken eaters away!

Thanks, Mr. Easter Bunny

Well, we took the plunge. If you told me 5 years ago, oh heck, 5 days ago, that I would be a mother hen, I'd have thought you were crazy. I, and all the boys of the house, am the proud owner of chickens. Yes, you read that right. Chickens. And I am now the mama hen of the house. (As if I wasn't the mama hen before, right?)

Travis went and made the silly mistake of dragging Gavin along to L & M Fleet Supply one day. That day changed our lives...forever.  Gavin spotted the baby chicks for sale. He decided then and there that he wanted the Easter Bunny to bring him a chick.

Letter from the Easter Bunny

That sounded like an interesting idea. I pondered it and mentally debated with myself before telling Travis that maybe we should do it.  He wasn't quite as keen on the idea as me (or Gavin) but eventually, he came around.  Now, how were we going to pull off the ol'  Bunny bringing chicks for Easter? How were we going to let him know that's what they wanted?  Somehow, "EB" figured it out and left them a note:  "If mom and dad say it's OK, you have two chicks waiting for you at L & M" Sweet! Not quite as exciting as if they chicks were here on Easter morning, but exciting, nonetheless.

So the day after Easter, the boys and I went to L & M and picked up our supplies.  We checked out the chickens, but they only had 'friers' (you know, chickens that you, dare I say, eat?) and that wasn't an option in my book (or Gavin or Colin's...)  So we headed home 'chickenless' (which I knew would happen) but we had our pine chips, baby chicken food, waterer, feeder, heat lamp and excitement.  We set up our brooder in the back bedroom - a rubbermaid bin on top of a tarp. Hung the heat lamp, poured the woodchips on the floor of the bin, and set up the waterer and feeder. We were ready.

Next step, we researched chicken breeds. The fleet supply store was getting a shipment in the next day and the laying hens were: Production Reds, Araucanas, Silver Laced Wyandottes and Buff Orpingtons. Now, which kind should we get? What were we looking for? Time for some family discussion.

2 anxious boys waiting...and waiting...

After much debate and internet searching, we decided what we weren't getting: the Production Red.  Not sure really why we didn't want that one, but we do know that we really liked the looks of the others. Travis and Colin especially liked the Buff Orpington, I wanted the Araucana and Gavin really wanted a chicken.

they're here!

So, the brooder is all set up, time to get some sleep and get up nice and early to get to the store to get our chicks! The plan was to get the chicks and drop Colin off at school. The plan never works out, though, does it?

Well, when we arrived, the chicks were still in their shipment boxes. So we waited. And waited. And learned a lot about chickens. And talked to some guy waiting for his 25 chicks. (Wow, our 4 seems pretty measly now.) Another guy camed in for 15 and at least 4 more people were also waiting for chicks. Colin ended up being quite late for school, but come on, how often does a boy go pick out his chickens? So the box of chirping chicks, the 2 boys, and I got in the car and headed to school. The chicks went on their first field trip.

one of the Silver Laced Wyandottes

I think everyone in that school knew we were there with our chicks - they were noisy little buggers!  Colin got to explain the breeds to his class and then hold up each chick to show her off. I think he was pretty proud! He wasn't too happy that Gavin and I got to go home with the chicks and he had to stay at school, though.



the Araucana

Gavin and I headed home with the chicks. They were introduced to the dog and cat...a whole other post. They now live in our back bedroom and we've begun the chicken raising chapter of our adventures.