And Then There Were Five

On Tuesday I added three newbies to the chicken coop.  

Too cute, huh?

I just wanted to get two chicks but the lady at Family Farm and Home, convinced me that if I only got two and one didn't make it then the last one probably wouldn't make it either.  Like alpacas chickens like to have buddies.

So these babies are Buff Orpingtons.  They are pullets, which means they are females.  When you go to buy chicks, you can buy pullets and know you'll have females or you can buy chicks that are from a straight run.  Meaning they could be any sex.  For an extra dollar a chick, I like knowing that I'm getting future hens.  I don't want a rooster.  My hens seem to do just fine without one.  Roosters can be aggressive to hens and people and they're another mouth to feed without a benefit of eggs.  I don't want to have an unexpected brood of baby chicks waddling about, either.  I know that for some people the rooster is good for the pot.  I'm not there yet.

I set the newbies up in the chicken coop in a cardboard box with a heat lamp, water, chicken starter and pine shavings for bedding.  The screen is to protect them from the hens and from a curious Linus.

They seem to be doing fine after their first night.  They definitely hang out at the end of the box where the heat lamp is.

No names yet as I can't tell them apart.  Though I'm open to suggestions.  Hoping as they grow I'll be able to distinguish one from the other.  Notice the little wing and tail feathers they're developing.  They are about one week old.  They should be fully grown at eight weeks.  Then they'll be able to join Dolores and Winnie in the coop proper.

Speaking of Winnie and Dolores.  I've been letting them free range during the day.  I just leave their coop door open.  I've found eggs in the stalls and on top of the hay bales.  The girls seem to appreciate their freedom.  I caught them sunbathing on Tuesday in the alpaca girls paddock.

Definitely snoozing!

Today I looked out at the barn to see Daisy Mae and Birdie chasing the chickens around the paddock.  Chickens can move fast when they need to!

Spring Has Sprung! Or Has It?

Sunday was the perfect day for the first day of spring.  Sunny, a high of 45, little to no wind. Wonderful!

The cluckers, Dolores and Winifred, have resumed laying eggs full throttle.  We are now getting one to two eggs daily.  They also have discovered the unparrelled delight of dust bathing.  

Winnie is on the left in the video and Dolores is on the right.  Chickens use sand as their cleansing agent of choice.  The sand coats their skin helping to keep lice and external parasites at a minimum.  Kinda like taking a nice warm shower for us.

The nesting area of choice.  An upside down cardboard box in the coop.  Go figure.

Aren't you proud of us?

While the paca girls and I were out Sunday morning, Birdie bolted to the edge of the paddock.  She heard and spotted one of our true indicators of spring, a sand hill crane.  While we were listening and watching the crane I noticed a lone interloper in the back hay field.  A coyote was out vole hunting.  Directly beyond the coyote was a herd of deer.  This is one of the reasons I love living in the country!

The girls have been enjoying the lack of snow in their pasture.  A week ago they couldn't contain their excitement and commenced with the paca races.

Then today it started snowing around noon and hasn't stopped.  Evart will probably see about six inches of the cold wet stuff.  Sigh.  

Snow, snow go away and don't bother coming back another day!