A Little Secret We've Been Keeping...

I hope this explains why I've been so stinking quiet around here lately. We're over the moon excited already.

Chickens, Week 3

Edith and Mary

So, when I last wrote, we were keeping an eye on Violet to make sure she wasn't seriously injured. She wasn't, but we thought she was & I almost took a $4 chicken to a $75 vet appoitment. Thankfully we gave her one more day before taking her- she's doing pretty great now, other than having her place as head chicken taken away Edith, our runt. 

It's quite ridiculous, but true. Edith picks fights with all the girls, but especially Violet.

Sybil

Otherwise, the girls are doing great. They've now had their wings clipped twice in the three weeks we've had them, and they are testing those wings out at every chance. Gabe had to cover their box last week after Vioet started juping on top of their feeder. Edith now dominates the top of the feeder, and I've witnessed Mary jumping from a dead stop, past the top of their box. 

Our girls are becoming hens.

ba

They've spent most of this week in the garage, but I have to admit that I did bring them back inside  yesterday because it was soooo cold in the garage. I'm a softie when it comes to those chicks.

Mary

It is amazing to me that these girls have more than tripled in size since we brought them home three weeks ago! They're just about to their awkward teenage season, and it's quite funny to watch. They are so noisy & chirp all day long. 

Edith

They enjoy crunched up cheerios, cut up strawberries, and hard boiled eggs for snacks, and they love to perch on our fingers.

Chickens, Week 2

So, we're now almost finished with week two of being chicken owners/farmers. I took these photos at the beginning of the week, and people, I cannot express enough how quickly these girls grow! Their wings are SO much more than what shows here. They are a joy to take care of, and are so entertaining. 

We're not entirely sure what happened, but Violet seems to have injured her foot and/or wing. I noticed yesterday that she was really lethargic and so unlike her usual feisty self. She's the bully of the group, so I was concerned when the other girls were picking on her while she continued to try to sleep. We were quite worried about her last night, so Gabe sectioned off a part of their box last night with a screen. to give here a chance to rest and not be bothered by the others. I was so relieved when I came to check on her this morning and she was walking around and chirping for her sisters. We're keeping a close eye on her and are hoping that we can let her back in soon, but she still needs some rest away from the girls.

Violet

The other girls are fine, if not a little nutty. We've now caught two chickens sitting on top of their feeders, so we've had to top it with unused window screens. Then, this morning as I was watching them, Mary jumped straight up from a standing position, on the ground, and almost touched the screen. They are growing up SO quickly! 

Mary

Sybil is much less of a momma's girl than she was in the beginning, and they all run for the same corner when either of us try to pick one up. They act like we're going to torture them. They seem to forget who gives them food & fresh water.

Sybil

So, that's how things are going around here. We're still having a blast, but they're definitely throwing us some curveballs! 

For some reason, I didn't catch a photo of Edith his time around. I'll try to get one for next week.

Plant Life

In addition to our four girls, I've been itching to add a bit more life to our home by bringing home a few plants. I've NEVER had good luck with keeping them alive, but I've never really done any research before, either. I found two pretty succulents at the store last week, and it sortof put me into motion. After looking for planters at Lowe's & Target and seeing nothing that I loved, I actually came up some pretty gorgeous planters at Anthropologie that just happened to be marked down so low that they cost less than the plain & boring ones I'd seen elsewhere. So, I bought three of them.

I found two more succulents while out & about over the next few days, and then I decided to get to work.

I remembered that I had this old wood cart in the garage just sitting there, unoccupied, and so I put it to good use!

So far, all of my succulents are doing well, but my poor basil plant can't decide if it likes it's new home. It's currently outside and the jury is out on whether or not I'll need to get a new one. I guess it's good that I only paid $3 for it at Trader Joe's huh? 

I did move the cart inside & it's sitting nicely in our living room, right next to a large window, bringing a new pleasantness to the room.

What kind of a chicken momma would I be if I didn't share a few new photos? This is Sybil with my tiniest of succulents before I transplanted them. Isn't she sweet?

Our Girls

 We decided a few months ago that we'd like to raise chickens, now that we're living in a house with a yard. It's something I've wanted to do for a few years, but apartment complexes don't allow, so we never could. Until now! Well, we did it! I brought home four sweet little girls last week and they''ve become my little sweethearts. Prior to them coming home, I insisted that they would certainly not live in our kitchen(well, while they're chicks- of course they'll move outside eventually). Well, guess who can't bear to move them to the garage in case something bad attacks them? Their momma! They've been living in a large wardrobe box in our kitchen for five days now, and they bring so much joy and entertainment to our lives! They have such funny personalities and habits. It's so much fun watching them grow. And yes, they've already grown a ton in the last 5 days- it's amazing how large their wings are now- they were hardly noticable when they came home! 

Without further adieu, here are our girls:

Violet

Edith

Sybil

Mary