Chick Update - 1st Week

It has been just over a week since I received my chicks in mail, and they are doing quite well.  It is amazing how fast they are growing.  Within a few days they their feathers started coming in on their wings, and they are much larger than when I received them.  It is fun to watch them as they are very active and have interesting personalities.  In the following video, I give a complete narrated update.

Let the Fun Begin

I am on my way to expanding my backyard flock. This morning I picked up my new chicks at the post office and moved them into their new home.  They have quickly settled in to the brooder, and I am already noticing interesting chicken behaviors.  They are very active little creatures, and there seems to be a pecking order developing. 

They are quite fun to watch as they are running around as fast as possible one moment, and the next moment they are falling asleep.  When one starts to run, several others do the same.  It is as if they think the first one knows something, and the others want to find out what the something is.

The following video shows everything I did with them today.  It is a bit long, but I wanted to show the first day from start to finish.  It can be summarized as follows:

1. Wake up to an early morning phone call from the post office notifying me that the chicks have arrived (approx. 1 minute)
2. Opening the box of chicks (approx. 1 minute)
3. Placing the chicks one by one into the brooder and showing them where to find the water (approx. 4 minutes)
4. Watching the chicks to see how they are doing and making sure they are okay (approx. 1.5 minutes)
5. Ending the day showing how the chicks have settled into their new home (approx. 1 minute)

Enjoy the video!

The Experiment Continues

As I indicated in my previous post, I have had a couple of set backs and slow downs.  However, I intend to continue my urban chicken experiment.  I will be expanding my chicken coop to accommodate more chickens.  Additionally, I will be starting with some day old chicks from a mail order hatchery.

I am planning this out a little bit more than my initial chick acquisition.  With the day old chicks, I have to have everything in order and ready to go before they arrive.

For the first eight weeks, the chicks will live in my garage.  Their home will be a hard plastic, children's swimming pool (I purchased one for $14.85 plus tax).  I also got some feeders and waterers, as well as a stand for the brooder light.

I am in the process of setting up everything, and I have placed my chick order.  I purchased five Barred Rocks and five Rhode Island Reds.

In regards to egg production, my Barred Rock has laid five eggs in the past seven days.  I am still waiting on the Americana to start laying, but I am extremely happy to finally have fresh eggs.

Le Premier Ouef

After several months of feeding and watering and tending to my girls, I finally have my first egg.  I have to admit, I was getting a little discouraged.  I knew eventually I would start getting eggs, but I was expecting them earlier.  None the less, I am extremely happy that I am starting to get eggs.  Tomorrow morning's breakfast... toast and a fresh, urban chicken egg over easy!

Enjoy the video and images of my first egg below:

Experimental Slow Down

It has been some time since my last post, and a few things have and have not happened.

First, I had a little (or big set back depending on how you look at it) in my urban chicken experiment.  Two of my four chickens contracted Merricks disease for which there is no cure. As such, I had to put them down because they could not move to eat or drink.  It was not fun at all, but it is part of raising chickens.

The remaining two chickens seem to be doing okay.  They have no signs of Merricks, and they are continuing to grow.

Second, I still don't have any eggs.  I am wondering if my pullets were much younger than I originally thought (was told).  This is very frustrating and disappointing because the whole idea behind raising chickens in my backyard was for fresh eggs.  I have found the Barred Rock in the nesting boxes recently, so I am hopeful she will be laying soon.

Bon Appetit

Like all chickens, my chickens are treat obsessed.  Every time I approach the coop, the girls start running back and forth at the edge of the coop waiting for a treat.  I guess I have developed this behavior because usually when I check on my chickens, I bring them something from the kitchen.  They love treats.  One of their favorites is strawberries.  In the following video, I hand feed my chicks, and you can see how they go crazy over treats.

Waiting for Eggs

Well, it has been some time since my last post.  There has not been much to report.  The chickens are growing, but they have not yet started laying.  The initial estimate was they would start producing around May 25th.  So, it is one week later than expected at this point.  However, I think it may still be a few weeks before I see my first egg, as the girls are still a little on the small side (I think they may have been younger than 14 weeks when I got them).  Hopefully it won't be to much longer; I am really looking forward to those fresh eggs.