Egg Update

Here a quick update on my egg production.  I now have to producing chickens.  In addition to the Barred Rock, the Americana has started producing, and her eggs are green.  Today (Sunday, August 18, 2013), I got two eggs, one from each of my hens.  The Urban Chicken Experiment is doing well!

Chick Update - 2nd Week

It has now been two weeks since I received my baby chicks in the mail, and they are changing every day.  Their growth is quite dramatic.  Their feathers are really starting to show.  They are very active little creatures with interesting personalities.  There are three chicks in particular that actually come to me when I approach the brooder.  They are really looking for treats because I have started dropping a few dried meal worms into their brooder.  These three chicks will take the worms from my hand.  In this week's video, I take you inside the brooder as I give the chicks some of these tasty treats.

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.