Day 10:  Freckles, the escape artist!

Freckles, we found out, loves to be independent.  Yesterday, while the brooder box lid was open, she flew out and landed on the side of the box.  Hmmm.  Later, we found out she is a Buttercup Bantam (Buttercup's apparently don't like being confined).  She will eventually have moose-like cup-shaped comb unique only to Buttercups.  She is the most observant of all, and is more than ready to exit whenever she sees the lid open.

Cupcake sits in your hand very nicely, she is most likely a White Laced Red Bantam, though she could be some other sort of Red Bantam. 

Blackie is most likely a Golden Sebright Bantam, well known for their ability to fly (another), with larger wings than most.  Blackie is feathered out the most of all of the chicks at this point and also sits very nicely in your hands.  Golden Sebright's will lay only 1 tiny white egg per week, are active, and are bred for their sweet nature and beautiful plumage. 

So, knowing all of this, I think we'll be waiting for mom's chicks to get our egg production, but mine will definitely be the prettiest!

Day 8:  Yippee, the chicks got a new house today!! 

They've been scratching and running around having fun!

The chicks were outgrowing their 10 gal aquarium (they didn't really g-r-o-w out of it, but needed room for more activity), so we built them a new home this morning.  It's almost 4 feet long, 20 inches wide and 14 inches high, made of wood, lined with tyvek, with a removable lid.  With a little rearranging, it fit where the aquarium was, with the heat lamp overhead.  Sprinkles, the hampster, is right next door to the chicks.  Thank you Daddy for making this nice house!! 

Blackie says this huge new house has tired me right out!

Cupcake is such a sweetie!  Look at those wing feathers!

Okay, so we weren't paying very good attention when we picked up our little chicks . . . we don't remember what kinds we have, so we've had to do a bit of guessing and looking at a chick book.  We know Fuzz is a Blue Silkie, Trouble is a White Silkie, Sunshine may be a Black Tailed Buff, Blackie is most likely a Quail Antwerp Belgian, Cupcake might be a White Laced Red (though we hope not), and Freckles could be anything!  They're all bantams (smaller than normal size), we're sure of that.  :-)

Dad brought home a new waterer for them today, but when we got home they had made a wet mess of half of their enclosure.  So we're doing some rearranging. 

Everyone's feathers are really growing, and

Blackies tail feathers are about 1/2 inch long already!



Blackie is beautiful, especially when he stretches out his wings. 

He's staying, rooster or not!

Blackie and Cupcake by their "new" feeder.

We switched the chick's feeders around today (after cleaning everything out 3 times yesterday).  They now are using the above pictured feeder for their chick starter, and a bowl with an upside down bowl inside (pictured below) for their water.  It works.  Now we only have to clean them out once a day and mom's happy.  :-)

Blackie's feathers are coming in beautifully!  His or her wings are so pretty and tiny tail feathers are starting to appear.  Blackie's the smallest, and the most developed of the bunch and just fell asleep standing up.  They're so cute!

Daddy says the chicks are growing . . . I don't know, but they sure are cute!

Hangin' out at the water cooler!

All chicks are doing fine today!  Grandma & Grandpa C. came to visit them today and thought they're real cute.  We noticed they take little "chick naps", but they didn't wake us up during the night.  Freckles doesn't like to be held, but the rest do.  Trouble still has her egg tooth at the tip of her beak (used to crack the shell and escape the egg).   It's funny how they sleep with their face down in the pine shavings sometimes.  Oh, and they're chasing a spider tonight (it's outside the aquarium, but they didn't know the difference). 

Blackie started getting his or her comb today!



They're here!!

Six adorable bantams, five hens and one rooster (well, we have no idea at this point, just a guess).  Names:  Cupcake (white/tan), Blackie (suspected rooster, black/tan), Freckles (yellow/black & tan spots), Trouble (yellow, feathered feet), Fuzz (gray, feathered feet), and TBA (yellow/light orange, cousin Riley gets to name this one). 

Riley, this is yours to name!

We didn't think we were getting them this soon, nothing is really ready for them, but it will be by the time they grow big enough.  We happened to be at the local feed store today and they were there, available and looking at us longingly.  Everything's going well so far, they're in an aquarium in the kitchen with a heat lamp above them and a screen at the top (to keep nosy cats out).

Chickens Are Coming!

Chickens are moving in to our yard soon!  We're going to build a chicken tractor so the chickens can have fun picking bugs and scratching in the dirt.  We are a homeschooling family and decided to add chickens to our education.  Join us as we enter this new adventure!