Eggs and chicks

Not a lot of new stuff is happening in the chicken pool. Just growing and eating. They get silly and run around chasing each other. I took a picture of some eggs we have gotten from our bigger hens. Aren't they pretty? Also is a picture of the chicks. They are getting to the long legged stage. They have about half their feathers now. They look like awkward teenagers.

Another pic

I just wanted to let you see how big they have gotten.

2 weeks old

The chicks are 2 weeks old today. They have doubled in size and one hopped out of the pool. As you can see in the photo, we have added our mosquito net to keep them in. They are eating and drinking well. We have started adding apple cider vinegar to their water. You simply add 1 tsp. per quart of water. This is to keep them healthy and prevent parasites in their intestines. We also do this in our older chickens. This was another good tip we got out of the magazine Mother Earth News.

No new events are happening in the chicken pool. All is going as it usually does. Eating, drinking, growing, scratching, and making poo are the daily events. Some are more bold than others and will stare up at you when you approach the pen to check things out. Others will run to the far side and try to pile up and hide from you. There really is no place to hide in a round pool. Silly birdies.

Just like babies!

I guess we have just had our first mini crisis. Thanks to an article in the magazine Mother Earth News, I knew this could happen but had never experienced it in previous chicks. One of the Rhode Island Red chicks had a blocked vent. This means there was poo stuck to the feathers around the anus. Hubby had to hold the chick while I cleaned it with warm water and a paper towel. Great news!!! All the poo is gone and the little peep just pooped without a problem. If you don't correct this problem as soon as you notice it, your chick could die. Think of it as a person with a constipation problem.

Growing bigger

Well, the chicks have been here for 5 days and all is well. They have almost doubled in size and are eating and drinking well. They scratch around and chase each other around. We sometimes hear a loud peep and run to see if everything is ok. They are just playing. Whew. Our chocolate lab stays inside when it is very cold and she doesn't bother them but just in case if we hear something, we immediately go to check.

Here you can see them standing near the thermometer. The temperature must stay around 98 F. We have a 100 watt bulb and also a small heater in the pen. As they get older we will lower the temperature.

Settling in

Today all the little chicks seem to be doing quite well. They peep during the daytime, but I don't hear them too much at night. I think they are sleeping while it is dark and quiet. Zippy, our MinPin, likes to look over into the enclosure to see what they are doing. I am not sure if he is calculating how filling they would be. I am sure they are mostly just fuzz right now anyway.

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