Can I sit here??

SInce I took out there ecoglow roosting access (poop central!) I added a small pine tree branch/stick for them to roost on instead. They love it:)! The girls first feel of a branch below those cute little toes...

A couple changes to the brooder...

So I'm learning as I go:)...a couple changes to the brooder set up. I read that elevating the water a bit will help keep the pine shavings out of the dish. I put it up on a flat rock and definitely seemed to help! Also, the ecoglow (which I LOVE in all other ways) became the girls favorite place to play and poop! So I set up an egg carton on it's side to keep them off the top. It's worked so far. Both these changes have helped with the brooder upkeep.

looking pretty...grooming!

All about lookin' good today!

The girls have started grooming themselves constantly! Too funny to watch them getting themselves ready all day. Their wing feathers are really starting to come in now too!

Pirate Chickens instead of parrots ;)

Resting Chick!

Meet Copper!

Copper is a beautiful colored chick. She is the most reddish colored of the 4 chicks. She is also the biggest! She is very sweet natured and out going. She enjoys being held. Copper is Eoghan's pet.

Meet the twins, Annie and Clarabelle!

These two girls look the most alike of the four with two red stripes running down their golden backs. Annie has a slightly darker head which is the only way we can tell them apart. Annie is also the love bug (cuddler) of the chicks. She is very calm sitting in your hand. Clarabelle is the most flighty and jumpy. She loves to run and flutter her wings away from you and pecks at your hand. She makes us laugh!

Meet Terra-Bird!

This is TerraBird. She was named after a prehistoric man eating bird! As alpha chick this name suits her. Terra is the lightest colored of the redish gold chicks. She is Orla's adored pet.

Day 2!

Arrival Day!

Building the Coop...

So we added nest boxes to the old dog entrance with a handy pop top latch and side door opening on the bottom nest. Also opened the side with a swing door for cleaning. We are going to add some vent holes in the top of the hutch and some southern exposure sunlight. Hope the hens will be happy there! The coop sits in a fenced grazing area for them.

The Coop!

We have a dog house, that our couch potato indoor dogs never used! They much prefer the kitchen floor to the outdoor life. So I decided to "recycle" the dog house into a chicken coop!

the beginning...

After living through years of “chicken envy” (plenty of my mom friends have their own lil’ backyard flock and farm fresh eggs) here in the Hudson Valley, I finally took the BIG step and ordered 4 red star pullets from MyPetChicken. We have owned dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, and hamsters, but these lil’ hens on their way to us are our first “true” farm animals! We are completely new to chickens so thought I’d start this blog for fellow other newbies to the feathered world of chickens. Also a fun way to share our “eggcelllent adventure” with family and friends! Clarabelle, Annie, Copper and Terra(bird) are due to arrive at the post office Tuesday. We’ll post pics soon!