Guineas & More Chicks!

Today was pick-up-guinea day!  We ordered 5 from the feed store, where they just happened to have extra chicks to be had...so we got 5 Speckled Sussex!

The guineas are smaller than the chicks-and look like chipmunks.  The sussex are very pretty with the wide stripe down their backs.  Everyone was starving and ate like pigs.  They're all getting along great with the other "older" chicks-so all is well.  I'm trying to make sure I hold each one several times/day...but the problem is they still all look alike!

The whitest chick has been named Xena-she's sometimes dominant but today ran over to me every time I walked in the coop.  She has also decided she would like to get out of the brooder..and flies straight up and almost makes it out!!  So funny!!  We are thinking about some Indian names for the others.  So far we have: Poops-On-My-Pants, Sits-In-Grit and Runs-With-Clover.  ha.

The guineas are mostly ignoring their turkey starter and eating the chick starter instead.  :-(
Tried to separate them into their own brooder within the larger one, but they panicked and just kept hitting the side...so gave in and let them back with the others; they were much happier then.  Haven't quite decided what I'm going to do about that yet.

Anyway, it's all been a lot of fun for us-though the cats are a bit jealous of the time we spend with them. Check out the pictures!

Day 1 with the chicks, continued...

These girls are fun!!! lol    They get excited when I come into the coop and start peeping.  Picked some clover (one for each of course) but only one chick noticed it. She picked it up, turned around and the others began chasing her around in a circle forever!  Hilarious.  They couldn't be bothered with the other clover bits I provided them, they only wanted hers.  I don't think she ever got to eat it-but she sure did amuse me!

Stays pretty warm in there; had to move the heat lamp almost to the very top to keep it just at 95 degrees.  They were clustered on the other side of the brooder, but still eating and drinking and pooping...lol.  Moved it back down tonight as it's chilly here again.  Will check on them again before we go to bed to make sure it's still warm, but I think I've finally found the right spot for it.  The biggest problem is that Treebeard wants to come in and visit!  (he's one of our cats...)  He sits outside the door and cries until I come out.  Maybe next month, Treebeard.

They're HEEERRE!!!

Well, the phone rang at 7:14 this morning-the chicks were at the post office!  YAY!!  They all look healthy (no pasty-butt!) and were hungry and thirsty.  We've got them all settled down now with full bellies and most of them are napping.

Seems like it took forever for this day to come!  But we have 5 "Easter Eggers" and 2 Buckeyes; 1/2 of the guineas are due in 2 days, the rest of the guineas and the Blk Copper Maran's are due at the end of the month.  Lisa worked really hard to get the coop and yard ready.  One of the cats (Treebeard, naturally) spent his time crying at the coop door wanting in...I'm sure he had visions of chicken for breakfast!

Took about 25 pictures, then had to come in for coffee and a break.  Will be visiting with them most of the day I'm sure!  Luckily there are plenty of weeds in the yard they can begin eating-too busy with chicken plans to do any mowing!  lol

Ah...the coop and the "chicken yard."  Yes, we're planting some grass and herbs for them and we may cut a few more trees-but already cut down a lot!  The lovely "leaf building" is one of Lisa's old sheds that will store the food.

Will finish predator-proofing this week, add the gates and then the final touches.  Lisa also found some guineas at the feed store in Berea-so yay!!  Tick-eaters!!  lol

Getting Ready for the Chicks!!

Well the time is finally getting close!  We will have the first chicks in about three weeks.  This weekend Lisa put up the fencing-hard work but it looks great!!  (I wasn't much help since I'm having an MS relapse...but I looked on approvingly nevertheless.) lol

Still have to get the underpinning up around the coop and the storage shed where we'll keep the feed.  And still have to put in the two gates-but it's looking good and we're excited to be on our way!  Next weekend we'll probably hook up the heat lamp, make sure everything stays nice and toasty and then continue the anticipation. I will have plenty of weeds for them to snack on too.

Will post a picture of it all tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed for a batch of healthy chicks!

Snowy Thoughts

As I sit inside looking out into the morning snow, I'm wondering what happened to the 60-degree weather we'd been having?  The weather here in Appalachian Ohio has been way too warm for winter, and the only thing it has accomplished is making me yearn for the baby chicks to arrive and getting the garden going.  (I suspect my friend Farmer Bob is getting a bit tired of me asking him if I can start my seeds yet!)

The nice thing about snow, even the little bit we're having now, is that it provides me with a time to slow down and just enjoy life. Some of my winter projects have actually been completed (!) although I still haven't knitted that winter hat that's been on my list since last year. I have time to enjoy the cats and attempt yet again to de-mat the Manx. I've painted the "cat room" and redecorated it; Lisa and even the cats seem to like it!

 I've even e-filed my taxes already!

So what's a girl to do now?  Well I could go check out the new pics of everyone's baby chicks...but that just makes me want some of my own.  I don't even have any yet, but I've already figured out how to expand the coop we have so that I can get some more breeds.  Cabin fever anyone?

There are two blue jays sitting on the tree beside the window, glaring at me. Time to get off the computer and go feed them!  (Just one more peek at the chicks on Facebook...)

Ordered Baby Chicks Today!

Well, this is the start of our new adventure.  Took the plunge and order chicks this morning-Easter Eggers and Buckeyes.  The Black Copper Marans had to be ordered separately and will come at a later date.  I didn't know people ordered chicks so early!!  I've been checking different websites trying to decide on breeds, and when I went to order found that almost all of the early dates were gone!  We had hoped to have them in April, now we're looking at May and the first week of June.  Ah well...I suppose that will give us more time to prepare, and maybe we'll even have the fencing up by then! lol

The Buckeye Chickens are the only breed developed by a woman-so you know we had to have those.  They are on the Critically Endangered list, so at some point we will probably get a rooster and hatch some eggs.  They are the color of a (duh) buckeye nut-and the woman was from (duh) Ohio.  Good choice I think.

The "Easter Eggers" lay blue-green eggs.  The true breed is Araucana and they are from South America.  Breeders have bred for the egg color in this country, and so the "Easter Egger" was born.  Not a true Araucana but the colored eggs should be a novelty and sell well.

The Black Copper Maran is also a rare breed and lays chocolate eggs (like a Hershey bar color!)

This should be fun-more to come as the days go by.   Below: top pic is a Black Cooper Maran, followed by a Buckeye and then an Easter Egger!