Chicken Update

'The Girls'

Here are 'the girls'. These are the four oldest. Because we now own 13 hens, I've lost track of their names. The kids just randomly call them the names we figured out awhile ago...Henny, Penny, Tinkerbell, etc. Oh, I can't even remember! My brain is fried today. Anywho, they are all doing well. We had another 'close call' a week ago when a baby chick mistakenly was left outside the coop. We daily let all the chicks and the four older hens outside the coop to hang out and explore. Then, we put them back inside at night to keep them from being a predator's dinner.

This particular day, one of the Americanas (the really cool looking black and white ones) found a hiding spot and we miscounted when we put them all back. Well, we found her the next day completely dehydrated and practically unresponsive. The kids and I carried her inside (it was cold out that day), made her a little nest out of rag towels, put a heating pad under her and then tried to figure out what to do about her dehydration. If you've ever raised chickens before, you know that they're very picky about having clean water and they won't drink if it's not clean. They also need to have food access all the time, with the exception of night time. So, I got some chick food, grinded it up in the food processor along with some water. I then proceeded to put it into a seringe, opened the chick's beak and fed her. I rotated the feeding with some water. Within an hour, she was looking so much better! Whoo-hoo! She hung out inside for the rest of the day, but then was put back with her sisters the next morning. She's alive and kicking now and we're so glad. Not to mention the fact that each chick cost us money and we have already lost two. I think next time, I'll order my chicks online. The lady that we order from is a Christian and such a sweetheart, but after some research, if you can buy your chicks online, (you usually have to buy around 10-15 min.), you can save some money.

Little Surprise...

So, that's the chicken update. Rob got the family a little surprise and it's coming in the mail today. It's something I've had my eye on for years, but never wanted to spend the money on. Well, he surprised me and I'll show some pictures if it comes today. :)