Chickens, chickens, chickens

 Well we took the plunge and are now raising baby chicks!! I picked up 8 Golden Comets from our local farm supply store a little over 3 weeks ago and then picked up 10 more Americaunas about a week ago.

The Golden Comets are known to be wonderful layers - they start laying eggs early and can lay 300+ eggs per chicken each year. 

The Americaunas chicks came in multiple colors which I wasn't expecting but thought it was so fun- they're adorable!! They lay the beautiful blue eggs and I am very excited about that. They don't lay as quickly as the Golden Comets and they lay less but the blue eggs are worth it. 

 It's definitely been a learning experience. I created a brooder box out of a 57 gallon heavy duty storage container from Home Depot then picked up a heat lamp and some red bulbs from Tractor Supply. The chicks brooder box needs to be at 95 degrees their first week of life and then each week you can decrease the temperature by 5 degrees. I keep a thermometer in each box to monitor the temperatures. I have heard such great things about hemp bedding (it lasts longer and less dust in the air from them scratching) so I picked up a large bundle of it for the bottom of the box. 

Here's the finished product of my first brooder box. I created a second one using a 77 gallon tote. They're growing so quickly that I hope they can stay in these until they're feathered and ready to move outside. It's been so warm here so I am hoping if the weather continues this way they can move out by 6-8 weeks old. 

The kids have really enjoyed the chicks!! We usually just watch them - we haven't held them a ton because they're very skittish. I also read that it's good to let them stay warm/ not stressed in their box. 

They started in our mudroom but now they're both in the garage with heat lamps hanging over the box. The constant chirping and the smell got old after about 3 weeks! 

 So far things seem to be going well - I have been like a mother hen constantly checking on them. I have to clean out and refill their water dishes quite a bit because they're constantly kicking their bedding into the dishes. Then I usually have to refill their food daily or every other day for the younger ones. 

We pick up some older chicks in August - 2 Easter Eggers and 2 Olive Eggers so I am excited to add some more colorful eggs to the mix!! 

I have to say I am so thankful to have so many friends/ neighbors who have chickens. They have been so helpful in showing me what to do and answering my questions.