They have names!

"So, how are the chicks?"

Everyone from the neighbor to the pastor, from my colleagues to my mother is asking me this lately.

"They're big, and they are turning into pullets."

Pullet is the chicken name for teenager and, while I'm not exactly sure when chicks are considered pullets, my birds are no longer cute and not yet productive. So, yes, I think I have pullets.

And they have names!

This is Black Star, the friendliest of the bunch.  She's a Barred Rock.

She's bigger than the neighbor's house!

Here is Sarah, Plain and Tall, another Barred Rock

This is Madeye, a Salmon Faverolle.

Here is Pippi Longstocking, another Salmon Faverolle.

And finally, this is Clementine, a Buckeye.

You might have picked up a theme with the names.  Yes, they are all children's book characters, suggested by various members of the family.  Can anyone name all 5 books that they come from?  Leave your answer in the comments below, and we will be impressed!

Our chickens get friendly

For the first 14 days of their lives, our chicks have been busy getting bigger and mostly ignoring us.   Yes, we handle them to change the litter.  Yes, they scurry and take cover when we sneeze within 5 feet of the brooder.

But starting, oh, around, yesterday, the chicks have been hopping up on our hands when we reach in the brooder.  They are fun to carry around, perched on our bodies.

They are getting sturdy enough now that we're not afraid they're going to keel over without warning, so we all got brave and took them outside.  It was fun to see them in more or less a natural habitat.  And they seemed to really like the grass and sun.

I think this is going to be a fun, feathery summer!

Look who's perching!

It goes without saying that we are so delighted by our little chicks.  They are 10 days old today and already reaching milestones.  They are getting lots of adult feathers on their wings, shoulders, and tails, but still are mostly the cute fluff that makes chicks so adorable.  They realized that it's not super fun to be held by humans and now screech and run when it's time to change their bedding.  Speaking of which, is daily reminding me more and more of a barnyard. Not in a cute, charming way.

And they are so jumpy now that I put the lid on the stockpot to keep them from hopping out for the eternal 3 minutes that it takes me to change the bedding.  Yes, it does look like I'm making chicken soup with 5 live chickens, but I promise I'm not!

And they perch.

We had to upgrade their brooder from the galvanized tub to a large cardboard box, mainly because of their jumping and flapping skills.  Now they are safe and sound in the box with its high walls.  Plus the scenery is better because this used to be my daughters' play box and so it's decorated with crayon murals for their viewing pleasure.  And there is room for natural habitat stuff like branches.

The name discussion continues but is nearing its conclusion.  Any final suggestions of children's book characters?

They're here! The first week for our chicks.

We had been contemplating, pondering, considering chicks for about a year before their big arrival last Tuesday.  If you've ever glanced at the Recent Reads sidebar on the right, you could guess the inevitable, that we would one day be keepers of backyard chickens.  And now we are, excect they live in our kitchen.  Seems appropriate, because that's where they will end up.  At least the eggs will.

Our chicks came to us the way nature intended.  Through the US Mail.

Turns out that just before hatching, chicks absorb the yolk as their nourishment and hydration, allowing them to be just fine without food or water for about 48 hours.  In your standard barnyard, this is so the mother hen can sit patiently on her whole clutch, while the slowpoke eggs take their time hatching and the early birds don't starve.

In your small city, this is so they can arrive via Express Mail to your local post office.

Their box was lined with straw, had plenty of holes for air, and even its own heating pad for warmth.  And so our 6 chicks arrived last Tuesday around noon, just 24 hours after hatching!

Here they are in their new home, a galvanized tub in our kitchen.

Within minutes, they figured out that chicken feed is delicious.  And soon after, that water is awesome.

Within just a day, adult feathers were replacing the fluff on their wing tips.  And they were doing chicken-y things like preening, flapping, pecking their neighbor, and crazy yoga-like stretching.

My family took to them right away, and we snuggle them whenever possible.

If we are still and quiet, they fall asleep right in our hands.

We have two Salmon Faverolles, 

two Barred Rocks,

and two Buckeyes.

Unfortunately, this little one has fallen ill and won't be with us much longer. 

And then there were five.

These five have gotten so jumpy that when I change the bedding in their tub, I'm forced to put them in my tallest stockpot to keep them from hopping away!

They've gotten a little bigger by now, but I couldn't help but notice that a newborn chick weighs less (at 38 grams) than an egg (about 55 grams)!

And all of us humans stand motionless above their brooder tub, amused by how birdy they are.

The jury is still out about their names, but I think a family meeting is in order to determine this soon!