Buyer Beware

It's week seven and the girls are getting plump, feathered out, and seem generally content. But at this point, I am almost literally counting down the hours until we get the coop constructed and get the chicks outside. Jake and I thought that it would probably be a good idea for me to write a post about what life is like living with chicks in your spare bath tub when they're seven weeks old so that those of you who might be considering getting chickens really know what you're getting into. Don't get me wrong, the experience is delightful and I would make the same decision in a heartbeat. Chickens have very unique and charming personalities and I look forward to seeing them everyday. But it has its downsides, which I think you should know.

Chicks are typically raised inside or in a brooder with a heat lamp until the chicks or pullets (young hens) are about eight weeks old or are fully feathered out. The cardboard-box-in-a-tub setup has worked out really well as far as the brooder size to chick size ratio is concerned. But when they hit about five and a half to six weeks, I began spending a lot of time fretting about the chicks' growing lack of space and about where I could transport them if I decided to try and find a bigger space. Create a bigger brooder (where, I don't know) for one more week?

Because they're bigger and more active, they do an incredible job tearing up the new clean newspaper and bedding I lay down. At this point, I clean out the brooder every day. And as soon as I get everything nice and cleaned up, I hear their feet happily scratching it all up again. I can't blame them – that's what chickens do. But as long as they're in such tight quarters, with so much energy to spare, it's what I have to do and it's starting to get old.

Jake and I will be furiously working to finish the coop this weekend and next week, I will start gradually easing them into their new digs. To help get them prepared, I've been turning the light off in the brooder at night. They are a little frantic at first being in the dark, but they eventually settle in to sleep for the night. Like I said, I've enjoyed many aspects of hosting these house guests, but I can't wait to take back my space. I'm sure my little hens will be much happier as well.

*Thanks to my student, Maddy, for the hand-drawn chicks and bees. She knows me well!

And on that farm she had a dog...

The chicks have been getting their first taste of sunshine lately. Not for long periods of time – just short outings right now. Beans was allowed to join in on the fun this time. I think he's still not sure what to make of them.

He was very gentle, but pretty cautious. When they got too close, he slowly inched away. The chicks were confident as could be. They had no qualms about walking right up to him – beak to nose. And he never even got a pecked!

I did have to step in when he tried to roll over on top of them. I think he was starting to feel a little too comfortable at that point. The chicks are just a little too similar to some squeaky toys of his.

Besides the fact that my chicks starting running around inside the cloche with the new tomatillo and tomato starts I just planted, their introduction to the backyard and our family dog was a success. The chicks are getting bigger by the day and I get the sense that they are just itching to get back out there. Just three more weeks to go!

Ch-ch-changes

Since I started raising chicks in my bathtub, the water situation has been a problem. If you recall from one of my first chick posts, the water started drying up over night. That led me back to the feed store to purchase a larger, gallon-sized waterer. This was a little overkill for three small chicks, but I wasn't going to risk waking up one morning to three dehydrated chicks.

Once I switched to the large waterer, they didn't run out of water anymore, but it created a whole new set of problems. First, there was the balance problem. One large waterer plus a cardboard box plus a slightly concave surface (think of your bathtub floor) plus feisty, energetic chicks that jump all around and on top of it equals water leakage and soggy cardboard. So, I had to solve that fun equation by rummaging around in the garage to find an old board that I could put on the floor of the brooder. That mostly solved the balance problem, but the water challenges continued.

The second problem I faced was chicken scratching. Chicks and chickens naturally scratch at the floor with their feet and peck at the ground – like they're looking for worms. I found this fascinating when I was observing my day old chicks displaying this instinctual behavior. The only problem is that when you've got chickens in a confined space, eating and drinking from a feeder and waterer, that scratching and pecking can create quite a mess. I knew about this and was planning on suspending the adult feeder and waterer in the run that we're building outside. But for some reason, I didn't think I would be having to deal with this issue until then. I was wrong. Here's how most of last week went: I'd take the chicks out of the brooder, clean up all the old bedding and droppings, put down fresh newspaper and shavings, put the chicks back in, and then before I knew it, I'd have to deal with shredded and soaked newspaper and shavings from the frenzied chicken scratching. Not only that, there would be so many shavings in the water trough, I'd have to clean and refill it again too. I read in my books that chicks can catch colds and diseases from wet shavings, so I knew I had to deal with it quickly. After getting to the point where it felt like I was cleaning the brooder every ten minutes, I decided to start looking for some solutions.

That brings us to the ch-ch-changes I made to the brooder, which are turning out to be amazing fixes. I started by putting the waterer on top of two cement pavers that I had in the basement. I started with one, but found that Lucy could still scratch water out of it at that height, so I added one more. It turned out to be the perfect height for them to stand comfortably at the waterer and drink with ease. The ultimate test was watching them scratch the shavings around the feeder – only a few ended up in the waterer!

The second change I made was to make a cone out of paper to slip on top of the waterer to keep the chicks from roosting on top of it. Although I found it quite charming for the girls to jump up to get a closer look whenever I came into the bathroom, it created more work for me. Their droppings would get into the water and then I'd have to clean the waterer up again. I made an anti-roosting paper cone for the feeder too, for the same reason.

Finally, to save money on all the feed that I was losing as my chicks scratched it into the old shavings that I would ultimately clean up and throw away, I placed the feeder on top of an old terra cotta flower pot saucer, which I flipped upside down.

These changes were so simple and didn't cost a thing since I used found items, but man, have they improved my chicken-raising way of life! I don't mean to sound overdramatic, but all the brooder cleaning (Come on, two to three times a day?!) was getting to be a bit much. I can't tell you how many times I have gone into the bathroom since I made the changes, expecting to find a huge, waterer mess to clean up. But now, all I find are my fast-growing chicks!

City Chicks: Week 3

Remember Ethel? The cute, little blond Buff Orpington in the picture above?

This is her now, at three weeks old. Little adult feathers are quickly replacing baby fluff. Ethel has a really cool temperament – just a little more laid back than the other girls. Well, she made a big developmental leap this week - she learned to perch!

At the risk of sounding like a crazy chicken lady, we were super excited about this achievement. Jake and I both happened to be in the bathroom, watching the chicks, when she made the leap. It has so precious to see her little talons awkwardly griping the perch while flapping her wings to avoid losing her balance. It's not too often that you get to witness a bird so young it doesn't know how to perch with confidence.

Before I put the new wood dowel perch in, Lucy and Penny would jump on top of the feeder and waterer. It's really pretty endearing since they always seem to do so when someone comes into the bathroom, like they want a closer look. The only problem was that they would leave poor little Ethel behind. She would walk around the brooder making loud, lonely peeps (of course, I'm projecting my human emotions on to her). So, mama hen (a.k.a crazy chicken lady) came to the rescue and installed a new and more elevated perch.

Now, we often find all three of them roosting together. I guess birds of a feather really do flock together.

The chick antics continue!

The girls are growing up so fast! It seems like just yesterday they were little balls of fluff and now they're transforming before my eyes.The temperature in my bathtub brooder is now 80 degrees – it started out around 95 when they were just a few days old. Lowering the temperature by five degrees each week helps them start to grow their little adult feathers, which is what chickens use to keep themselves warm. Lucy's filling out the fastest.

The chicken antics continue! Lucy and Penny think it's great to jump on top of the feeder and waterer when I come in. They especially love to fly back down towards calm little Ethel, in a dive bomb-type fashion. One morning this week, she made the leap from the waterer to the side of the cardboard box. So, they got a new addition to their brooder – a chicken wire ceiling. It makes it a bit more difficult to clean and change their water, but chasing chicks around my bathroom sounds like a more challenging task.

I read in one of my books that I might give the chicks a worm as a special treat and that they would act like they were dying of ecstasy. But what it failed to mention is that you better have one for each of them. My innocent gesture created a riot! I dropped one into the brooder and it took only a few seconds for Lucy to realize that it was worth picking up. Then, Penny proceeded to chase her around the brooder like crazy, vying to get some of the goods. I ran outside to get another, but when I dropped it in the brooder, Ethel scored the worm since she hadn't caught on that she should be chasing after Lucy. In the end, they all got their first taste of a worm and it was clear that they'd love to peck around for more.

On another note, when reading the new post on Garden Rant, one of the many garden blogs I follow, I discovered the Mouse and Trowel awards for garden blogging. I love it! What a great way to celebrate the craft! Gardening can be a somewhat solitary activity, which is something I really value about the hobby since it's such a contrast to my job. But while I love the blissful quiet and time alone, I really enjoy commiserating and learning with other gardeners. I feel like I know the gardeners who write the blogs that I follow. The more posts I write and the more blogs I follow, the more inspired I am to keep writing and experimenting in my garden. So, here's my shout out to the creator of the Mouse and Trowel awards, garden blogger and writer Colleen Vanderlinden, for creating a forum that celebrates garden bloggers and shows them some love!

The Learning Curve

I've finally got the chicks all settled in, but I must say, it's been quite an ordeal getting everything dialed in. The main problem I've had is getting the temperature just right. Now I know that I'm a bit of a perfectionist and most likely, if the temperature in the brooder was a little off, they'd probably be just fine. However, the high, fluctuating temperatures in the brooder have caused other problems.


According to my books, the temperature should be between 90 and 95 degrees. I am creating that with a heat lamp suspended from the ceiling. Until my little pullets (young hens) have their adult feathers, they won't be able to monitor or create their own heat. That's why they have to stay inside the brooder (my bathtub) for the first eight weeks of their lives. Well, what the books don't say is to consider what effect your micro-climate will have on the brooder's temperature. There's a heat vent in my small bathroom where the brooder is so when the heat's on and the door's closed, the bathroom gets pretty hot. I learned that when I woke up the next morning, after the chicks' first night in their brooder, and discovered that the water in their waterer had completely evaporated over night. That means the chicks were in a hot little brooder for hours with no water! Dehydrating your chicks, or any animal for that matter, is one of the worst things you can do to them.


So, the next day after school, I made an hour-long trip during rush hour to the feed store to get a gallon-size waterer. This is way overkill for three little chicks, but I'm happy to report that now the water doesn't dry up.

Another change I made was taking the divider out of the brooder so that they can now access the entire space. Penny is a week older than the other girls and the woman at the feed store said they'd be fine. I think she's right, but what I didn't consider was the fact that she'd have different temperature needs than the others. My books recommend lowering the temperature in the brooder by 5 degrees every week. So Penny would probably be more comfortable in a cooler environment. That was confirmed when I found her sitting in the waterer, as far as she could get away from the lamp. After finding her in this position twice, I decided to take out the divider to give them more room. I think they're more cozy now.

Jake told me that his friend, who's family raised chickens when he was growing up, said that they kept their chicks in a box in the basement with no heat lamp and they were fine. And like I said before, I'm sure they'd probably survive without all my fussing. But the fact of the matter is that I have a huge learning curve. I am only recently an urban farmer and my only real experience raising animals has been with dogs. Give me a puppy and I'll raise him just fine – I've got puppy signals and behavior figured out. But chicks, now that's a whole other ballgame. I'm trying to learn what behaviors are normal and which are not. I'm trying to figure out if the chicks are giving me signs that they're distressed or are just being chicks. All I can really do is just keep reading my chicken books and observing their funny little ways, and hopefully everything will turn out in the end. I'm savoring every moment of this delicate and ridiculously cute time in their lives because they'll growing up quick and it will be over before I know it.

Lovely Ladies

Today was probably one of the hardest days of work I've had in a long time. I had to stay focused and productive all day knowing I was going to get my chicks today. I felt like a kid! The farmer in line behind me at the feed store, who asked for 25 Buff Orpingtons and 25 Americaunas, asked me, "You already got 'em named?" Of course I do.

This is my little Buff Orpington, Ethel. I don't think I should be picking favorites, but I think she might be mine. The other girls are so feisty with each other, but she's mellow and just rolls with it.

The little redhead, a Rhode Island Red, is Lucy. She and Ethel seemed to enjoy pecking around together so I thought their names were fitting.

And this is Penny, my green-blue egg-laying Americauna. She is a week older than the other girls and is by far the feistiest of them all – she'll push right through the other girls and is not afraid to peck them either. If there really is a pecking order, I think she'll be on top.

So now they're all tucked into their bathtub brooder and I'm trying not to go into the bathroom every five minutes to see how they're doing. I've already raised and lowered the heat lamp chain at least four times to try and get the temperature just right. There's nothing quite like the contented chips I hear – I can tell I'm turning into a crazy chicken lady already. More updates to come!

Bathtub Brooder

No one can ever question my will power after today. I went to the Bothell Feed Center to buy supplies for my chicks and did not buy chicks! My plan was to be practical by getting everything I need to raise chicks in my bathroom and then bring the babies home on Wednesday, when the Grange is scheduled to get a new delivery of day-old chicks. Since I'll be at a double dutch tournament this weekend, I wouldn't be around to keep a close eye on my new little brood. But, when I walked into the store and saw the precious little balls of fluff, it was all I could to do stay focused on my agenda and leave without chicks in tow. A quick call to Jake from the parking lot of the feed store was inevitable, "Remind me why I shouldn't buy chicks today?"

In the end, I resisted and made it home with only the supplies I needed to set up my bathroom brooder. I have to give credit to Amy Stewart at Garden Rant for her inspiration and guidance. Reading her recent chick updates have made me giddy with anticipation.


In a nutshell, baby chicks need a place to grow with an artificial heat source since they can't maintain their own body temperature. The chicks' mother usually provides this warmth so I'll need to provide it for them. The chicks will be living in my bathtub, which we don't use by the way, for about eight weeks, until they are fully feathered-out and ready to be outside.

Today I bought the following supplies:

• two 20x20in cardboard boxes
• one big bale of pine shavings (bedding)
• chick feed (non-medicated – sanitation will be the key so they don't get sick)
• a chick waterer and feeder
• heat lamp and chain to suspend the lamp from the ceiling
• thermometer
  

Amy estimated that the supplies would cost around $80 and I found that estimate to be pretty accurate. I am willing to bet it will be worth every penny!

To make the brooder, I put the two boxes together to make one large box. I did this by cutting one side of each of the boxes down the middle. I bought a long length of chain, which I connected to the heat lamp. I suspended the chain from a plant hook in the ceiling and luckily, the placement of that hook couldn't have been more perfect. The lamp is suspended right above the box on one side so the chicks can go under the lamp when they want to be warm and get away from it when they want to cool off.

According to Amy, when the chicks are really young, they can wander away from the heat lamp and may not be smart enough to get back to the warm area that they need to survive. So, I brought two of the side flaps together with a binder clip to create a cardboard divider. Later, when the chicks get bigger and are used to their surroundings, I can just remove the clip and let them take advantage of the whole brooder.

To finish the brooder, I put a couple inches of bedding material in the boxes and put the feeder and waterer in place. Now all I have to do is hurry up and wait!

Making Room

When Jake walked in yesterday evening, I greeted him with an enthusiastic squeal, "The chicks are coming!" The chick delivery schedules are out at several local feed stores, which means it's almost time – this is happening for real. For over a year now, I've said that I would get my chicks in March and now I have a real, prospective date: March 17. Of course, when I called the Grange to ask some questions, the woman told me that it's first come, first serve and that people line up, waiting to get their chicks. I don't think I can justify calling in "sick" and getting a substitute to go get my chicks, so I'm just going to have to hope that by the time school ends that day, there will still be three healthy chicks for me. I've got my hopes up for one Buff Orpington, one Rhode Island Red, and one Americauna (for the fun green-colored eggs). Seeing as how they're expecting a delivery of 300 chicks of each of those breeds, I think I'll probably be OK.

In the meantime, it's time to make some room. Last weekend, I went through the process of moving one of three garden beds from the space where we're going to put the coop, to the lawn, just above the first garden bed terrace. In my Master Gardener class, I learned that it is not a good idea to till the soil when it is really wet because it can damage the soil structure, but I had to make the sacrifice in order to make some room.

I dug out all of the soil in the raised bed and made countless trips with the wheelbarrow to a large tarp on the lawn. Then, I found the spot on the lawn where I wanted to put the new bed and turned over the sod to ensure that it would smother the grass and not start growing up into my veggies. It probably would have died off without this step, but after hearing about my friends' experience trying to control the grass taking over their raised beds, I wasn't taking any chances.

Finally, I put the frame over the new spot, lined the bottom of the bed with landscape fabric, and filled it up with all the soil that I had transferred to the tarp. Now, all it needs is some early spring peas, which I plan to plant on Tuesday, some lettuce and spinach seeds, and a spring cloche.

Today, for Valentine's Day, Jake and I are going to work on designing our coop. Last year at this time, he was building me a retaining wall and now we're moving on to a bigger project. I know I am a lucky girl. When I told my sister what we were doing for Valentine's day, she said, "Birds of a feather flock together." I couldn't have said it better myself!