The girls

In mid-April, our day-old chicks arrived. We decided to go with heritage breeds that are true to the way chickens were years ago, before being bred for industrial chicken farming. All of our hens are "dual-purpose," meaning they are good egg layers but also have enough muscle that they could be used for meat as well.

The chicks in the box they arrived in.

1 day old.

5 days old. 

2 weeks old...still somewhat cute.

1 month old...the awkward teenage years.

We have 12 chickens total, and there are five different breeds. Three of the chicks are Rhode Island Reds (non-industrial), three are Barred Plymouth Rocks, 2 are Silver-laced Wyandottes, 2 are Golden-laced Wyandottes, and 2 are Australorps. They will all lay brown eggs when they're older.

From the time they came to us (picked them up at the Post Office!) until they were about 5 weeks old, they lived in a cardboard box in our basement bathroom. In the meantime, Troy began working on their coop. As you can see, Bear had to help!

Bear the builder.

6 weeks old; enjoying their new home!

The girls really love their coop. Troy made it movable: it has wheels on one end and jacks on the other which helps with leveling the coop on our hilly ground. Since it's movable, it's technically called a "tractor" (don't ask me why). They have several windows (with shutters) and two perches, along with 4 nest boxes. It also has a detachable run that is movable as well.

The coop and run, with a detachable tarp for extra shade on these hot summer days.

The view from inside their run (3 months old).

"Did you bring treats?"