Chicks: Finally look like chickens

At six and a half weeks old they are finally starting to look like chickens.
As you can see almost all the fuzz is gone and they are now covered in feathers. Now they look like mini chickens.
I have seen full grown chickens smaller than this and they are so frikkin' cute! I just wonder how tiny those eggs must be. I like the eggs we get. Nice, huge, dark yellow yolks! I can't wait for these ladies to start laying! I had to buy a dozen eggs last week and I was like, wow! These large eggs are half the size of what I get!
But we still have three more months to wait. Besides Easter, I'm not buying anymore, we will just have to do without. That was embarrassing!

I don't know if you can see in the pictures, they are starting to grow their cones. Pretty soon it will feel like we have had them forever. Just another's batch of chickens hanging around. ;0)

The black and white one has the prettiest eyes I have ever seen on a chicken. She's just not too fond of having her picture taken.

Chicks: Still not winning any prizes

The chicks are starting to look a little more like chickens now. Though they still won't be winning any beauty contests right now!
We are not too sure about that black and white one.
I think they mixed a turkey up in the bunch. PB is thinking so too.
She's supposed to be an Americana, but I'm not too sure.
If she is, she is going to be the prettiest chicken in the pen. I know, hard to see it right now.
They are finally getting big enough to jump up to the first perch and start roosting at night instead of cramming up in the corners of the pen.
They will still cram together, but on their perch instead of the floor.

Chicks:Stressful Day

First of all, the poor babies slept outside, on the ground. I went out there yesterday just before sunset and put them all in the house. I thought maybe they just hadn't figured out what the ramp leading up to the door, that they had been playing on all day, was for.
As soon as I got out of the coop, they all flew back outside and hunkered down in a corner and went to sleep.
When I got up this morning they were all in the coop, scratching food out all over the floor and slinging hay everywhere. Ok, cool. They had figured it out. The nice warm light was in there, the food, the water. This is where we should be.
Yeah,no!
Just before dark, a mocking bird gets caught inside the wired pen off to the side, and starts throwing itself at the pen, trying to find a way out.
I opened up the top and chased it around, to no avail. The poor thing was scared to death and couldn't find the gaping hole in the top I had created for it.
I finally decided I was going to have to cut the whole top off for this poor little bird and went over to the shed to get the wire cutters, PB followed me back to help and when we got there,poof! It was gone.
Ok, cool!
Yeah, no!
Somehow it got back into the big coop and was dive bombing the poor chicks, freaking out beating itself agains the wire trying to get out.
That got the chicks chirping and hopping and running. So I went and opened the door, after ten more minutes of beating itself against the wire it finally saw that gaping hole we call a door and flew out!
Ok, cool!
Yeah, no!
I'm sitting on the back porch and I hear them all start chirping real loud.
These have always been the quietest bunch of chicks. Never making any kind of racket. So I go out there and they are all huddled up in the middle of the yard.
I went in to see what the fussing was about and they all come running huddled up around my feet, chirping.
Then I hear it. A low flying jet liner that most people would call a bumble bee. This sucker was as big as the palm of my hand. Granted I have small hands but still.
Well, open the door all you want, that sucker ain't going nowhere till he feels like it.
And of course he has to come check me out because I'm so sweet he thinks I'm a flower;0) so I'm bobbin and weaving, the chicks are hollering and trying to stay on my feet.
Yes a video camera would have won us the 10,000.00 dollar prize I'm sure!
Finally, the stupid thing flies away and we are all clear. Cool, right?
Yeah, no.
They are so freaked out by it all they are running around in one big feathery huddle, like chickens with their heads cut off! (I know right!)
So I have to get PB to come inside the pen and block the door, and pick them up one by one, let them nuzzle my neck till it calmed down, then hand it to PB to put under the nice warm light.
Jeeze!

Chicks:Moving Day

Since the first time I took a basketful of chicks outside to feel the grass between their toes, these little ones have wanted back on the ground.
It's such a beautiful day outside that we decides to do a trial run in the big pen.
PB will henceforth be known as "The Chicken Herder"
Even though they are super friendly and have no fear, they DO NOT like being picked up! So it took me in the house and PB in the door, a broom stick and some finagling to catch them all.
He would herd them towards me with the stick and I would snatch them up. Till the little smart asses figured out to just jump over the stick. Yeah then we almost had to climb into the pen after them. 14 chicks can fit, one person, no matter how small, not so much!
We finally got them all wrangled up and moved and they love it!
We are just going to have to watch them tonight to make sure they go inside the coop.
They are pretty smart for a bunch of babies, I think they will figure it out quick enough.
Right now they are eating up the dirt, bugs and grass that has taken over while the pen was empty.
I'm pretty sure they are happy.

Chicks:New Perch

Farmer PB went out to the pen and put the chicks up a new perch.
They had a PVC pipe but their little feet were too small, every time they hopped on it, they would wrap their little toes around the pipe and then just slide forward. It really was funny to watch, mean I know!
PB cut them what looks like the handle to a shovel and slid it in there and it is working much better.
I'm sure this will turn into "see, this is why my shed is a hoarder's heaven, you never know when you might need that broken shovel for something!"
Speaking of perches and toes. One of my little chicklets has a deformed foot. Nothing major in the scheme of things. Just a little clubbed toe, and I'm sure it bothers me more than it does her. She is the bossiest chicklet out there, they probably ganged up on her while she was asleep one night, held her down and bit it off! Chickens are mean like that!

Chicks: Four Weeks

If you were wondering, yes they are still my little ugly chicklings.
They are starting to put on some weight now.
I don't think it will be much longer before we will be moving them to the big chicken pen, which will be their permanent home.
They have to be big enough to fly up into the boxes before we move them. And right now they can only get about a foot off the ground.
Soon they will start growing their cones, and then they will be little chickens.
Can't wait, they aren't winning any beauty contests at the moment. That's for sure!

Leah's Lazy BBQ Chicken

Just wanted to give you a quickie ;9)
This is a fast dinner that makes BBQ chicken and gravy for your potatoes all at one time.

Take your chicken straight from the freezer and drop it in a pot.
Pour about half a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce over it. Pour about a half a coffee cup of water over the top.
Cook on medium for about 45 minutes.
Until your chicken thaws all the way, you need to check on it every ten minutes or so. The BBQ sauce will burn if you don't.
Once it's cooked down you have BBQ chicken and gravy.
I always make potatoes with this and we pour the sauce over them.
Wicked good!

Recipe: Porkchop and Potato Casserole

Ok my girls, here's another fast, easy and delicious meal.

You're gonna need
Pork chops (however many you need for your family)
Potatoes ( good rule of thumb for how many? I peel one potato for each person except PB who gets two)
Cheese ( velveeta is my fave, but if I'm out, sliced cheese is just as good. Probably would be good with shredded to , sooo, whatever cheese you have hanging out in the fridge.
Onion (1 unless you don't expect to be near anyone for a day or two) or more if you're trying to run somebody off ;0)
In a glass pan layer
A couple of tablespoons of butter
Seasoned porkchops
Potatoes cut in the round
A few more spoons of butter
Onion sliced in rings
Season to taste
I do garlic salt, lots of garlic salt and since we are both eating it, we can kiss without the other person gagging ;9)
Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for about an hour and a half. Check in about an hour by testing your potatoes with a fork. When they are done it's ready!
When times up pull it out and drain off all that water and grease. I know it's nasty, that's why your pouring it off. It does make for some juicy pork chops.
Completely cover with cheese and pop back in the oven until melted and a little brown. I turn my oven off to finish the cheese, but that's up to you.
That's it! Like I said fast easy and delicious!

Chicks: Three Weeks

It was a rough weekend for the baby chicks. Our temperature dropped to 31 Saturday night. I know all my Yankee friends are going "woman please!" But for me and my chicks it was way to cold!
PB went out Saturday and hooked up a second light in the pen, closer to the bottom, and as soon as the heat touched them they cuddled up, hunkered down and went to sleep.
Today we are back up in the upper 60's with sunshine, so I went out and dropped one side of the sack and let them out.
It wasn't just a minute before they were all enjoying the fresh air.
As you can tell by the pictures the yellow one is the leader and the boss.
I named her "Lil Pecker" a week or so ago, because if there is someone or something that needs straightening out, she's all about it. She really has no fear.
You also maybe able to tell that right now they are in between looking like chicks and looking like full blown chickens. It really is the ugliest stage they go through.
Pretty soon they will have all their feathers everywhere except their heads, that's just the "what the hell is that!?" stage.
They are trying out their wings so they basically flap and hop everywhere they go.
They really are a hoot to watch.

Chicks: day 3 and all is well

PB went out to the pen last night and hung an oyster sack in front of their door to help keep the heat from the light in.
I felt so bad about the cold I was ready to haul them all back inside.
They seem to have made it ok, and gotten braver.
Shiloh walked out to the pen with me and stuck his nose in to say "Hi" and they were rushing him, flapping their wings and pecking at him! Keep in mind they are only two weeks old today.
They are already figuring out their pecking order, these in the pictures are the soldiers. They come check everything out and make sure it's ok, while the others huddle in a corner and watch.
I think they wanted my rings more than the grit in my hand.