Chick Diaries Week 2

So....what can I say. The ladies and gent continue to grow. They have doubled in size again.

No longer can I close them up in my hand. They're also starting to show some character and individuality. Wings are totally grown in, most have got their tail feathers



and the guineas are starting to loose the fluff on thier necks...eventually the poor babes will be bald-headed.



I wasn't going to include this shot of Emily cause she's sooo covered in chocolate cake batter from creating her cake...but it is so typical of her.

Another change this week is we gave them a much bigger brooder box. The old one had become too small ...ok...so now they're in a box that a water heater comes in. I cut it down about 1 ft. so I can reach into it. The guineas are very happy with it and like to fly up and perch on the edges of it. Not quite what I had in mind, but as long as they don't start venturing out away from the box, I can live with it. I don't think it will be long before they try to make it to all of my house plants and hide in them.
They're going through 2 quarts of water a day, and about 4 cups of food.



Rachel thought up this shot. This little cochin is the Queen of her heart. She's named her Camamelina or something funky like that. Their colors are really starting to fill in and look very promising.



I haven't named any of my birds yet.

Diary of a Chicken

It's been a busy week for our birdies. They have managed to double in size, and they have begun getting feathers. Wing feathers grow in first.

The Guinea Sisters are so funny to watch. If you seperate one out from her sisters, she stands there stretching her neck and peering off into the distance trying to spot the others ....Boy are they loud. They started trying to run after bugs at two days old. It took them awhile to figure out what to do with the moth they caught.



Mr. Silver looks so much smaller than Mrs. but it's because he's all hunched down and she's already showing tendencies of ruling the roost. You go girl!



These gals are doing well also. We did loose one Sunday night. She wouldn't eat for nothing and just wanted to sleep. I don't think she was internally developed enough. Notice the feathers on their legs?



And just an FYI....the chicks do not have the run of my house. They are out of the brooder so I can take photos!

They're here!!

Woo hoo!! The babies have arrived and they are so cute.

I love the constant peep peeps of thier calls. Anyway, let me introduce you to our newest additions:
Mr & Mrs Silver Wyandotte



The mister is the one with the green head. The hatchery marks them with a bit of food dye when they sex them. It will go away in about a week and then I won't be able to tell the boy from the girls until he starts getting his crown and spurs.

The Pearl Grey Guinea Sisters



I expect these gals to work for thier keep. They are very fond of ticks and chiggers and I've got plenty to go around. They are also a built in alarm system and scream bloody murder when disturbed. I'm hoping I can train them well enough so they can free range during the day and let me pen them for protection during the nights.

Cochin Bantam Family



Banty 2



These miniature chicks are a bribe. Yep, that's right. I'll stoop that low. Rachel adores this breed and I'm using them as incentive to get her to do what I want. The more Banty points she earns...the more of them she can have. At this point, one Bantam is her's and the rest are mine. We'll see how well it works. They're a 'standard run' so I won't know whether they're boys or girls for about 3 months.

I'm sure I'll have more pics to share as they grow.