Something to Cluck About

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I received a very unique gift. As many people who know me have discovered, I have a real itch to move to the country and once I get there, I want to have a few chickens. I have bought a couple of books (just to be ready when the time comes) and I look forward to fresh eggs and feathered friends. Well, on my birthday, my husband surprised me by bringing the country to me. I received two baby chicks.

They are just as cute as they can be…two little gals…I was told they are Ameraucana by breed…about 6-7 weeks or so old. They have interesting feather coloration and green legs and feet. When they are older they will lay green eggs (I think there’s a book title there somewhere). According to the website mypetchicken.com they may not be true blue Ameraucana, but instead may be what they refer to as “Easter Eggers”. I don’t care; they are cute and they will lay eggs of some color, and that’s good enough for me.

There’s just one little catch: We got the chickens before Robert finished the chicken coop. He had told me that he was re-doing the greenhouse, which had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. He didn’t tell me that it would be one part greenhouse and one part chicken coop. But the time got away from him and my birthday was here before he knew it. Undeterred from giving me the birthday surprise of my life, he figured we could keep them in a cage outside for a few days while he got the coop livable. What we didn’t count on was the weather system that made history as it moved across the country. We had four continuous days of ice and below freezing temperatures – unheard of for our area.

So into the family room they went. Luckily, we still had the crate in which we had put Molly when she first came here. So: two chickens…in a dog crate…in a family room…in a house. Sounds normal…at least for around here.

(The big bag of feed in the background is a birthday gift from my daughter. I have put it up for when they are older because they are eating a special medicated chick starter feed now. It's good to know we will always have plenty of supplies!)

I will say this: Having them in such close proximity has led to having some pretty tame chickens. By the second day the golden-colored chicken, now named Opal, flew across the cage and sat on my shoulder when I opened the door. She is somewhat shy, so this surprised me quite a bit. However, she has continued to come to me on her own, every time I open the door, and she loves to ride on my shoulder and “peep” in my ear. If I hold her just right, she will snuggle down and doze in my arms. She never strays far from me whenever she is out. She lets me kiss the top of her little scraggly head, and she loves to have her “chin” scratched.

The dark brown chicken, now named Ruby, comes to me every time, also. However, I don’t think she is motivated by “love” for me; I think she mostly wants to make sure that I am not going to hurt Opal. Ruby is very protective of Opal. Ruby is also more adventurous than Opal and is more prone to hop off of my shoulder and look around a bit. However, she doesn’t go too far, and is still very good about coming right back to me. I get tickled at her boldness; she is constantly hopping on top of her feeder and playing “Queen of the Hill”. However, having pine shavings everywhere is not quite as funny, but luckily it is not forever. I have become a champion broom handler.

Robert is working on a smaller habitat, known as a chicken tractor, because he will be able to have it finished long before the coop would be ready. Also, I have always wanted a tractor because it will allow the girls to tromp around our yard and still be protected from the hawk that frequents our neighborhood. (I would croak if something bad happened to my girls -- I’m too attached now!). In the meantime, I will just sweep and sweep as they peep and peep.