DebbieGibson taking a quick breather on our hammock!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Free Range
The weather has been PERFECT the last two days, and the wife and dog are out of town. I decided to have some afternoon fun and open the hatch to the backyard run that Hannah created.
The ladies are having blast in the backyard - their world has expanded exponentially!
Carnie is now the fearless leader. To her, (people = food), and she has no fear of getting close to me. She even lets me pet her ... sometimes.
WendyToo (a la Chilis Too!) has quickly warmed up to her new family and also enjoys eating out of my hand. She is way more feminine than the original Wendy. Phew!
DebbieGibson and Chynna prefer lying in the shade to a lot of activity. They often dig a little hole in the dirt, or find a depression in the yard and sink in for a quick nap. Yawn!
Finally, BelindaCarlisle (alas, "Lisa P" lost the name contest :-( ), is quite the golden beauty, but as can be the case with beauties, she plays hard to get and avoids getting close. The others seem to peck at her a lot too...
One gotcha. Whilst the ladies were prancing around the backyard, I spy with my little eye something beginning with a C, ending with a T, and with an A in the middle. Close call! For now, the backyard run is closed for business unless under adult supervision.
The ladies are having blast in the backyard - their world has expanded exponentially!
Carnie is now the fearless leader. To her, (people = food), and she has no fear of getting close to me. She even lets me pet her ... sometimes.
WendyToo (a la Chilis Too!) has quickly warmed up to her new family and also enjoys eating out of my hand. She is way more feminine than the original Wendy. Phew!
DebbieGibson and Chynna prefer lying in the shade to a lot of activity. They often dig a little hole in the dirt, or find a depression in the yard and sink in for a quick nap. Yawn!
Finally, BelindaCarlisle (alas, "Lisa P" lost the name contest :-( ), is quite the golden beauty, but as can be the case with beauties, she plays hard to get and avoids getting close. The others seem to peck at her a lot too...
One gotcha. Whilst the ladies were prancing around the backyard, I spy with my little eye something beginning with a C, ending with a T, and with an A in the middle. Close call! For now, the backyard run is closed for business unless under adult supervision.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Reverend Mother always says when the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.
Lots of changes in the coop!
First, we had to bid adieu to Wendy/Walter. He just couldn't stay, for what would the neighbors think (at 6 AM)? Robert from The Urban Farm Store, where we purchesed our chicks, was kind enough to help find a loving home -- a farmer who wanted a rooster for his flock. We will always remember you, young lad, for your impeccable roosting skills. Fare thee well!
Next, we had John Bake come and extend the ladies' habitat. Hannah is planning to build a ladder for them to navigate down to their play area, where they will feast on worms and bugs and slugs. Doesn't the extension look nice?
And finally, John brought over two nice young pretty-sure-they're-ladies for us, for a grand total of 5! The two additions are a Barred Plymouth Rock and the beautiful Golden Laced Wyandotte. Here's what she'll look like as an adult:
The former has already been named. She will be called WendyTooIsNotARoo, or actually WendyToo for short in honor of the brother she will never meet. The jury's still out on the Wyandotte: Hannah wants 'Tiffany', I prefer 'CindyLauper', but truth be told, I think a great compromise would be 'Lisa P' from the movie Adventureland.
The new gals seem much younger than their new friends; I'd guess by two or three weeks. Also, there doesn't seem to be much intermingling going on - for now, it's 2 versus 3...
First, we had to bid adieu to Wendy/Walter. He just couldn't stay, for what would the neighbors think (at 6 AM)? Robert from The Urban Farm Store, where we purchesed our chicks, was kind enough to help find a loving home -- a farmer who wanted a rooster for his flock. We will always remember you, young lad, for your impeccable roosting skills. Fare thee well!
Next, we had John Bake come and extend the ladies' habitat. Hannah is planning to build a ladder for them to navigate down to their play area, where they will feast on worms and bugs and slugs. Doesn't the extension look nice?
And finally, John brought over two nice young pretty-sure-they're-ladies for us, for a grand total of 5! The two additions are a Barred Plymouth Rock and the beautiful Golden Laced Wyandotte. Here's what she'll look like as an adult:
The former has already been named. She will be called WendyTooIsNotARoo, or actually WendyToo for short in honor of the brother she will never meet. The jury's still out on the Wyandotte: Hannah wants 'Tiffany', I prefer 'CindyLauper', but truth be told, I think a great compromise would be 'Lisa P' from the movie Adventureland.
The new gals seem much younger than their new friends; I'd guess by two or three weeks. Also, there doesn't seem to be much intermingling going on - for now, it's 2 versus 3...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Day 2
7:18 AM
"Cock a doodle doo"
"Good morning Walter"
...
...
...
portland city ordinance
...
"Roosters are prohibited in residential zoning districts."
"Cock a doodle doo"
"Good morning Walter"
...
...
...
portland city ordinance
...
"Roosters are prohibited in residential zoning districts."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A Dude?
With Hannah out of town, Ollie and were woken with the sun to a strange sound coming from outside. It almost sounded like a 9 week old chick trying to crow. I decided to reserve judgement.
Later in the day, I caught Wendy (Walter?) in the act of crowing. Uh oh... Apparently, the dominant lady can sometimes act the part of the protector, so we don't know anything for sure yet.
Here's what WikiAnswers.com says about the matter:
"
The easiest way to know what gender chickens are by the novice small flock owner is to care for the birds until they begin showing the natural secondary characteristics of their gender.
In males, the combs and wattles will become larger than those on females and the head will become more angular and masculine looking.
(check - see waddle and comb)
Spurs will start to develop on the inside on the leg of the male.
(not yet - hope it stays that way...)
The female will remain smaller than the male and is more refined or feminine looking.
(check - Walter is much larger than the others)
They may also make cackling sounds as the reassure the hens that they are looking out for them.
(check)
"
Stay tuned...
Later in the day, I caught Wendy (Walter?) in the act of crowing. Uh oh... Apparently, the dominant lady can sometimes act the part of the protector, so we don't know anything for sure yet.
Here's what WikiAnswers.com says about the matter:
"
The easiest way to know what gender chickens are by the novice small flock owner is to care for the birds until they begin showing the natural secondary characteristics of their gender.
In males, the combs and wattles will become larger than those on females and the head will become more angular and masculine looking.
(check - see waddle and comb)
Spurs will start to develop on the inside on the leg of the male.
(not yet - hope it stays that way...)
The female will remain smaller than the male and is more refined or feminine looking.
(check - Walter is much larger than the others)
They may also make cackling sounds as the reassure the hens that they are looking out for them.
(check)
"
Stay tuned...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
"Ladies"
The weather has turned here and the ladies have finally moved into their new digs. The first few days, we put them out in the coop in the daytime and let them wander, but brought them back in at night because they seemed so shell-shocked. On the third night, the air was a bit warmer and they didn't want to leave the coop to return to their stinky, moldy, damp cardboard box. They quickly understood that the coop was, indeed, the place to be.
The coop is great for us as well. Not just because our house no longer smells like a barnyard, but because the food and water only needs to be dealt with every three or four days now. The ladies can just go about their clucky business and we don't need to pay them any mind, really. Of course, at any given moment, MB and Ollie are sitting up there watching them, or I'm bringing them kitchen scraps, or folks in the neighborhood are stopping by on their bikes, or our young neighbors Natalie and Nicholas (who have been given an all areas pass) are sitting quietly chatting with them. These are very social creatures.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the placement of the coop now that it's warm outside and the window above my kitchen sink is open. While I'm standing at the sink (oh, so often), I watch people constantly ride and walk by and gesture to the coop. Often, I say hello and get questions about where the coop came from and about how much work the flock takes. It's great--and surprising-- to be able to say that the flock takes almost no work at all.
Tomorrow, our coop builder John Bake returns to build a chicken run for the gals that will allow them access to the backyard. Madness will ensue.
xo.
ht
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Field Trip
The big day is rapidly approaching... In preparation, we took the ladies out for a little outdoor practice!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Guest blogger: Oliver the dog
Hello, dear readers-- I only have a moment. Hannah doesn't know I'm posting.
Today is my birthday. I'm three today, which-- as Marc pointed out last night at dinner-- is roughly 30 in dog years. This creeped Hannah out because she doesn't like to think of me as her age, so we stopped talking about it.
When I was small, birthdays were easy. Throw me a bone, give me a toy, I was happy.
That's because I didn't know any better.
Readers, something has come to my attention and I need your help.
Please help me eat one of the chickens in our basement for my birthday.
I'm not asking for all four. I don't even need two. I just need to eat one chicken. I 'visit' them every day to feed them with Marc or when Hannah does the laundry, but thus far I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to sneak into the basement unnoticed. Even if I were to get down there alone, the chickens are high up and I cannot reach.
Please. Someone. Find a way into our house and help me with this task. I'll totally split the chicken with you if you're into it.
Otherwise, I'll be subjected to this for another four to six weeks:
Unacceptable.
Yours very sincerely,
Ollie
Today is my birthday. I'm three today, which-- as Marc pointed out last night at dinner-- is roughly 30 in dog years. This creeped Hannah out because she doesn't like to think of me as her age, so we stopped talking about it.
When I was small, birthdays were easy. Throw me a bone, give me a toy, I was happy.
That's because I didn't know any better.
Readers, something has come to my attention and I need your help.
Please help me eat one of the chickens in our basement for my birthday.
I'm not asking for all four. I don't even need two. I just need to eat one chicken. I 'visit' them every day to feed them with Marc or when Hannah does the laundry, but thus far I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to sneak into the basement unnoticed. Even if I were to get down there alone, the chickens are high up and I cannot reach.
Please. Someone. Find a way into our house and help me with this task. I'll totally split the chicken with you if you're into it.
Otherwise, I'll be subjected to this for another four to six weeks:
Unacceptable.
Yours very sincerely,
Ollie
Sunday, March 29, 2009
New diggs
The upgrade was successful, and the ladies now have a roomier box to call home. Erika graciously provided the living quarters (and wouldn't ya know, found a new home of her own!). We hope that this is their final indoor home until the big upgrade. Poop smells... we can't wait!
The ladies have gotten way more daring. When supervised, we remove the screen roof - they now jump to the edge of the box and peer out at the world. At first, it was only Chynna and Carnie who would attempt this, but this morning Wendy and (last but not least) DebbieGibson took the leap! Last night, Chynna actually took one more leap - 4 1/2 feet down to the basement floor, and freaked the %&^$&^ out of us! Amazingly, flapping wings slow down the descent and all was well.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Adolescence
Ah, those awkward teenage years. The ladies are beginning to outgrow their home, and the search is on to find the proper upgrade (cardboard box). Feathers are appearing in asymmetrical patterns. Poop abounds.
Is it OK to pick a favorite? We don't seem to have any guilt over it. Wendy (the black and white checkered lady) is the calmest and most fearless. She will perch on one of our fingers and comfortably look out at the world.
Chynna is emerging as the new frontrunner for queen of the flock. She pecks at the others when they roost above her, though we have observed that standing underneath a four week old digestive tract can be a hazardous endeavor.
Meanwhile, DebbieGibson is comfortable in her #2 status and is doing quite well.
Carnie, well, she's "just there." She always seems to evade our attention and steady hands. Maybe she's a late bloomer.
And Ollie? Well, now that he's had a glimpse of what goes on in that box, his curiousity has heightened a bit. Thankfully, only one month to go until the big move...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tonight we had our first chick boot camp. For the last few days, whenever I put my hand in the brooder to feed or water or say hello, one of the girls jumps up onto my hand and flaps her wings a bit until she settles down. They seem to enjoy it when I pull them out of the bin up high above the world they know. I thought this might mean they're ready to learn to roost. WRONG.
Chickens roost at night to stay safe from predators. They sleep while roosting, and somehow never fall off the dowel like I certainly would if I tried it. It's an instinct for them and, according to all our chicken literature, they'll take to it from a very early age.
So I found an old branch from a large houseplant I killed, and hacked it up a bit to make a roost. Each chick got a turn being forced to stand on the branch high above the floor of the brooder. Each time I let go of their weird little chicken feet, they'd do a very ungraceful flap/fall/dive to the floor of the brooder. Our chickens do not seem to have instincts yet. Above, you see Chynna about to leap to her doom rather than stand on the stick. She'd such a drama queen. I wedged the roosting bar into the crate with them for tonight, so perhaps when I go visit tomorrow, they'll all be happily roosting away. Maybe they're just autodidacts.
In other news, DebbieGibson is either assertively informing the other chicks that she's at the top of the pecking order-- solo artists are like that-- or she's a dude.
Chickens roost at night to stay safe from predators. They sleep while roosting, and somehow never fall off the dowel like I certainly would if I tried it. It's an instinct for them and, according to all our chicken literature, they'll take to it from a very early age.
So I found an old branch from a large houseplant I killed, and hacked it up a bit to make a roost. Each chick got a turn being forced to stand on the branch high above the floor of the brooder. Each time I let go of their weird little chicken feet, they'd do a very ungraceful flap/fall/dive to the floor of the brooder. Our chickens do not seem to have instincts yet. Above, you see Chynna about to leap to her doom rather than stand on the stick. She'd such a drama queen. I wedged the roosting bar into the crate with them for tonight, so perhaps when I go visit tomorrow, they'll all be happily roosting away. Maybe they're just autodidacts.
In other news, DebbieGibson is either assertively informing the other chicks that she's at the top of the pecking order-- solo artists are like that-- or she's a dude.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Happy (one week) Birthday!
Short post this week. Happy one week Birthday Chynna, Wendy, Carnie, and DebbieGibson. One week ago, ladies, you were a shell of your current selves. Ha!
Chicks grow FAST in a week. The ladies have more than doubled in size and have begun flapping their wings - we need a screen to cover their brooder soon! They have also graduated from 95 degrees to 90 degrees, following the general rule that their environment gets 5 degrees cooler a week, until the brooder temperature is the same as the outdoor temperature.
Ollie still loves his new friends and maintains his polite manners. What a good boy!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Rock Star Lineup
The ladies are only six days old, and yet their personalities are starting to show. Here's what we've observed so far.
Name: Chynna TreuhaftBreed: Buff Orpington
Favorite Hobbies: Eating, Sleeping, Shitting
Odds to become flock leader: 10:1
Other: Chynna seems to be developing quite nicely. She has good genes and should be a calm, non-agressive young lady. We think she has a bright future.
Name: Wendy TreuhaftBreed: Barred Plymouth Rock
Favorite Hobbies: Eating, Sleeping, Shitting
Odds to become flock leader: 8:1
Other: Wendy enjoys human contact and will stay perched on a finger for several seconds at a time. We think she will quite enjoy roosting.
Name: Carnie TreuhaftBreed: Ameraucana
Favorite Hobbies: Eating, Sleeping, (shitting not so much)
Odds to become flock leader: 20:1
Other: Carnie is a lovely young lady however she is having some digestive issues as her tailpipe is getting clogged. We think with some TLC she will be fine. Her breed is known for laying green eggs.
Name: Debbie GibsonBreed: Rhode Island Red
Favorite Hobbies: Eating, Sleeping, Shitting, Jumping
Odds to become flock leader: 2:1
Other: Debbie is a feisty lass. She is a bit skittish of human types, but she can scoot her way across the brooder like no other!
Ollie is really digging the ladies as well. Instead of leading us to the front door to be let out for potty (and a nibble on the neighbors cat food), he has been leading us to the basement so that he can catch a glimpse of his new friends-to-be! He is completely calm around them, and even sits a few feet away, maybe to show us that we can trust him...
And finally, as you can see, we have decided upon a name for the fourth lady. "Debbie Gibson", a nomination by our friend Nicole, edged out "Lara Pabst", a nomination by Lara Pabst, in a close race. Many thanks to all who participated!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
lofty living
All conventional chicken wisdom suggests that the coop be ready for the chickens before they arrive home. Even though they'll be living in the basement in their brooder for the next two months at least, it seems it's best to avoid the experience of having full grown chickens squawking around the house without a place to call their own. So, we decided to troll our local craigslist to see what our options were.
Once we weeded through the regular batch of craigslist crazies, we fell upon Jon and Cindy Bake of Bake's Binsters. Jon is a pro contractor who is taking a gamble on the fact that the urban chicken market is going to continue to grow pretty furiously in Portland by designing a series of modular coop/compost bins. I told him exactly what we wanted and he built the coop in two days to our specifications.
That window you see is the window that looks out over my kitchen sink. The screened part under the window is what's called the run, and the solid wood part to the right is the house where the chickens can roost (sit up in the air on bars) at night. There's a guillotine door on the far right side, where we intend to build a coop expansion out into the neighboring bed this spring, once we've removed all that blasted bamboo. Sustainable material, maybe, but also a huge pain in the tush. If anyone wants me to send it to them to make some sheets out of or something, let me know.
We're pretty thrilled with the way the coop looks. Since you can see it from the street, we didn't want it to be an eyesore and we think Jon did a great job. It's kind of like a condo in the Pearl District, really. Our ladies will live in style.
Once we weeded through the regular batch of craigslist crazies, we fell upon Jon and Cindy Bake of Bake's Binsters. Jon is a pro contractor who is taking a gamble on the fact that the urban chicken market is going to continue to grow pretty furiously in Portland by designing a series of modular coop/compost bins. I told him exactly what we wanted and he built the coop in two days to our specifications.
That window you see is the window that looks out over my kitchen sink. The screened part under the window is what's called the run, and the solid wood part to the right is the house where the chickens can roost (sit up in the air on bars) at night. There's a guillotine door on the far right side, where we intend to build a coop expansion out into the neighboring bed this spring, once we've removed all that blasted bamboo. Sustainable material, maybe, but also a huge pain in the tush. If anyone wants me to send it to them to make some sheets out of or something, let me know.
We're pretty thrilled with the way the coop looks. Since you can see it from the street, we didn't want it to be an eyesore and we think Jon did a great job. It's kind of like a condo in the Pearl District, really. Our ladies will live in style.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Announcing the ladies
Chicks have arrived on 25th Avenue!
Yesterday we spent a bit of time at a new shop on Morrison Street called The Urban Farm Store (www.urbanfarmstore.com). We came home with all the goodies for the brooder, and learned that we'd be able to come back for some chicks at ten this morning. We were so excited-- and worried that our choice breeds would be gone in a flash-- that we showed up at ten on the nose only to find out that the chicks hadn't yet arrived in the mail. That's right. The chicks travel from hatcheries around the country via the good old U.S. Postal Service.
Later this afternoon as we were headed to the park with Ollie, I called the farm store in the off chance that the chicks arrived mid-day. Turns out they had, and they were going fast. We raced over and managed to get the breeds we were after. They are:
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana
Rhode Island Red
Barred Plymouth Rock
Aren't they going to be a pretty flock?
So far, the chicks seem a bit shell shocked. They chirped furiously all the way home, but now that they're settled into their brooder, they mostly eat, drink, poop and fall asleep in the middle of walking. It's a bit startling when that happens as it pretty much looks like they're dead-- wings akimbo, legs splayed. But then they sleep for a few moments, wake up, and go about their business like nothing happened. Weirdos.
Regarding the ladies' names: we're not sure who's who yet, but we know that three of them are called Wendy, Carnie, and Chynna after the hit pop group Wilson Phillips. The fourth chick was an impulse buy, so we haven't settled on the last name yet. Anyone have thoughts?
the place for chick checks
Friends and family:
Hi. Welcome to the blog where we will post pictures and writing about our adventures in urban chicken keeping. It's clear that plenty of you (ahem, families!) think we're nuts for doing this, so it is our hope that you'll visit us here once in a while to see just how not insane this project is.
Our chicks arrive tomorrow morning, our brooder (place where baby chicks hang out) is set, and our outdoor coop is ready for the day the ladies are ready to move outside-- roughly ten weeks from now.
Welcome to our wild world of animal husbandry. More soon...
Hi. Welcome to the blog where we will post pictures and writing about our adventures in urban chicken keeping. It's clear that plenty of you (ahem, families!) think we're nuts for doing this, so it is our hope that you'll visit us here once in a while to see just how not insane this project is.
Our chicks arrive tomorrow morning, our brooder (place where baby chicks hang out) is set, and our outdoor coop is ready for the day the ladies are ready to move outside-- roughly ten weeks from now.
Welcome to our wild world of animal husbandry. More soon...
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