The eggs are rolling in (sort of...)

Betty laid her first egg today! A couple of days ago, we heard quite a racket coming from the hen-house, and went out to check. We caught Mikiko in one box and Annabelle in another and got an unprecendented three eggs that day. Since then, we're getting two a day, but this is the first one from our beloved Betty!

Eggs! Finally!

The girls (not sure which ones....) have laid three small eggs in the past two days. Hallalujah! We found the first one yesterday and today there were two more! We've been waiting for what seems like an eternity to see an egg in the nesting boxes and are delighted to finally have some. It doesn't seem right to eat them, but I think I'll whip up a little omelet tomorrow and have our first taste!

Must have been those leftover raspberry muffins I gave them....

Catching up on the coop progress

Well, the coop is finally finished! Yoash and Naomi worked hard to get it done so the chickens could move from their cramped garage quarters to the Palace! They're very happy chickens now and we are patiently waiting for eggs! Yoash noticed a falling-down old barn nearby and we asked the owner for some wood. Yoash and Naomi artfully crafted the wood into siding for the Palace and it looks great!

Chickies all sleeping on the top rung!

First warm day of spring!

Well, the coop is finally finished and it is sooo beautiful! The chickens are all enjoying their new space and have developed a routine. When the humans get up in the morning, they go out to the coop and open the door to let the chickens spill out into the yard for some breakfast of leftover strawberry tops, melon rinds and fresh clover. At night, they chickens, one by one, go into the house for bed and take their places on the roost. Kate or Karen then closes up the door so they're all tucked in for the night, safe from predators. Most nights, all the chicks are lined up together on the top rung of the roost!

Now, the landscaping begins around the coop to beautify the chickens' surroundings!

The Chicken Coop is Almost Done!

The chickies continue their phenomenal growth! They have outgrown their Rubbermaid tubs (we had five in one and four in the other.) They have begun to squabble a bit and try to fly back and forth in the tubs. Sooo, to give them a little more room, we bought a third tub and now there are three in each. They seem calmer now that they have a bit more room.

Kate was working out in the garden one day and took some of the chickies out and put them in the fenced garden. They immediately began pecking away at bugs and bits of whatever and acting just like chickens! That went along just fine until Mikiko discovered that she could fit through the fence and popped right out, followed by Betty and Peggy Sue. Back into the house....

Here are updated photos of some of the Girls:

The Three Wyandottes:

At three weeks old, here are Mikiko, Emily and Annabelle:

Here's Betty's three-week old picture. She remains the most curious of the bunch.

Progress continues on the girls' new home. The roof is nearly complete and now has boards over the rafters, but we had to cover it with a tarp for a few days due to on-going rain. The wire has been nailed to the building and buried two feet down, with most of the trench filled in around the structure.

On the garden front, lettuce is planted and already coming up, and the peas are up half an inch already. Kate planted melons and 22 tomato plants this week.

"You Can't Stop Progress!"

Well, progress marches on! The coop is taking shape and the garden is now plowed, fenced and has a nice gate. Kate has planted peas, green beans and melons. Chickies continue their amazing growth! Several have the beginnings of their combs!










Betty Showing off her New Tail:















The garden taking shape:


















Betty looks perturbed about ducks in the yard....

The Chicken Palace Goes Up

Yoash and Noami are working hard to build the coop in time for chickies to move in.


Here, they have the trench dug and posts cemented in for the chicken run. The trench is for burying the wire two feet down - to prevent rodents and coyotes from digging under.








The floor is framed.














Building the walls.

Chickie Pictures at Last!

All nine chickies had their pictures taken - at two weeks of age here.

Here is Annabelle.














Here's Betty.















Here's Emily.














Here's Henrietta.










This one is Maggie! And Mikiko.

Work on the new Chicken Palace is well underway. Friends Yoash and Naomi are doing most of the work and doing an excellent job! A trench has been dug around the perimeter, and all the posts are in for the chicken run. The floor of the hen house is also done. Pictures tomorrow!

Got Chickens?

Riverbend Retreat got 4-day old baby chicks on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. We got three of each breed: Black Austrolorp, Silver-laced Wyandotte, and Buff Orpington. They were so tiny and timid those first few days, but have now doubled their size and are eating like pigs!

Names: Wyandottes: Betty, Minnie Pearl and Whoopie. Austrolorps: Mikiko, Henrietta, and Maggie. Orpingtons: Emily, Annabelle and Peggy Sue.


They are already developing personalities! Betty, one of the Wyandottes, always looks up at me when I speak to the chickies, and now, at two weeks of age, flies straight up toward my face when I speak to her. Today, she flew up and landed to perch on the edge of the rubbermaid tote we have them in!

Originally, we had all nine of the chicks in a 50 gallon rubbermaid tote, but today I split them up into two totes, as they were getting a little crowded. At first, I put the three Orpington's in the new tote, but they were very upset about it, crying loudly, and wouldn't settle down. I put them back and tried putting the three Wyandottes into the new tote. No problems! The Orpingtons just need to be with their buddies, I guess. Now, everybody's happy.