Happy Turkey Day!

My mom wanted to see pictures, so these are the chickens at 4 1/2 months old. Happy turkey (non-chicken) day!

puberty

The little chicks have now become awkward adolescents. T-Rex not so bad because she still has the puffy cheeks, but Potato is looking a little weird. They're still beautiful in my eyes though.

lucky stars

This blog has somehow turned into a chick blog so let me move onto other topics. Although I loooove my chicks, I'll return to them at a later point.

I had a long summer vacation. Everyone thought I was so lucky. I didn't enjoy it at all. I couldn't concentrate, and I wasted everyday. I barely painted. I became a hermit. With the education budget cuts, I was sitting around all summer wondering whether I was going to survive each month. My savings were dwindling, and I was getting nervous. I had one Design & Color class scheduled for the fall semester, but one class wasn't much. To make things worse, I had to turn down two class offers because they conflicted with the schedule of this one class. Frustration led to resignation so I decided to turn my attention elsewhere. This led to my obsession with gardening, the chicken and exercise. (I am on Day 34 of P90X, by the way. I will write more about that later.) I was turning inward, focusing on myself and daily comforts. Some might describe it as a dying insect with curling limbs.

Finally a couple weeks ago, I got an email from the Assistant Dean - three Color Theory classes, yes! Things would be tight, but I could figure things out. Then, last week, I got a late night phone call from the department chair, one Painting class, do you want it? Thank you!

I'm one of the lucky few, and sometimes I'm amazed that I've been this lucky so far. The next few months will be busy and possibly cranky, but I'm stocking up for the long hard winter.

Coop

We finished building the coop with the help of Erica's dad, the most patient man in the world. The newspaper floor is temporary until we pick up some shavings.

Meet Potato

Here's the newest addition, Potato. She's a Light Brahma and has feathers all the way down to her feet. When she gets older, they'll look like feathery bellbottoms.

tragedy

I was upstairs getting ready to leave the house while the housekeepers were cleaning. I heard the sound of the lid snap and the chicks chirping frantically so I thought, Oh the housekeepers must've opened the lid to pet them (because the chicks freak out when that happens).

Five minutes later, I was walking past the chick brooder and I saw T-Rex, but Nugget was missing. Then I saw Nugget had trapped herself between the waterer and the side wall and was lying facedown in the water! It's so shallow that it's nearly impossible to drown, but Nugget did. Then I attempted to revive her by blowing air in her mouth (unsuccessfully). I found out later from the lady at Jamul Ranch & Feed Store, that it's possible to give CPR to a bird. It's also important to bring their body temperature back up slowly with a heating pad.

Nugget had such a sweet personality and would hop into your lap. I drove straight out to the ranch in Jamul to get another chick because they need to be in groups. T-Rex was been chirping all day until I put the new chick in the bin. She really doesn't like being alone. I chose a 1-week old Light Brahma chick, who I named Potato. Even though they're 2 weeks apart in age, T-Rex and Potato seem to be getting along. Potato follows T-Rex everywhere, but sometimes T-Rex "accidentally" steps on her.

Rest in peace Nugget.

Falling asleep

New family members

Erica and I drove out to Ranch and Feed Supply in Spring Valley and got 2 chicks. One Orphington and one Araucana that were 6 days old. They didn't have Ameraucanas, but Araucanas are somewhat similar. We can already see a pecking order between the two, but they still snuggle together for warmth and comfort.














We decided to create a little photo shoot in a strawberry basket. One of them pooped and ruined the set.














We haven't named them yet, but I believe the blonde one looks like a Nugget.














You can tell Nugget is more dominant. The Araucana is subversive and likes to pick at dingleberries. Well I guess I've caught both of them eating poop. Gross.

Videos

This is the first day we got them in the brooder.

Brooding

I used to have Rhode Island Reds as a kid: Chip, Mohawk and Dirty. I'd bathe them every week and blowdry them until they'd fall asleep. They'd come running, pooping left and right until they plopped into my lap. This sweet life lasted until they matured into grown adults. The chicken coop then became a war zone. I'd constantly dodge their ferocious pecks at my feet and hands, and I was always wearing sandals for some reason. Chip was the skinniest and the meanest of them all. But all three hens provided us fresh brown eggs everyday and compliantly hopped into their coop every night. My grandpa had built the most amazing wooden coop with windows, a sliding door and a sloped roof that opened up. Unfortunately, we lived in a surburb that wasn't zoned for chickens, and our neighbors weren't too happy about the egg-laying cacophony. So my chickens took refuge at a family friend's house and lived happily with a male rooster.

Now living in San Diego, I've become an avid gardener. I have tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, watermelons, passion fruit, all kinds of herbs, strawberries, onions, potatoes, green beans, cantaloupes...you get the idea. Then I read an article about the trend in backyard chickens and all their benefits. They eat bugs, peck at weeds, eat food scraps, lay eggs and fertilize the ground. Amazing! They would also be sweet pets, except for Rhode Island Reds, which I found out tend to be aggressive. I've researched all the various types of chickens, looking for friendly, quiet egg-layers and I've decided on Ameraucanas (for their pretty easter egg colors) and Orpingtons (for their chubby good looks).