Chicka chicka boom boom

New use for old toys

The summer is flying by. We're having adventures and taking pictures ... I've just been too busy playing with the kids and trying to meet my work commitments to get photos up.

The kids kicked off one of their bigger adventures on Saturday, when they went to a nearby farm for a four-hour crash course on chickens and brought home five chicks, just a few days old. Within minutes of their homecoming, they were all named: Shadow, Blackjack, Goldie, Brownie, and Blackberry.

Brownie

The first lesson learned raising chickens: Baby chickens are fragile creatures. The first class we planned to attend was canceled because the entire shipment of chicks died in transit from the hatchery. Dozens more died in the shipment for the rescheduled class.

And our Brownie, who was looking a little weak from the start, died Monday. Calvin was especially sad. And poor Brownie spent much of the week in the freezer. She was finally laid to rest near the orange trees this afternoon.

The kids wanted to replace her, so we returned to the farm Wednesday and brought home Cheetah.

So here's a look at our our lineup below. These are, from left, Shadow, Goldie, and Cheetah:

Shadow, Goldie, and Cheetah

At least one is an Ameraucana chicken, and will lay blue-green eggs. The other two may be Ameraucaunas as well, or they may be Welsummers (light brown eggs), or they might be one of each — the chicks are indistinguishable. (Follow the links to see what they'll look like all grown up.)

And these two are Blackberry and Blackjack.

Blackberry and Blackjack

They're Dominique chickens. They're believed to be the oldest breed in the U.S. and neared extinction in the 1950s-1970s. They lay dark brown eggs.

Cheetah's getting lots of attention right now, because everyone thinks she looks the coolest:

Cheetah

I think the Dominiques will give her a run for her money when they're all grown up. (Though I'm still not sure I particularly like adult chickens. I suspect they'll grow on me.)

We've fielded lots of questions about this little venture. Here's some of what I've answered the most:

* These are probably all girls. If any are roosters — we'll find out within a few months — they'll go back to the farm or somewhere else to be "dispatched." We're not allowed to have roosters in our city, and we don't want one anyway (they're noisy and aggressive). No rooster is needed for laying hens.

* We should start getting eggs by late December or so. We could get as many as 6 eggs per chicken per week. They lay fewer in winter, and different breeds and chickens may lay less. Their diet can affect how many they lay as well.

* That's more eggs than we need, and the boys plan to sell the rest.

* We're converting the playhouse I made into a coop (the boys never used it) and fencing in the unused strip of dirt next to it to make a run.

* People tell me it isn't much work to raise chickens. We'll see.

* Once mature, they lay eggs for 3-4 years. Typical life expectancy is 6-10. Once they aren't earning their keep, the plan is that the kids pay for feed and keeping them alive, or we find them a new home or turn them into soup. (Cold, I know. I might feel differently when the times comes... or I might not.)

* And no, Doug isn't into this at all. But he does think the chicks are very cute.

The new kings of the castle

The kids are having all sorts of fun playing with them. The chicks celebrated their one-week birthday Wednesday by showing off their new perching and jumping skills, and even a little bit of almost-flying. They get a lot of playtime in the castle, going up and down the stairs, hopping across platforms, and testing out temporary perches the kids are laying out for them.

Helping Cheetah learn to perch

Saying goodbye to Brownie

Lucky he didn't get pooped on