The chickens now live outside in their spacious coop! The chicks are six weeks old, the weather is warm and beautiful, they have moved outside. It was a fun little adventure carrying each one up out of the basement and off to their new home. Each chick had a slightly different reaction.
Our big project for this past weekend was not coop cleaning, it was actually supposed to be fence assembling. We planned on dividing our "L" shaped yard with a simple chain link fence. Unfortunately we didn't anticipate how much it would cost to purchase a few posts and a roll of link, while not terribly expensive, it wasn't in our budget. So we divided our yard in a more frugal (albeit temporary) manner; a log "fence".
31 Days 2014, Backyard Chickens | in Family Life, Homestead 
This weekend was lovely. Absolutely beautiful weather that just demanded that we spend as much time as possible outside. It was the perfect opportunity to open up the coop and give it a complete cleaning in preparation for some new occupants. Some vinegar, some water, and plenty of sunshine later and the girls are ready for their big move to the big outdoors.
One of the sweetest parts of bird raising is seeing my children love on them. My toddler, still clumsy with words, and quick on his feet, drops everything when one of our baby chicks comes out. Buuuurd! He exclaims with absolute joy on his face. With big bright happy eyes he points at the baby chick and repeats his word, delighted at being able to name the animal correctly and being able to pet the feathered friend with the most gentle touches any 19 month old could ever muster.
Our hens ate homemade chicken feed until their abrupt passing. When it was time to get our chicks I thought I would make their feed as well. When I started to research chick starter recipes I immediately came across a forum that cautioned against making your own feed. I was a little discouraged and overwhelmed. While I knew it was still possible to make my own, the caution combined with the new demands of getting children off to school, I decided that I would buy my first bag of chick starter.