Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah have arrived!
They hatched at 7am on Monday the 26th and were put on a plane to us that night.  I picked them up at the PO the next afternoon!

They are just adorable!
Samson is the little on in the back and yes I can tell them apart.  He has a bigger gray spot on the top of his noggin.

They are very sweet and know my voice.  When I speak to them they sqwak and try to jump.  And, when I put them on my lap and lean back a bit they climb up to my chest and snuggle in.  I think they like the heartbeat and warmth.

So....for now, the goslings are in a bin in my bathtub, my chickens are still in my closet, my husband in the guestroom or camping out my our son in his bunkbed, and the weather has been non-cooperative for the coop. 

All in all things are par down here on the farm!

Have a great day!

Just about to go to the coop!

Here they are at about 5 weeks I think..judging by their feathering.  The coop is nearing completion and more pics to post shortly.
Here is my little guy Nate with his Cynthiona!

Aren't they cute?!

Coop and Chick update

Well the chicks are getting big and friendly.  The Buffs are much friendlier than the Ameraucaunas, but even they are getting less hand shy.  I started putting a bit of feed in my hand and that helped.  They are trying to fly a bit in the brooder too, which gets my son cackling.  The two little buffs will hop out of the brooder onto our arms or his lap without hesitation.

Here are some pics...Maggie on the roosting pole, Jill passing by, and then Georgia and Cynthiona inspecting the camera.

Maggie

Cynthiona

Georgia

Jill

AND... here is the status of the coop.  I came home from a day on the road inspecting cell tower sites and my husband had the coop completely sided and painted.  The trim is in progress of being painted and next he will build the door.  He is going to give me a porch/deck around like a little cottage/barn.  I have the best guy in the world!

The chicks are somewhere near the end of three weeks of age, near as I can tell.  They are getting their feathers in and are becoming less hand shy.  I began dumping a bit of chick starter in my hand and they have begun to come and peck away at it.

The Buffs are super friendly.  The Amerecauna (figured it out) Easter Eggers are a bit gun-shy, but are starting to come around.  The coop is looking fabulous too!

The Coop!

So we have this old shed in our yard and we decided this would make a great chicken and guinea house.  My "ChickMansion."  So we installed some windows, insulation (in progress), and my husband is going to wire in a box for heat lamps/general lighting.  The interior layout is still in the design phase.

One thing we discovered is that the prior folks just sided to studs!  No real outer wall...they stapled tarpaper to the studs and sided over it...so an added element to the project is plywood and new siding...this weekend.  Some pics below of the work in progress!  I will post updates as we get it done!

Brooder in my closet!

Here they all are in their new digs...our dogs' travel kennel.  Their colors are starting to come through a bit better as they begin to lose the baby fluff for feathers.  Jull is the dark chick in the back (more brow), and Maggie Mae is the light brown/grey.  Cynthiona is the big buff in the front and Georgia is the tiny buff near Maggie Mae.

My son is checking out their new home as well.  This is in our closet and will be the brooder for all the new babies.  A pair of goslings are due to arrive March 27th, and this perfect timing as the chicks will be ready to move to the coop (see next post of that renovation project).  Then in early May four guineas will arrive and move into this kennel.

Aren't they cute!

I used 1/2-inch mesh around the bottom half of the kennel so the gals can't slip through.  I put some dowels in at varying heights so they can play at roosting when they are ready.  I lined the bottom with a heavy black lawn and leaf bag, reinforced with duct tape where it is wired to the kennel.  This idea came from the gal who sold me the chicks at the local hay and feed store.

And...this was not an original idea of mine...I got it from a forum post at BackyardChickens.com.  Visit their site if you are interested in raising chickens!

Pleased to introduce you to Jill and Maggie Mae (homage to Rod Stewart), and they are the Arecauna or Americauna (can't recall and will ask and update soon!), and to Georgia and Cynthiona, the Buff Orpingtons (kinda hard to see here).  This is the first day home from the hay and feed store in town (2-25-2012).  They resided in a storage bin in our bathtub from Saturday to Wednesday as they seem to be growing fast!