Who Are You Callin' Chicken?

Cocoa, Maia, Elsa, Peck, Peanut, and Zoe enjoy the "woods".

Back in November (two days before Thanksgiving in fact) we added to the general chaos around here by adopting six baby chickens.  As I have only briefly mentioned them before, and they have taken on such a significant role in our daily life, I thought I ought to provide an update on these funny girls.  At least, we think (and hope) they are all girls.  The kids adore playing with, holding, and petting the chickens.  Quite often Cooper can be found carrying Elsa around the yard as she is the smallest and the nicest.  For now Mama and Daddy meet the basic needs of chickens such as feeding, watering, and cleaning out the coop, but we look forward to teaching the kids animal care and responsibility as they (both kids and chickens!) get bigger.  

Peanut and Zoe peck around the cedar "woods" by their coop.  These girls are still too young and its too cold for them to be laying eggs yet, but they are well on their way to "free range" status.  Predators are a big problem (as we have heard from the neighbors) around here so we keep a close eye on them and make sure they are locked up in the coop at night.  During the day, however, they are free to leave the coop and peck around the yard. It's hilarious to open the coop door in the morning and watch them all come flapping and clucking in a frenzy outside. 

They are starting to roost!  On very cold nights the chickens can be found all huddled in a heap under the heat lamp but they are starting to act less like babies and more like hens as they have started roosting.  Pictured here are Zoe and Cocoa.  Its true, chickens may be adorable but they are dumb.  We got them a bigger, better watering bucket and it took them a MONTH to figure out how to use it!  To their credit, they are animals of instinct.  When we go to put the chickens up in the evening, they are usually already bedding down for the night.  Only a few times ever have we had to coax them in.

And that's our new girls in an eggshell!  #kirkfamilychickens