Cluckers

Most of this is bound to be a repeat if you're on Facebook (apologies).

Andy and I decided to use the former hay stall for our chicken coop area. He uncovered part of the original barn foundation, which was a bit of a disaster, like everything around here. We've been piecing together and mortaring the old stones, so I think it will look neat when it's finished.

Andy bought a new giant drill to mix the mortar, so he's a happy guy.

We didn't have a great plan for the chicken brooder, so we kept them in a cardboard box for a week or two. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this heat lamp/cardboard set-up, but we kept a very close eye on it. Besides, this is probably the least of our fire worries.

Squee, they're adorable!

We finally upgraded to a metal brooder. Andy charmed the ladies.

Supervised play time with kitty.

Kitty is intensely interested, but she hasn't tried to attack the birds. She swatted at this one's butt feathers and then laid down next to it. 

 

They're getting pretty big and pooping a LOT. They went from adorable to mostly disgusting. Stinkers.

We originally had 10 birds, but we're down to 9. The runt of the litter was having some serious developmental issues -- her breast looked very strange, her wings weren't forming, and the other hens were picking out most of her feathers. I felt sad making the call, but she needed to be put out of her misery. I suppose I'll have to get used to firsthand animal deaths.

Palette cleanser: Lemon warming herself on the radiator.