Chick Update: 15 Days Old

It’s been so quiet the past couple of days (taxes done, manuscript submitted, Scott out of town, kids at school) — unnaturally quiet until last night when I think Buddha just decided that our house needed an interjection of chaos to bring things back to normal.

I’ve been keeping the baby chicks in the covered patio, in a big plastic tub filled with pine shavings. Since the chicklets have now grown winglets, they can sort of flap!flap!flap! really fast to travel somewhat vertically so we’ve have a screen that we put on top to keep them from escaping. Yesterday, I took the screen off to let them flap!flap!flap! to perch up on the edge of the tub. Well, silly me forgot to put the screen back on and a couple hours later, I counted the chicks…1…2…3…4…uh, where’s #5?!

Checked Coco for any telltale signs of perhaps a little snack (none), checked the patio furniture – under over sides (nope), checked the swimming pool (nope). Finally, after nearly 20 minutes of frantic searching, I found the little troublemaker inside the giant 10 pound chick feedbag, pecking away at her food. So (in)approriate that the kids named her “Nugget.”

Speaking of names, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I let the kids and their friends name the chicks. Lesson: Don’t let 7, 8 and 42 year olds name baby chicks:

Nugget

Crispy

Sleepy

Tiramisu

Spotty

My husband, the 42 year old kid, named “Tiramisu” – why? no idea. He doesn’t even like coffee.

Here’s Nugget about to take off flapping again:

‘

They are beginning to lose their baby fuzz, with the feathers growing in:

Spotty looks like she has a mask on (we think she might be a Sicilian Buttercup)

The yellow chicks are Salmon Faverolles – she’ll grow puffy cheek muffs, a beard….and has…..

5 toes (instead of the normal 4) and they have feathers on their feet!

Oh shit.

24 Comments

diana stein on 10/7/12 at 6:27 am

Good morning…i came across your site by accident……i have to ask…..have you raised chickens before?

Deborah Vogts on 5/4/12 at 4:50 pm

These are so cute! I want one, or two, or three. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Gabrielle on 5/1/12 at 10:27 pm

The chicks are precious as can be. That Nugget is quite mischievous.

Jessica on 4/30/12 at 4:27 pm

Ohhhh man! Those feet?? Too stinkin’ cute …um literally 😉

Kim in MD on 4/30/12 at 12:29 pm

Your new chicks are adroable, Jaden! I think their names are cute- especially Nugget and Crispy! I laughed out loud at that last photo and your caption! 😉

Cecilia on 4/30/12 at 1:12 am

i absolutely adore your homestead posts!! I hope there are many more to come 🙂

Zack on 4/29/12 at 10:03 pm

This is so cute! My wife used to live in a farm and when we visit her parents we always see the baby chickens! I like Tiramisu’s name , I think it is so fancy lol

Maryann on 4/29/12 at 7:59 pm

You got them to poop on cue!

alan on 4/29/12 at 2:30 pm

i am happy i found your site as i never expected to see chickens being talked about instead of being described in a recipe. I love to bbq ribs and brisket use chicken mainly for eggs, i always have raised one or two hens for egg laying here in arizona. i love to have fresh eggs -everyone should do this

Row on 4/29/12 at 12:39 am

I snorted at the last picture… hehe! They’re all so cute!

Elaine on 4/26/12 at 5:33 pm

OMG how funny was that.

Megan on 4/23/12 at 1:44 pm

Ahhh, they’re starting to look like real birds, not just little bundles of chirpy Awwww!!

JulieD on 4/23/12 at 12:02 pm

They are too cute!! I love their names. My cat has extra toes…I thought it was odd at first but now think it’s cute!

Jenny @ BAKE on 4/23/12 at 10:33 am

they are absolutely adorable!

anita on 4/23/12 at 8:20 am

i like the caption of your last photo!! oh shyt!

Pragyan on 4/22/12 at 11:30 am

Love the names! 🙂

Chris on 4/22/12 at 8:29 am

How cute! Personally I love the names, hilarious.

Kathleen Richardson on 4/22/12 at 8:28 am

LOL!

Jess on 4/21/12 at 9:33 pm

My Boston Terrier is named Nugget, I love the name!

Bev Weidner on 4/20/12 at 5:57 pm

HAHAHA H HA HA HA HAH A!!

Deanna on 4/20/12 at 12:46 pm

I love the chick’s names. We just found a baby turtle and I decided to name him Spumoni. I don’t know why. I just looked at him and it was the only name I could think of.

Whitney on 4/20/12 at 12:07 pm

Ahh, they’re so cute! I wish we could have chickens, and that my Mom never got rid of hers.

Jean | Delightful Repast on 4/20/12 at 11:02 am

I must say I’d be right in there with the kids – best not let me name them! In fact, if they are bound for my table, best not let me have them on my property! I’m afraid I’m not quite so practical as my dear Southern grandmother who could tend her chickens ever so lovingly, then calmly walk out one day and quickly dispatch one for Sunday dinner.

April Decheine on 4/20/12 at 10:17 am

Oh how cute! Umm 5 toes? I hope to get my chickens in the next month! I am going to check out where u got your chicks!