Urban Homestead

I poked my head outside the back door the other day and the yard had gone from winter, to spring, in 2 days. It seemed as if overnight, the fruit trees burst into bloom. They were covered. It was then I realized I had forgotten to prune.

Well, the girls are doing great. It’s kind of a waiting game for now. I am waiting for them to get a nice full coat of feathers (no more fuzz) before I move them up to the yard.  They are very pretty and very friendly. I think Bennett is the alpha chick. She seems to be in charge. In the coming weeks I will start to give them a couple of hours outside whenever the weather permits. I want to let my established chickens get used to having the new girls around. Hopefully the transition will be as painless as possible.

My plan is to try and give the chickens time with each other during the day, for about 4 or 5 days. I will bring the young chickens inside at night. Then after, they have had enough time to become comfortable with each other, I will wait until it is completely dark and the older chickens have come in to roost. I will then set the new chickens on the roost with the other chickens and with luck, they will all wake up the next morning as happy sisters.

The last time I introduced new chickens into the flock, I didn’t have a “get to know you” mixer. I just put the new chickens in the coop after dark. There were definitely roommate issues.

If the weather is nice tomorrow I will get the young ones out for a little yard time. If so, I will film it and get it on the site for everyone to see how they are doing.

Take care y’all

Well, the chicks have arrived. I went down to the feed store because they had told me they were getting the chicks in this week. So, I went down there and picked out 2 nice Araucanas. They are a nice, mellow breed that lay blue and green eggs. We already have 2 of them, so I thought I would try and stick with the same breed. I had picked up 2 from a neighbor, 1 Barred Rock and 1 Rhode Island Red. We had some serious roommate issues and those 2 left us for another family.

So, I figured if I was going to do this again, I might as well share. Here goes. First off, chicks don’t need much. They need to be warm and cozy, eat and drink, poo and sleep. To provide this, you will need some supplies.

This is what I used:

1. Good sized box
2. Clamp light (60w-150w)
3. Mason Jar Feeder
4. Waterer
5. Roosting Stick
6. Piece of wood to set feeder and waterer on.
7. Pine shavings
8. A little newspaper

You can use any kind of box. I have used plastic tubs, but this time I went with the cardboard. This one is probably overkill for only 2 chicks, but I like them to have plenty of room.

Here is the feeder:

It is a little tricky getting the feeder full and then putting a full Mason jar on the top, but any spilled food will be found by the chicks and it gives them something to scratch for.

Here is the waterer:

This is a simple watering system. Put fresh water in the top part, screw on the bottom part, turn right side up and put it in the box. It’s a good idea to check it everyday for debris. You can get the feeder and waterer at any feed store/Pet store.

Ok, let’s get to the setup:

Step 1:

I put some newspaper on the bottom of the box to help keep it dry.

Step 2:

I put this piece of wood in here to keep the food and water up off the floor of the warming box. This will also help to stabilize the containers.

Step 3:

Now, I cover the floor of the box with Pine shavings. This gives the chicks something to scratch in and it keeps them dry. You should change it out when it gets dirty. I would say, change it in a week, or 4 days, but it all depends on the size of your warming box and how many chicks you have.

Step 4:

Now get your food and water containers full and placed where you want them. Make sure your light is clamped into position and on. You want to keep the box warm (like 90 degrees warm). Just like Mama. I keep a layer of chicken wire on top of the box, not because the chicks can get out, but to keep things from falling in (a cat for example).

Step 5 (my favorite step):

Add chicks. Here are our new additions. You can place the roost stick anywhere you want to as long as they have a place to get up and sit on they will love it.

Here are a couple of close ups of the girls.

That should get you started with backyard chickens. Part 2 will discuss the ways I use my chickens to help out in the garden and in the refrigerator.See y’all next time.

If you have ever wanted to have a few chickens in your backyard for eggs, manure, and fun, then check here in the coming weeks. At this time we have 2 Arucana (Amerucana) hens, you may have noticed their picture at the top of this blog, and we will be getting 2 new chicks of the same breed this coming Friday! I will be posting some How-To videos for anyone who would like to know how to do this. It is easy, fun, and delicious (the eggs I mean).

Hello, I’m glad you stopped by. What is Urban Homestead? Well, this is a place to explore the idea of taking rural ideas of self sufficiency and incorporating them into an urban setting. In other words, I live in the city but I want to have chickens for eggs, a garden, perhaps some fruit trees in my yard so I can make the most of what I have. I hope you enjoy your visit here and perhaps take something with you when you go. I’m looking forward to what awaits us, down the road.