Chick Days Raising Chicken from Hatchlings to Hens |

I am amazed at how much progress both our chickens and the coop have over the past two weeks. Before Sally and I got our babies we read “Chick Days – Raising Chickens From Hatchlings to Laying Hens” by Jenna Woginrich. This book was amazingly well written. In it she stresses how quickly the little birds grow. However, until you see it in person, you really can’t appreciate how quickly they mature. In the past two weeks the birds have gone from fuzzy little babies to aggressive, active fledglings that are beginning to try to fly and already establishing a pecking order. They have also learned to come when I call them (as long as I allow them to eat dehydrated meal worms out of my hand).

Chris is helping the girls adjust to the great outdoors.

By the end of week one they had the beginnings of wing and tail feathers. Now their wings and tails are very developed and all of that down is beginning to fall out. Yesterday, since the girls are getting so big, we took them outside for the first time. It is truly amazing to me that they do not need to be taught anything. While they were a little nervous at first, they quickly began to happily scratch and eat all manner of weeds and grasses. All in all I think it was a great start for them.

Chris’s dog Ed wants to play with the girls too

Since they are growing so quickly, the coop has needed to progress just as quickly. Luckily, it has. I have been very lucky to have the help of our son Chris for the past couple of weekends. Last weekend, we set the posts and started the framing. This weekend, I paid a friend to come and add the roof and do the plumbing and electrical. Here are some shots of our progress: