Guess Who Is Getting Chickens?

Our apartment flooded one month before the end of our lease.  Chaos, craziness, loss of property.  Four inches of standing water in every room.  Joy.

We were released from our lease early and had to move to a new house quicker than previously thought.  This new house has 1/2 acre of land, a shed, aaand a chicken pen.  I don't exactly have the savings for the goats I want (Nigerian Dwarfs, my fiance makes cheese!), but hey, chickens would be an awesome place to start!!

What KIND of chickens, you ask?

Probably easter eggers.  I was kinda thinking about silkies, but the main reason for chickens for us is eggs, with an emergency meat source.  Silkies aren't tremendously awesome as either, as adorable as they are.  So...Easter Eggers it is!

photo by Observing Life

I have some work to do with the pen before it's ready for them (it's the bare bones, still needs new mesh, a coop, and some nest boxes), plus possibly a brooder to build, so I don't expect to be ready for them until July, but it's exciting to start planning for my very first livestock!  My fiance also really wants to finally get his quail he's been wanting for ages.  I believe he's interested in Coturnix quail, and wants 3 hens.  Thus begins the inevitable learning-everything-possible-about-the-new-species I do with every new or potential critter.

The new place has a fenced yard, so it's going to be awesome to see the dogs finally get to run around a bit.  I plan on letting the peepers get a little exercise for a few hours a day, and letting the dogs out at different times, since I don't expect either the lab nor the pittie to be particularly bird-friendly (in fact, I know Penny had a dangerous interest in a bird - dangerous to her, that is -  the last time she was pet sat.  I know because her little nose had some telling peck marks!).  It's gonna be exciting!

In the meantime, all of our critters are spread across various sitters and boarders, due to the flooding.  My meeces and rabbit are two hours south with my father, the foster kittens and their momma Ghost are with a friend (and just got fixed, thanks to the Spay Day program!), Lanie the lab is in boarding, Penny the pittie and our cat Basement are in the hotel with us (for a fee, ouch).  The fish, reptiles, and tarantulas are in hiding.  We've finished most of the craziness with the move and have moved on to the slow process of unpacking.  I'm still working 7 nights a week, so...it's going very, very slowly.


Ooh, I also wanted to share this with you guys - how your cats and dogs drink:

Story #1 and Story #2.


Also, doggy hepatitis C.


Later gators.

-Mouse