Nicole's

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Chicken Chronicles: Two Weeks Old and Bold as Ever

April 24, 2015 Photography, Urban Homesteading

It’s been such a delight to watch the chick’s personalities take flight. (hehe, pun intended) 😉 We’ve had some incredible weather lately so the chicks got a little outing that they weren’t too sure about at first. After thirty minutes or so, they were exploring, taking dust baths, and nibbling grass. To combat brooder boredom, we also put a mirror in their cage, and the chicks are quite enamored with it. (Or should I say, with themselves?)   Hope you enjoy the pics. These little suckers are growing fast—soon they’ll be fully feathered and moved to the outdoor brooder in the big coop. Sniff, sniff. Where does time go? 🙂

15 Cubic Feet of Dirt

April 22, 2015 confessions, Urban Homesteading

Three feet long, two feet wide, two-and-a-half feet deep. It’s the second time I’ve dug a grave with these dimensions, and that 15 cubic feet of dirt seems to grow heavier-and lighter-each time. The reality of owning chickens is that they are frail, delicate creatures and hunted by most everything in a country (and urban) environment. But I’ve dug these graves on my own, because I know if I choose to be responsible for these beings, I must see it through to the very end. I made the tough call to put down Spike after a neurological disease meant an early end to his short life. I made the call...

Chicken Chronicles: New Peeps for the Flock

April 8, 2015 Photography, Urban Homesteading

After discovering the diagnosis that took out Spike, we knew we could only move forward with new birds that were immune to Mareks or vaccinated. We were lucky to find a local supply store that had vaccinated chicks. 🙂 We grabbed two Ameraucanas, two Buff Orpingtons, one Barred Rock. 🙂 So, without further ado, our new girls (official names TBA):   Some candid shots: We’re so excited for the new flock members! 🙂 – Nicole

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Thoughts After One Year as Chicken Owners

March 13, 2015 confessions, Photography, Urban Homesteading

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we picked up these little fluff balls that totally changed our lives.  It’s been a year of chicks, ducklings, bantam adoptees, sick birds and eggs gallore. Never have I felt so helpless and so enamored with such tiny little things.  I never expected so many life lessons to come from owning chickens.  Now, I look back and see all the mistakes we made, things we really couldn’t have learned without learning the hard way. And I would not have traded a moment. Chickens have died, vanished, reappeared, had to be euthanized. Each moment has burned memories and emotions deep into my...