Growing Up

Those little chicks are not very little and way too big for the brooder.  They've been getting up on the edge for a while, which isn't safe for them and sure isn't safe for our garage!  They've also gotten wild, which is typical when animals are confined too tight.  My husband has been calling them "the piranhas" when he feeds them.

We moved them out to the coop.

First we had to clean it out.  It still had everything from the last time chickens were in there.  My husband and daughters scooped it all out and then laid in several inches of clean wood chips.  After it was ready, my daughter posed with a laying hen.  The twins do all the chicken naming.  This one is "Mrs. Cutie."

And this one is "Miss Puffy."

Two years ago I would never have imagined that my children would enjoy farm animals so much.  When we first started, they liked it, but complained about the work.  Now, almost two years into having chickens, we get no complaints about taking care of them and there is lots of chicken holding.  God is teaching my daughters that joy is on the other side of work.

Going out with the chickens is an opportunity to check over the fruit trees.  These trees are a year old, so we expect only a small harvest.  The plums, apricots, and nectarines are pretty sparse, but the cherries, apples, and peaches are pretty heavy.  This gala has lots of baby apples.