Our Backyard Chickens

Baby chicks

• Lavender orpington

• Easter egger/welspring

• Black copper maran

• Buff orpington or White leghorn

The Brooder Box

We went to Tractor Supply to get everything we needed to get started with the chicks.

• Heat lamp

• Wooden box or galvinized tub

• Pine shavings

• Chicken feeder

• Baby chick crumbs

• Chicken waterer

Care

We were told when we got home with the chicks to make sure they know where the water is located. We did this by picking each up one at a time and dipping their beaks in the waterer.

Then, we named them: Pearl, Kevin, Derrick and Hei Hei.

The birds grew very quickly. We found out that Pearl (the black copper maran) was super vocal. Unforunately, we learned too late this was a distress call. The second morning we woke up, Pearl had passed. It was obvious the chick’s size was much smaller than the other two. We believe Pearl was either bullied by the other chicks away from the feeder (behavior we later observed between the remaining chicks) or there was some kind of anatomical explanation. We read that sometimes chickens are born with smaller hearts that cannot keep up with their growth.

We learned the sound of their distress call too late, but now we respond immediately when we hear it. Now, it typically means Hei Hei is being too assertive. We believe Hei Hei is a rooster.

Hen or Rooster?

We have friends who also keep chickens. After posting an update, a friend commented asking us to check the wings. We looked it up. Hen feathers grow faster. If there are two rows of feathers on their wings, it is likely a hen. If the feathers are all the same length, the bird is likely a rooster. We even used AI to examine the photos and suggest the genders. It looks confirmed. Hei Hei is the rooster and the other two are hens. Yes, Kevin is a girl. Disney fans rejoice.

From Brooder to Coop

Coming soon…