Baby Chick Time

Its become a sign of spring here on the Gravelly Road -- the annual trip to get a few more chickens to add to our small backyard flock.  Its been fun to share the cuteness of baby chicks with our new kiddos as well.

We added four this year.  If you've read our previous spring posts, you'd know we started with four chicks (with one ending up being a rooster) and added three more last spring.  Well, the rooster developed a mean streak and was evicted from the Gravelly Road last fall.  Sadly we lost two hens over the winter to predators that managed to get into the coop at dusk before we'd made it outside to lock up the gate.  So four is just about right, giving us a little flock of eight hens (hopefully).

Already the chicks are quickly getting their real feathers and loosing their soft fluff.  Hopefully spring will be here to stay soon so they can get a bit more fresh air than their temporary home in the shed under the heat lamp.

Names are still under discussion... right now we have Anna, R2-D2 and Chicken Little.

And while having preschoolers around baby chicks means a never-ending chorus of "gently, gently", we are enjoying our new chicken residents on the Gravelly Road.