Chickens week 2

Well the first week of the chickens went well. After the first few nights I stopped having nightmares that I would somehow kill them with my stupidity. I can't believe how much they have grown in just a week. Here they are enjoying some sunshine. I go out every morning and give them fresh feed and water. I also clean out the wood shavings and put new down. It is amazing how much they poop! However that is all great stuff for the compost pile.

A few of the chicks had paste bottoms. When they get stressed they don't clean their behind very well, to help with that the books said to mix up cornmeal with their food. That is the special treat that is in the bowl. As you can tell they are not very bright, they are sitting in the food bowl. On Saturday morning I actually spent some time cleaning their bottoms.

This is a really good picture where you can see how their down is starting to change into their feathers. They are still kind of cute but by the end of this week they should start looking pretty gangly.

We did have a bit of bad luck this morning. When Paul went out to check on them he found one had died. We are not sure why, they were all fine when I got home at 9:30 last night. I would have liked to examine the chick to see if we needed to watch the others, but Paul had already burried it. I think he was concerned I would be upset, he is such a sweet guy. I am not sad, but I am concerned, I really hope this wasn't a sign of things to come. The rest looked healthy this morning but you never know. Such is the life of a want to be farmer.