Wednesday, March 16, 2011

More new chicks and 4 week update

I just got eight Silkie chicks yesterday and they are so very tiny and sweet.  I could not decide what color I wanted, so I got two each of Buff, White, Black and Blue.  I am hoping I get a few hens out of the deal.  Any roosters will be re-homed or become dinner if unable to find homes for them.  I have found a home for my Blue splash Silkie roo and my black Silkie/polish mix hen.  I am going to put my Cochin/Silkie hen with the bigger chickens at the same time I introduce the Ameracana hens to the flock.  So that will leave my white Silkie roster, my polish hen, and any new Silkie hens I get with this new bunch of chicks.
My Ameracana chicks are now 4 weeks old.  They are growing like weeds  and I can see changes in them daily.  Following are their four week pics, and some picks of the new Silkie chicks.
 Sookie at 4 weeks.  Looks like she is going to be all white.
 Loise at 4 weeks.  She is telling me how unhappy she is being picked up.
 Sarah at four weeks  I think she looks like a little hawk with her coloring.
 Misty at 4 weeks.  She still has grey on her head, but the body is white with light rust highlights.
 Roxie at four weeks.  Still mostly grey, but getting some brown in her wings.
 White silkie chicks.  I am figuring the silkie chicks are around three or four days old.
 Black Sikie chicks.
 Buff Silkie chicks.
 Blue Silkie chicks.
Here is a pic of one of the Silkie chicks in my hand to give you an idea of their size.  So very tiny.  Sorry the picture is blurry.  My camera is starting to mess up.

Zoomer and I have looked at several promising pieces of land in Crawford county.  We are looking there, because they do not have building restrictions.  Before we decide on which one to make an offer on, we are going to also check on properties that are available for back taxes owed.
One we looked at a few days ago is only 3 acres and I really want more then that, but this one has an old house on it that, with some work, would be livable until we build our house, then could be used for an art studio or a garage for Zoomer to work on his bikes.  Two points against it though, it is right on the state highway, and is only three acres.  So, still looking.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Leaps and Bounds

Wow, it always amazes me how fast the chicks change.  You can see changes daily.  Since the last set of pictures they have nearly doubled their size, the patterns are popping out on them and the colors are changing, and their tails are doubled in length.  They are entering that dinosaur stage.  Sookie is still mostly white with varying shades of white in places.  Louise is more brown with beautiful patterning in her wings.  Sarah is gong to be gorgeous and is shades of brown, rust and grays.  Misty , well, she is interesting with different shades of cream and grays, and Roxie is all shades of gray with some patterning in her wings.  I don't have as much time to spend with them as I had hoped so they are still afraid of me and freak out whenever I try to pick them up.  I am going to go get some parakeet grit so I can start giving them treats.  Maybe I can get on their good side that way.  Here are their pictures taken this morning.
Sookie
Louise
Sarah
Misty
Roxie

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Two weeks old

The chicks will be two weeks old tomorrow.  Already there have been changes in their appearances.  They are definitely Ameraucanas as they have tails and a couple are already showing the cheek muffs.   Their colors have changed slightly and the patterns are becoming more defined.  I haven't had a lot of time to hold them and tame them, but have sat at the computer with one sleeping on my chest at times.
Here are some pictures I took today.
Sookie is starting to show a little pale color in her wings.
 Louise has some nice patterning in her wing and tail feathers.  She is showing more grey and less brown.
 Sarah still has quite a bit of brown and her wings are not as patterned.
 Misty's wings are getting whiter with some darker areas.  She is turning a soft grey all over with the light tan spots on her head and neck.
 Roxie is also showing more pattern in  her wings and tail and more grey all over.  Her black areas on her back and the back of her head are not as large.
I really do need to work with them.  The re terrified every time I approach the tub.

I have decided to re-home BG, my blue splash Silkie rooster, and Ebony my Black Silkie/Polish mix hen.  I have to many rooters and BG is my least favorite.  Ebony is picking on Phoenix, who I just found out was a hen as she started laying a couple weeks ago, and she is picking on my slow Silkie Rooster, Singer.