Chicken Mama (or Crazy Aunt)

I did it!  In the past week or so, I have ordered my chicken coop, purchased the heated waterer and hanging feeder, researched and ordered organic grains and seeds for feed, and ordered fencing.  My dad and I have agreed on the dates he is coming to help me build my fence around the sod I laid for their “chicken yard”.  And, I ordered my chickens!  Six adorable Wyandotte chicks that are currently 6 weeks old! 

I wanted to order my chicks through an online source…but I waited a little too long and only day-old chicks were available.  I’d like to continue being married, so I opted to look for a little older chicks.  I went onto Craig’s List and found a post for 5 and 10 week old chicks just outside the city.  I was contacted by the seller and found out that he is an 11-year-old young man who raises chickens for spending money!  Pretty cool! He knew a lot about chickens so I think he will be a great resource for me when I take possession of the little ladies.  He agreed to keep the chicks for me until the end of October when they are 8 or 9 weeks old.  That way they won’ t have to be IN the house, but can be in my shed with a heat lamp in case it gets cold.  And, he agreed to swap out any of the “ladies” that suddenly begin to develop more “manly features”.  I’m not allowed to have roosters in the city!

Proudly, I am “Crazy Aunt Di” to nine nieces and nephews, aged 1 to 20.  Only 6 of them are under the age of 11 and one is only a year old.  In an effort to continue my reputation as the  “Fun loving, cool Aunt”, I decided to have 5 of the chickens be “virtual pets” for my niece and nephews aged 5 to 11.  I emailed them about my new adventure and invited them to participate from afar.  “You each may have a chicken for a pet!” I told them.  All I required was that each came up with a good name and one interesting fact about chickens.  Here is what they came up with:

Olivia, 8        “Jenny”                         “Gallus, gallus, domesticus”, Latin for chicken

Ian, 5             “Sidney”                       you can hypnotize a chicken by holding it and drawing a line            in the dirt over and over.  The chicken will stay right there as long as you do this…(hmmmmm….)

Evan, 8          “Pot Pie” or “Pie”         Chickens hatch from their eggs in 21 days

AJ, 10            “Puck”                          The largest chicken egg was 12 inches long

Stevie, 11       “Marge”                       Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens

                                                                                   

The sixth chicken is for my 17 year-old-daughter who threw a bit of a fit when she found out the niece and nephews were getting a chicken for a pet but she wasn’t…she named her chicken “Melinda” and her fact is that chickens are the closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus Rex!  Who knew?

I guess you’re never too old for a chicken!