Tuesday

New Peeps at our Place...



While growing up my dad was an advocate of growing and raising some of our own food even though our home was located within the city limits~ albeit on a large-size lot by today's standards. We had a good size vegetable garden ~ which later was replaced by a swimming pool ~ much to the delight of us kids! We had a few fruit trees, and we also raised chickens for eggs. We also had rabbits, but they ended up being pets, not food for the table.
That was years and years ago and although I've raised ducks for eggs in the meantime, I haven't had chickens since then. I've been wanting to have our own fresh, organic eggs for a while ~ so here we are!



Please say hello to the first five ~ they are all Buff Orpingtons, a beautiful, usually docile and gentle breed developed in the late 1800's in Orpington, Kent, UK.


Photo: Buff Hooligans

They will look similar to example above when full grown. They are "dual-purpose" hens, producing meat and eggs ~ they will be strictly for eggs at our place.

Tomorrow we'll be adding a few more to our little flock:

Photo: Google
Silver Laced Wyandotte
(An American bird, developed in New York in the 1870's)
and

Photo: Bing.com
And Gold Laced Wyandottes
(This American breed was developed in Wisconsin, 1880's)


The Buff Orpington's arrived first, here they are when they came home:


Aren't they darling? :D
They must be kept quite warm for the first few weeks until their feathers grow in, so into the warm brooder box they went and will stay until they are a little more mature.


Healthy appetites!




Adorable tiny wings, and fluffy tushes ~ but they are growing so fast!





We've picked names for the five so far,
the others will be determined as we meet the new chicks.
May I introduce to you ~

"Pumpkin"


"Chloe"




"Chelsea"



"Lolly"

"Sassy Sally"
(Here she is, walking off the set. I don't think she liked the terms of the photo shoot.) *grin*
Now for the work ~
Presently we're working on the coop ~
It definitely won't be as elegant as one of Martha Stewart's:

Instead this is what I have in mind:

Photo: Buff Hooligans

We'll allow them free-range while supervised, at other times they will have access to their run.


Photo: Buff Hooligans
Again, much like this one completely screened, but larger than this because of our larger flock.

If all goes well, we should be enjoying our first eggs in about 5 months or so ...
Updates to follow!











If you've ever considered having your own little flock of chickens there are plenty of resources available on the internet. One of my favorites is Backyard Chickens
You know I love your comments. And if you have chickens, I would really appreciate hearing from you, too!












65 comments:

  1. Oh, how I have always wanted peeps at my house! We have never lived where it was possible. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! I will live through your postings of this beautiful chickens.

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  2. We've kept backyard poultry for years...the chicks are wonderful. We've had Buff Orpingtons in the past and they are lovely hens!

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  3. Enjoy your peeps! We had chicken(ducks, rabbits and geese) growing up. Now I have a couple of neighbors who have small flocks of chickens. Fortunately they share their eggs with me.
    Mimi

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  4. I just got our plans for our coop today. Not sure when construction will commence. We are going to start with four chickens- two buff orpingtons and two rhode island reds. Ours will be pets/egg producers and will never grace our table (unless we invite them in for tea). I can't wait!

    I can't wait to see your coop too.

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  5. How cute! Probably the only time I'd be okay with something furry in my tea cup. Good luck with the coop.

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  6. I wish we could have chickens. We have the room on our lot, but the HOA would have a conniption. How are you telling them apart to name them?

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  7. I love when it chick time...they are so darn adorable and fluffy. Very cute pictures of the new kids.

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  8. Caitlin and I just died when we saw the chick pictures!!! OMG!!! We had them growing up as a kid, and oh how I loved those baby chicks and ducklings!! We had ours mostly for eggs, but we did eat some of them.
    Mari, you should make some of those shots in the tea cups into Easter cards....Sooooooooo darn cute :)

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  9. This is the coolest thing I have ever seen on a blog. I am very impressed. For those of up that can't raise chickens at home, there are co-ops where you can go and help out and partake in organic eggs.

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  10. Darling little things - I hope you like eggs.
    Sylvia

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  11. They're so cute! Glad that they'll be egg providers and not Sunday dinner!

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  12. Cute chicks!! I have always wanted some. I spent time on my Grandmother's farm as a kid and loved it. One day I want tons of chickens and goats. All we have now is a rabbit.
    Rebecca

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  13. I raised chicks in 4-H, oh so many, many years ago! Won the grand prize, Grand Champion chicks, 3 chicks, $50 dollars a pound! Love your blog, I am a newbie!

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  14. Hi Mari! I don't have any chickens, but I have ALWAYS thought they were cute (even grown)! I think that Sally is sassy!! Great names for your brood!
    Michelle

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  15. So fuzzy & cute! I sure wish the chipmunks & squirrels that inhabit our yard were of some purpose!
    Beckie in Brentwood, TN

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  16. Loved your chicks and the photos of them in the teacup were so adorable! Don't have chicks but have friends that do and they have become really attached! Joni

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  17. Hi Mari, Those little chicks are just adorable, but I can't imagine how you tell them apart? To us city folk they all look alike!! Love your blog and looking forward to seeing those chicks grow up! Linda

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  18. Are they not the cutest, bunch of yellow fluff? I would love to have layers! Just think, because they are free range, your egg yolks will be orange and you can when you scramble them they will have so much vollume! I had free range eggs for several years and they were like gold to me. Oh, I am so happy for you. Keep us updated on their growth and progress!
    Yvonne

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  19. Enjoy your precious peeps :-) My husband has a student that brings organic eggs to school for us, so we get to enjoy fresh eggs every other week.

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  20. I love my chickens!!! We have a nice mix as well. The buffs are a beautiful, plump bird. We won't eat ours, only their eggs :)

    Lucy

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  21. OMG, I watched that episode on Martha's where she introduced her coop and her chicks! And here you are, with your own! They are all beautiful, but Chelsea is darling. Imagine .. free range eggs. So eggs-citing! I'd go crazy collecting eggs everyday. All day breakfast, anyone?

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  22. be still my heart, i am so ready to jump in with you, but you know my fears... i just want the darn hen houses, maybe i can roost chicken dishes?

    if you have a chance email me the chicks in the cups, i so want them, beyond adorable!

    great chatting with you, just now looking up for air after shuffling papers all day, tomorrow too, i so miss my garden and now i want my very own chicks...

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  23. I don't think there is anything as cute as a fluffy little yellow chick! So sweet and adorable. I love the little one in the pretty teacup!

    Miss Bloomers/Sonia

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  24. You are amazing! Your chicken are beautiful..Love all the shots here.

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  25. How precious! I'm anxious to watch them grow.

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  26. Mari, these are the sweetest shots of these adorable little chicks! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful Irish day!

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  27. They are soooo adorable. I always wanted to raise chickens. I've just never lived in an area where I could :(

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  28. Wow...So cute and adorable...

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  29. Oh, me too! I love your coop shots, gives great ideas. Thanks so much.

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  30. You're going to be very, very busy!! The photos are just so adorable. Their digs are quite nice! Look forward to more pics!

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  31. They are adorable. Good luck with them. We have a farm within walking distance, so I let him do the work..:)
    I am chicken!
    Happy St. Patrick's Day, Mary!

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  32. I love birds, all types. The different breeds of chickens are fascinating- your home for them is beautiful, I'm sure they will be well cared for. Keep us posted on their growth. Oh and I love your blog too, it starts my day.

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  33. Mary..you now have the cutest photosubujects apart from babies and kids..OMG and they fit in a teacup..No wonder you have been so busy..when you make an omelette will you tell us who's eggs they are?:)

    All princesses.
    Will you have colors too?
    Mary.I love them.
    I hope I am an auntie.

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  34. Mari, my sister-in-law raises chicks for eggs in Michigan so I am going to forward this to her so she can see your adorable PEEPS!!!! They are the cutest little things, so soft and fluffy!!!! We had one when my children were in grade school, my son brought it home from school, but when it got too big we gave it to a farm. We have never lived where we could raise and livestock. Enjoy your chicks and then the wonderful eggs!!!! XO, Pinky

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  35. You best get some name tags for them, Mari, because they all look alike to me! These are the cutest dang pictures of chicks I've ever seen. I'll look forward to keeping up on their antics :)

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  36. I think they are so cute. One of our local farm stores has baby chicks right now. I always love to go out and "visit" them.

    We don't have room for anything like this, but I think it is cool that you are doing it. I can't wait to see the updates.

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  37. OMG...they are cuter than I even imagined when you told me you got them!
    I love them...
    I want some...
    I am afraid that the fox who wanders around my property would want them too...:(
    I can not wait to see how they grow and we get a chickie update!
    L~xoxoxo

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  38. Buffs are my favs. Even the roosters aren't too bad. Those gold laced wyandotes are really pretty too. I haven't seen those before. My kids always loved the Aracaunas for their colored eggs. We were just talking last night about maybe getting some this year. It's been a whil for us tho so we'd have some rehabbing to do. I like the idea of the mobile coops on wheels that I've seen.

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  39. Your blog always takes my breath away~Thank you....Steph

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  40. Oh they are so adorable! I want to hold one. :)

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  41. I miss our small farm and our chickens...but life goes on. Perhaps I can enjoy them through your lovely blog!

    Wonderful photos...good luck with the coop. I live in the NW too...Portland ares!

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  42. Too cute! A chicken coop is part of my backyard plan and the pictures posted today got me excited about it again. Thanks. By the way, I made the Irish scones from your last post, delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  43. Oh my goodness! Your new addition is so cute and beautiful!!! I love the names you picked out for them.

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  44. I am so envious! They are so cute!

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  45. Mary, those are just the cutest little peeps I've ever seen. Congrats! I love the teacup portraits and the last one strutting. I have always wanted my own chickens, but have never been where it is allowed. Now I can live vicariously through you :-) Thanks...I don't even have to clean the coop!

    Diane

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  46. Mary, I've never seen such cute chicks. And Chelsea, oh my look at that little face.

    Can't wait for your follow-up pictures.

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  47. Oh my gosh, these are too cute! Thanks for sharing!

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  48. Those chicks are super cute! I loved all the pictures, especially the individual pics of each chic. Precious!

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  49. I am so glad I discovered your blog!! The chicks are SOOOO adorable!

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  50. Oh I adore your henhouse, I just got 4 chickens, I named them Esther, Ruth, Martha, and Mary, two are Rhode Island reds and two are Barrocks, I love them and waiting for them fresh eggs from my ladies.. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful photos of your brood.
    Hugs and Prayers, Barbara

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  51. Hi Mary
    So glad I came upon your blog. The chicks are so adorable, brought me back to when I was young and would visit my granny's farm in Manotick, Ontario. I always wanted to bring them home. I love your blog and will enjoy following it. My kitties think that those chicks look kind of yummy, sorry, sometimes they are just rude. Have a wonderful day, Deb.

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  52. Those are the cutest little chicks-I love the pic with the teacup!
    Funny,I was trying to talk my husband into getting a few chikens this morning-no luck yet though.
    Carolyn

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  53. Mari,

    I was especially interested in this particular post. I recently went to a lecture by P. Allen Smith and he talked extensively about the poultry he raises on his farm in Arkansas. He is also a part of the Heritage Poultry Conservancy. He raises poultry that our early forefathers had in this country that are almost extinct. It sounds like you may be doing the same. If you don't alread know of this I thought you might be interested, www.heritagepoultry.org and also www.pallensmith.com. He also has a wealth of information on his website.

    After hearing him speak I truly wanted to raise some chickens too but unfortunately I cannot living in the city. "rolling eyes" Good luck with your endeavours.

    Carolyn

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  54. Cute chicks. My MIL had chickens. It was fun to visit and have fresh eggs! Looks like quite a family!

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  55. Oh how I want to be your neighbor!! I'd trade pies for eggs.

    My great grandmother had chickens with names. She lived in Danville, KY and right in town--the big back yard provided the chicks ample room and she treated them like babies.

    Thanks for the beautiful nostalgia trip!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  56. I love these chickens.. the feathers are just spectacular... will you collect them and make things with them... I used to have this amazing feather tray once... glass on top... those Wyandottes are the best!!!!

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  57. Aww they're so cute, I never knew chickens could be so adorable! I love the markings on the Wyandotte it's just spectacular!

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  58. The black and white lace chicken is gorgeous....who knew chickens could be so beautiful....My daughter is doing a blog for the month of March copying Martha Stewarts calendar....I need to send her over to get the info so she can order her own chickens....she had to go to the local chicken farm the day that Martha was doing something with her chickens and I told her then that she needed to get some of her own.....love the coop too!

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  59. Oh, I want some peeps. When I was little we lived on a farm and I remember collecting eggs. We had a rooster that did not like my sister. He chased and pecked her every chance he got. One day we moved to the city. Your photos are GREAT.

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  60. I just love the baby chickies. They are sweet and downy soft and I love their little voices. Ole Sweetie-Pi's sister raises chickens; one of her hens lays blue shelled eggs!

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  61. LOVE the Peeps! Those pics in the teacups...be still my heart, they are so cute. Love the names too, Lolly & Pumpkin, LOL. Can't wait for a chick update :-)

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  62. We saw some peeps at the feed store yesterday, and I valiantly resisted buying any! We are getting over a dozen eggs a day from our gals at the moment. Lots of eggs to go through! I'm dying to stick a bunch of them in the incubator though so we can have some spring chicks here. Hope your foray into chicken farming goes really well for you!
    ~Jenny~

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  63. Oh my...this is such an adorable post! I love it!

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  64. Oh, I'm so envious! I'd love to have fresh eggs every morning, but the 'hood' wouldn't approve of it!

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  65. These photos made me smile this morning---so cute!

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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