Rules, Rules, Rules

G and I decided we wanted to try our hand at raising backyard chickens.  We love the idea of cackle fresh eggs right from the coop and we are always  open to trying new things. Plus, chickens are cute and it would be fun for R to grow up with them.  We had heard that chickens were OK in the City of Boulder but we decided to follow the rules and check the City of Boulder laws and ordinances.                                    

 According to backyard chickens, the first rule of raising chickens is " be sure you have a place for them to live" before you get your chicks.  Well, we broke that rule. We were so excited to get started on our chick raising adventure that the first day of my spring break, my daughter and I headed to Murdoch's, our local feed store, to pick up some day old chicks.



Another rule is to get more chicks than you think you need because something always happens. My plan was to get 2 and we left with 4 - how could I resist those little peeps and all that fuzz! The idea was to have a colorful egg basket so we got a Buff Orphington, a Cuckoo Maran, an Easter Egger and a Light Brahama.  These chicks were textbook - fuzzy, tiny and oh, so adorable! also, homeless. Their first home was a fish tank with a heat lamp and pine shavings which is fine for the first 2 weeks.  We were unaware that they grew so fast! This perfectly cozy fish tank became close quarters much sooner than we expected. Still no coop!