I should have known better than to try to take on a new project at the beginning of summer break. Anyone who works in education can tell you we go into hibernation. Some of us take longer than others to rejoin the world. This past school year was extraordinarily difficult for me so my prolonged break, I'm sure to some of you, is completely understandable. Since I'm currently on the downward slide of my current summer break, I'm doing my best to recommit to my projects and to get things back rolling. So much has happened with my little backyard flock these past several weeks. My little group have 5 has changed and evolved drastically. Imagine my surprise when 4 out of my 5 black copper maran babies ended up being cockerels, including my favorite baby. Living in a town that restricts the owning of roosters, this discovery was absolutely devastating to me. I was not prepared to say goodbye to almost all of my little fluff balls. Thankfully with the help of various Facebook pages, I was quickly able to rehome all 4 of them together to a family that will love them as much as I do. I had such grand plans and hopes for this page when I initially started, but all of that quickly fell to the wayside when my summer blues knocked my off my feet. My sweet Henrietta is all I have left of my initial backyard flock. But this post will end  on a happy note. I was already aware with all of the extensive reading and research I had done concerning raising chickens that they are not meant to live alone. So I took my oldest daughter on the hunt for some fluffy friends to join Henrietta. My hope is that I can start with this second set of chicks what I had intended to with my initial flock on this page. I hope to continue to share my accomplishments and failures starting my backyard flock to hopefully inspire and encourage others to do the same. Just the two months I have been a chicken mom have been so rewarding and enjoyable. Other than saying goodbye to my first batch of sweeties, I have enjoyed every second of it. It's hard work sometimes, but so rewarding in the end. So keep an eye out for my next post soon introducing Henrietta's new flock mates.

Well we're three weeks into this adventure and honestly loving every minute of it. Just like our human kiddos, they are growing so quickly!!! It's fun getting to see their little personalities come out. We still have not named them because we still don't know the toaster from the pullets. Unfortunately in our town, we will not be able to keep our roosters. When you decide to start your own chicken journey, make sure to look for any requirements or stipulations your city might have regarding backyard chickens. We are hoping to eventually move out of city limits so we can possibly allow our little flock to eventually grow and expand. I am so worried my favorite little chick pictured is going to be a rooster. My little friend comes running up to me every time I check feed or water and waits for me to give it a little scratch. I'll be absolutely heartbroken if I have to say goodbye in the weeks ahead. We are also going through a little bit of a trial right now with our smallest one. It seems to be struggling to walk a little. We isolated it along with the next smallest one just in case whatever is going on is contagious. Did you know not all vets specialize in poultry care? It was news to me. So I'm on the hunt for one in case I come across something I can't work out on my own. On the bright side, my two little ones seem to be up and walking around a bit more this morning. So hopefully I'll have a full and healthy flock again soon. Now that we're on summer break, look for more frequent posts. I'd love to hear from anyone that might be starting out their own little backyard flock. Enjoy those chicken cuddles!!!

Did anyone else not realize all the information that is out there regarding chickens? I was quickly sucked down the rabbit hole when I started researching what I needed to do to raise healthy and happy chicks. Yes, I am that person that will spend hours doing research. If I'm going to do something,  I want to do it right. I brought these sweet, fluffy babies home though and still felt completely unprepared. Flashback circa 2016 bringing that first baby girl home wondering how I was going to survive that first night without fully trained medical staff a quick button push away. You know what though? Just like I did with both of my darling daughters, we've survived the first weekend with our chicks. I am still terrified I am going to wake up and not have all 5 peepers ready to greet me, especially after researching and seeing all the different things that could go wrong. But I am learning to breathe a little easier each day. In this family of 4 with all of us having the same amount of time under our belts as chicken owners, I have been the one everyone comes to with questions. Do I know for sure that those loud cheeps when the lights go out are them just settling for the night and not distress calls? Heck no. I've only been a chicken mom for a grand total of 3 days at this point. Am I trusting the information provided by Google to reassure my sweet 9-year-old that they really are happy and not screeching for help? Of course, I am. We all have to start somewhere and learn from our mistakes. So I will continue to rely on the information I can find anywhere and everywhere to hopefully get that happy, healthy flock I'm striving towards. Today's highlight was taking them outside for the first time. I wasn't brave enough yet to let them explore outside of their brooder box that is their temporary home. But it's baby steps for all of us.