The girls have arrived! The Plymouth Barred Rock chicks are about 5 days old. They are local - thank you Joan - and made the short journey from the farm to the City without incident.


They are adjusting well to the cube and their new backyard. There is a heat lamp suspended in the cube to keep them warm - fresh water and "chick starter" for food - and a bedding of pine chips/shavings.

They peep when they are awake, but mostly they sleep - standing, laying down, whenever the mood strikes. They have received lots of handling today, along with short runs in the grass. They are now bedded down for their first night with their new family! Sleep well little peeps!

The night before....

The twelve hour countdown has begun. The chicken cube is ready (enough) and the girls are scheduled for pick up tomorrow morning. The urban chicken saga begins.....



Step back a year or more. Michael Pollan's book "Omnivore's Dilemma" was likely the final straw. I wanted to reconnect with my food. I wanted my daughter to see where food ACTUALLY came from, even in a simple way. Our lawn of our home was partially torn up and turned into a garden, the easement in front of our house turned into a makeshift vegetable patch (twelve yards of soil later - fodder for another blog), and NOW all we needed was some chickens.

Fresh eggs are a ways off. Likely 5 or 6 months. But the getting there is the purpose of this blog. Successes, failures, hints - the REAL deal on backyard chickens.