The New Family in the Chicken House

This little mom and her chicks are settled into their routine in the Chicken Room. They sleep up high on what's left of the hay bale I put in there for the chickens to peck at. The chicks are not hers, meaning, some other chicken laid those eggs and this hen decided to hatch them. The chicks are huge in only a week - not Olde English Bantams. It will be funny to see great big chicks following a tiny little mother around. My other Bantam mom has 7 tiny little chicks running around, and they are really tiny! I have to be very careful where I step when I go in there as they blend in with the hay. I asked Matt to make a chicken yard outside for them, but with the apartment, and the fencing, shearing, etc., it got bumped down on the list. Chickens really need to be outside to dig in the ground, eat bugs, etc. It has to be totally enclosed so cats or foxes can't jump in the top. Maybe I will build it myself when school is out. When the new mom and chicks made this nice pose I had to run back to the Milk Room for the camera. I just can't resist taking pictures of chickens. And when there are chicks involved...what could be cuter? (Well, don't get me started!)