Chicks are doing pretty good.  I think they are growing up too fast for me in fact.  Its like every morning, they are different chicks. :) I have been giving them "Manna Pro: Non Medicated" feed and also water with Organic Vinegar.  In fact, I don't think they had water without the Vinegar to this day!  The reason why I have been so strict about adding the vinegar was due to some hard time with "Pasty Butt" last time around.  Yep, when they are baby chicks, their poop get stuck on the feather around their back and eventually clogs up that area. I wasn't sure back then what was happening but after speaking to a friend, I learned about the "Pasty Butt"phenomenon :)) ... After some research, I found out that people uses this Organic Vinegar in their water to prevent that.   I used it and noticed the improvement, so this time I decided to start from the very beginning and I

 Above:  Peaches Right:  Sally

have been pleased with my decision.  I've also been resisting giving them any table scraps until recently when they are hanging outside often and eating grass and whatever else they can find.  I think another thing I'm doing better this time is cleaning up their brooder almost every day (or other day) with my straw collection that I bought at the local hardware store.   Last time, I often picked up leaves, straws etc from the garden and gave them nesting spot in the brooder.  I think keeping good supply of straws, I am giving them

 much more cleaner environment.  Anyway, so far so good.  I have some more battles to fight and perhaps I will have better success at fighting the war ahead of me.  I will have to think about how well the coop is protected, so I don't have the same misfortune this time around.   I have some ideas but still not sure which one to pick just yet.

I am also little anxious about another issue that I may have to deal with very soon.   Back when I thought I nearly lost all my eggs, I have joined a "pool" for "Chick Purchase" from MyPetChicken.  I was very egg-cited about it until I realized these chicks are growing big and they will peck the new comers to death.  And, I don't have a lot of space for another batch and with various planning and arrangement, I need to

Above: Tim  Right:  Sarah

make sure they all go "out" around the same time.  But I am hopping I can deal with that matter come next week :(.  Anyway, meanwhile the chicks are really enjoying hanging outside.  The minute I let them go out to their run, they runs around like "Crazy Chickens" .. and play fight wit each other, jumps around. You can easily see how happy they are outside.   Few days that rained quite heavily in Atlanta, I had to keep them inside and they were not happy campers.





I also explained my situation with the predators and expressed my concerned to the new Sherif who promised to keep them safe.  

So I decided to try again this year.  I guess I just couldn't give up after trying all that, and of course, just missed having some chicken pets.  I love those birds hanging out in the backyard, browsing around, doing their things :)).  After reading some online blogs, frequenting  some of those chicken forums, youtube videos, I was sold.  I got some eggs, started my incubator.  (Well, had some bad luck with shipping, so had very little hopes for any peeps.  Just when I almost gave up hopes, there were peeps!

I did have to throw away a lot of scrambled eggs and clear (Non-fertile) eggs which couldn't deal with the stress.  I also had to throw away few (about 4) that were fully developed but dead.  I didn't even see any sign of attempt to 'break in' or out rather.  They were just simply asleep and never woke up:(.  I have no idea why those didn't make it and these did. So I ended up with 4;  blue, black,splash,chocolate orpington.   My son named them all. 

 This is Sarah

 This is Tim

This is Sally

And finally, this is Peaches

So it's been a while since the chicken me got a chance to speak to the chicken you.  I had nothing but bad news to share, so I figured it wasn't worth sharing.  Ah alright, I will tell you.  I lost one to a possible hawk, second to a possible Coyote, third one to a possible hawk or other avian predator, and 4th one (a rooster was traded for a Hen) to a Weasel.  I've just about had it with Chicken.   You would think I live in the woods, but I don't (perhaps I fool myself thinking that I live in a city :p).  

I lost the Lavender Orpington right when she was about to start laying.  It was a major heart breaker since I almost thought I was about to enjoy my free range chicken eggs!  Actually, that was my first wakeup call when one day she vanished.  No sign of her anywhere!  I looked for evidence, searched all corner of my property, beyond my property .. Alas, she was just gone!

I think I got desperate after loosing the Lavender hen.  Because I was wondering if one of the rooster was "Hen" .. LOL .. she ...Ahrm! I mean He had look of a Hen compare to the other one which had very short tail, but tall, and looked more like a rooster.   One day she started to crow (i still was in denial and after digging online, found out that the dominant hen often crows).  Well, I soon found out how wrong I was.  Anyway, I wanted to trade, sell one rooster but got stuck with them for a while.

I miss those Rooster Brothers.  I even made a video about them too.  It is still in youtube.  Just click on Pay :)

Towards the end, they were often coming up to my deck and crowing in the morning.  I was not very happy and my Wife didn't like that one bit.  I just couldn't figure out why they were coming up instead of the coop??  Well, the answer was a rude awakening (Literally).   It was about 4AM and my wife who also got up asking if I was hearing what I was hearing!  Wow, howling pack of wolves!  No way!   I ran outside and whatever they were, ran in the wooded area (it was very dark, so I couldn't make out if they were some stray dogs or Coyotes or Jackals .. (could be anything).  I just thought I saw the leader which stopped for a second before vanishing.   Oh I should say I did start to force them to go to the coop and locking the coop (which I wasn't before).  I was locking to ensure they don't come back to the deck and crows (also do some business).  Well, I was glad after learning about pack of whatever they were.  

Later I traded one of my Rooster for a older Buff Orpington Hen.  I think that was a very bad move on my part as I broke the brotherly unity that defended them from various dangers.   Soon after the trade, I lost the other Rooster (which also vanished just like my Lavender Orpington without a trace.   So I ended up with the Hen I traded his brother for.   She was very nervous at first, but slowly got used to my presence.  Just when I started to plan of using her as broody hen to incubate some eggs, she was killed by a weasel.  We discovered her headless body that was a work of a weasel.   

Now my coop sits barren ... all kinds of weeds, grass growing inside.   Part of me wants to give up and sell everything on Craiglist, but another part tells me to try one more time.   I just hate to give up without tasting at least one farm raised chicken egg!   Sad :(