The Next Stage of my Love Affair

So I posted about my love affair, but what I didn’t tell was that there’s more to the story. Not only have four bunnies found a nook in my heart, so did seven of these:

I know, I know…seriously, Nickie, chickens? I asked myself the same question. How these chickens came into my life wasn’t exactly like the bunnies. I looked at the baby chicks and thought, “Awwww, how adorable.” And then… I. Walked. Away. I walked away; Joe, however, did not. Here’s how I remember the story of how the chickens came to be:

Joe: (looking at the chicks) Do you want to get some chicks?

Me: We’re not ready yet.

J: Are you sure?

Me: Yes, where would we put them?

J: In the barn.

Me: Where? We don’t have a stall cleaned out yet. We’re not ready.

And we (I)walked away. We (I) was on a mission to find the perfect bunny cage material. I wanted the perfect setup and had better things to do than goo and gaa over some baby chicks. A few minutes later, our (my) search for cage material returned us to the vicinity of the chicks.

J: You’re sure?

Me: Yes, we’re not ready yet.

J: OK

Again, we (I) walked away. Supplies carted up, we’re now on our way to the checkout, which by the way is NOT in the direction of the chicks, but at the chicks we ended up.

J: So, no chicks, huh?

Me: FINE! If you want chicks, get the chicks. You’ll just have to figure out a place for them until they can do into the barn.

And, so goes the story of how I ended up with a box of seven two-day old chicks on my lap on the way home.

As you can imagine, being true to my animal-lovin’ self, I fell in deep like with the chicks. Not love…it’s hard to love a chicken…but a deep like. So, for the first two weeks of their little lives, they lived here:

Getting desperate for a larger space for them, I resorted to this:

Who knew you could build a cage from PVC pipe, chicken wire and zip ties? Well, apparently this guy did; but I certainly didn’t…until the need arose. As my daughter and I were building this cage, she says to me, “Mom, this is more like doing arts & crafts than building something.” I say, “Why? Because we’re using zip ties instead of a hammer, nails and wood? Improvise, my dear.” Hopefully that’s a lesson that will help her in life!

For several more weeks, the chicks lived in this awesome PVC cage. Until finally, Joe cleaned the stall in the barn for them. This is where they continue to live and will hopefully supply me, and the rest of my family, with farm fresh eggs.

The lesson to be learned here is this:  You never know what you're ready for, until you jump in and find out.  It's the getting ready part that counts.  Oh, and stay tuned, I have LOTS more critter stories to share as life on Havoc Farm grows.