Chicken Update: An Expanded Brood

We've acquired 3 more baby chicks since the last time I wrote about the chickens. (But that's all...we're not planning on expanding our brood indefinitely :-) Meet our happy, little chicken family:

1. Jane Red Star Hen. Someday, she will look like this: Red feathers with sort of white petticoats.
2. Wendy- New Hampshire Red. Someday she will look like this. Supposedly her breed matures more quickly, and she will be the first to give us our nice, tasty, organic eggs.


3. Miriam - Buff Orphington. Will look like this when she is full grown. We wanted to make sure to get at least one of this breed because the rumor is that these are the "cuddliest" chickens.

4. Minnie- Ameraucana

5. Mehitabel (long story) Also an Ameraucana. They will look something like this. The big reason for getting this breed is because they lay GREEN and BLUE eggs! Really! They are also called "Easter Eggers" for that reason.

The chicks are no longer living in a cardboard box, but they are still indoors. (in the computer room actually, and I can hear them peeping happily) I commissioned a craigslist fellow to build this brooder because I thought cleaning a cardboard box would eventually get to be a problem.

Meet Baby Chicks Jane and Wendy!

Overnight, M and G have turned into suburban farm girls. They are the proud new owners of two baby chicks. We're hoping to add three more by the end of the week; so eventually, we'll have a good little flock of egg layers.

This is Jane (of Jane Eyre and Dick and Jane association) -a docile little dear who likes to snuggle down and fall asleep in M's hands.
And Wendy (of Peter Pan ) it seems, is the more curious and jumpy of the two.
This is our family's first chicken venture (actually first animal venture of any kind). When I was growing up my family had one chicken that we kept as a pet (even painted her toenails red and had her wear a pearl necklace- poor thing!) but I'm really excited about the prospect of keeping chickens for the eggs (as well as treating them like beloved pets of course!)We will be fixing up the shed in the backyard to be a coop for our brood, but for now the little chicks stay indoors in a box under a heat lamp.

We live in a very suburban neighborhood within the city limits, but one thing I love about Austin are the liberal city ordinances concerning livestock. Chickens are no problem! So far, they're pretty inexpensive little creatures. I've spent under $30, and most of that was on the heat lamp.
I'll keep you updated as to how our little adventure turns out...Does anybody have any good chicken advice they'd like to relate?