becoming a pro...

Even after the excessive amount of snake repellent sprinkled around the coop, I found another snake sprawled out on the floor of the coop last Thursday (May 12, 2016). I had gotten home a little later than usual and found the door leading out to the yard was closed. When I went to go check on the girlies, they were squawking loudly. Clearly, they were letting me know that something was wrong. Once I had let them outside, I opened the door to step into the coop. Right as I was about to take my first step, I looked down and saw this 4 1/2 ft. chicken snake laying across the floor. One of the chicks would not leave the roost in fear of the snake sprawled out in her landing space. Once I had decided to go ahead and pull the snake out, the chick looked to me for help. (side note: It was very hard not to just jump over the snake to rescue the chicken, but it was important to get the snake out first) Grabbing one of the 2 shovels that I had leaning up on the side of the coop, I raked the snake out onto the ground, stabbed it so that it couldn't slither away, pulled it out from under the coop, and stabbed it with another shovel repeatedly until it was dead. 

Here are a few pictures of the snake that I took once it was no longer as much of a threat to us

Here is a picture of me with the snake once it was dead. I was clearly a momma on a mission. 

I have since put hardware cloth over the windows. I also am going to put rubber stripping under the door and get even more snake repellent to keep the critters out!!

Hopefully, there will be no more snakes in the coop or around the chickens anymore! I will keep y'all posted!

#mommaonawarpath #protectthegirls #nomoresnakes #imapro 

              

growing up...

Sorry that it has been a while since I last posted. I have been quite busy with school and keeping up with the chicks! Here is a look over the past few weeks. 

About 10 days ago, I let the chicks out into their yard for the first time!! Although at first they were quite hesitant to do any exploring, they have grown to love it! Every morning when I go out to the coop, I am greeted with happy chirps. They get excited when I call out, "good morning girlies, time to go outside!" They seem to sit in wait as I open up their special door that lets them out into the run. As the door slides open, I hear wings flapping and chirps galore while each chick scurries out into the yard. 

Here is a look at their first day out of the coop!!

At first, they were a little nervous about exploring, but soon...

They were all running and flapping around!

I love to sit and watch as they explore and find new things!

 

The girls are very spoiled! I love to go feed them treats throughout the day! They especially like left over spinach! 

The girls love to lay in the sun after their dust-baths! (you can tell they are spoiled - note the apple slices in the back) 

As the girls continue to grow, I will keep you all updated on the happenings around the coop! 

#clucksoflove #spoilthemrotten #lovemygirlies 

sad times...

Today was a sad day for the Canaan Farms Chicks. We lost one of our own. Despite the continuous checking in and time spent planning, a snake got into the coop and took one of the little black chicks. Today, when I went out to check on them, I counted and couldn't find the 6th black chick. As I turned around, I spotted it. There it was... that evil snake who I inevitably reaped vengeance upon.

Obviously, as you can tell, there is my chick inside this 5 1/2 ft. chicken snake. Clearly, I wasn't going to let him get away with it. I spent the afternoon raking out the snake (with the help of a few others) and chopping it until it died. 

Now, I have officially checked on them 3 times already to make sure that they are safe. That was definitely not a highlight to my day, and I am very sad because of it. But, now I am going to continue to check the coop, be extra cautious when checking on the chickens, and continue to fortify it against predators like this. 

new beginnings...

Update : 

I moved the all of the chicks to the coop this weekend and they love it!!! They are still a little nervous about having more freedom, but every time I check in on them they are exploring!! Here are some pictures of the girls and their cute selves...

They love their roost! They get all snuggled up when it's time for bed!

They aren't quite sure what to think when I come in to take pictures of them and document their growth.

"Does this angle make my beak look big??"

I have been teaching them how to get food to keep coming out of their homemade feeder! They are so smart!!

This one is taking its first attempt at flight (in slo-mo)!! They are getting so big!