Just posted this on my blog, copying here for those of you who don't have that on your 'watch' list.

Our first 3 chirping fluffy cuties have arrived and are settling into their brooder box in the family room. Brad made a platform for the box over the (ugly) rock fireplace hearth and cut out two 'viewing' windows and hot glued plexiglass to the openings. This way we can both see them from our recliners and the dogs, Penny & Kasey, can view them as well, hopefully they will get used to seeing them daily and get used to them.

Left to right:
Rhode Island Red, Ameraucana & Blue Laced Wyandotte


They are so cute, falling asleep on their feet and swaying until they tip over.

Oh my goodness, they are the cutest little things! And, the pups are adorable too!

LOL, from what I can see of your fireplace, it looks a lot like mine. I was so used to the brick fireplace we had built at the house we owned for almost 40 years that when we moved into this house four years ago I really wasn't sure I could get used to the humongous stone fireplace ... but now I love it! The house where we are retiring to next year has a very small (and in my opinion, very ugly) brick-like fireplace ... I'm not even sure it's real brick. But, then again ... we don't use fireplaces much here in Florida.

I love your babies, Sue, all of them: the feathered ones and those with a waggy tail!!!!

Congrats on the new arrivals Sue,.. at Penny and Kasey i do hope they don't think they are window shopping.

Very cute looking chicks,..i hope all goes well with them and they grow to maturity quickly.

Someone mentioned that it looked like doggie TV!

LOL, .... it does look like Doggie T.V.

too cute--the whole scene!
and the chickies, of course

You're making me want baby chicks! I would have to take out my compost bins to have room for one. The people on the other side of the park from me have some chickens. Not sure what kind, but they are pretty.

@stilldew
Susan, I love your avatar photograph.

Oh that doggie TV is too too cute! And I just want to cuddle those chicks in the worst way. What a fun adventure this will be for you, Sue!

Sue, are you fully recovered from the accident, now?

Pretty much Debra although my right ankle tends to swell and ache if I am on my feet for a long period, either in the garden or shopping or something.

They are fun to watch Jeanie, I pick the up often and talk to them. They are a week old now and it is just unbelievable how fast they are growing. My poodle is a bit obsessed with them although she is gradually starting to calm down a bit. The first few days she would just whine and pace back and forth in from of the brooder box, non-stop, for hours. We had to cage her as it became too much. I would take the chicks out to hold them and she would sniff and try to lick their heads and be so excited her lower lip would quiver.

Sue - I follow your thread and like so many here, love what you have done to your property! I love your re-purposing ideas, especially the satellite dish! What a beautiful place you have created!

I found out about a year ago that in my neighborhood we are zoned and allowed to have 2 (maybe 3) chickens. I am working on my hubby to consider the idea. I want him to help me build a chicken coop and get a couple of birds. He's not sold on the idea yet, but that never stopped me!

Is there a thread here on ATP about chickens? What is the flooring in your coop? Is it pavers? I was under the impression that a coop needed to be portable and moved every so often. I don't really know enough about chickens to know if that is true or not. Anyway, your photos of the baby chicks and the dogs are adorable! Too precious! I know chicken droppings make good fertilizer too!

Not much on ATP about chickens, I learned from reading on blogs I found on Pinterest.
Here is my Chicks and Coops board, click on anyone of the pins to go to the website for lots of tips.
https://www.pinterest.com/cali...

The moveable ones are called tractors but most people have stationary coops.
We have wire underneath the floor to prevent predators from digging into the run and then pavers over that to which we will add about 3-4 inches of construction grade sand. I have a pin or two that goes into the reasons for sand.

I didn't know anything about them either before doing a lot of research. I started out with a few good books but there is also so much out there in the blogging world and specialized sites devoted to chickens. Two favorites are My Pet Chickens http://www.mypetchicken.com/de...
and Backyard Chickens http://www.backyardchickens.co...

Good books:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1604692375/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580085822/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1602393133/

Sue - Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to locate all those links! I've starred that post. I really appreciate you sharing all this info. I REALLY want chickens. I will be reading more on your thread to see how your babies are doing. I do know they grow and mature really fast! So they are cute chicks now, but in about a month or so they will be big and possibly laying eggs! Awesome to see you finding a spot in your beautiful gardens for a very nice coop. So perfect!!!

They start laying in about 6 months.

We had 3 baby chicks brought into our classroom at school for show and tell and within a month they totally changed and looked like adult hens. I didn't know they had to be a bit older to start laying. I learn something new every day!