My flock is growing.  Look at the new arrivals today!  There are 26 in all and they include Comets, RIRs, Astralorops, Welsummers, Leghorns, Ameraucanas, and Black Jersey Giants.

This is the way to go with watering baby chicks because they are always making their water dirty. This way it never gets dirty.  Thanks to my dear husband for making this contraption for me.

Baby chicks get tired especially after a long trip.  After some refreshing water and feed upon arrival many were ready for a nap.

OK, who's going to start the pecking order?

Ok, here's another deceiving name.  Bluebeard is really not a rooster but a happy little hen who lays blue eggs.  Bluebeard has had an adventurous week.  My chickens live in a huge grassy area between two large quail pens with netting overhead.  They don't even eat all the green grass and I have to mow it but they have green grass available 24/7.  They also do not use all of the inside area and one section is closed off.  

Last week we worked on moving stored items from one place to the next and Bluebeard must have gone in to check out the unexplored place.  We didn't know she had done this and after two days I was noticing that my blue egg quota was low.  I got to looking and calling roll on my chickens and one was missing and it was a blue egg layer (Ameraucana).  Ah-ha - Bluebeard is missing - she's the only one with the very distinct coloration under her chin. 

 Could it be that she was trapped inside the building we were working on?  It was almost dark when I immediately ran to the door and opened it.  There was poor little Bluebeard sitting up on an old pvc pipe.  She was weak from lack of water for two days and so I immediately grabbed her and put her out on green grass she ran straight for the waterer.   She stayed there for 15 minutes just drinking.  

Being in a weakened state she has succumbed to a respiratory infection and was looking rather bad and staying isolated from others.  So I started with a vaccine for this and after three shots she is just doing great.  The picture was taken after her final shot this afternoon.  She is much better and just doing what chickens do now.  

Some of you may be wondering if I will be eating those eggs she lays since she was given an antibiotic and the answer is no!  I would have isolated her for these shots but thought it best to let her be where she was.  She is a blue egg layer and I only have three of them so I will just avoid eating or selling the blue eggs for a week.  One of my blue egg layers even lays eggs in another spot so that only leaves two that would be questionable.  I will just discard the blue eggs for a few days.  Anyway the story ends happy and I'm glad to have Bluebeard feeling well.