# Chicks are 2 weeks old and need names!



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

They don't look like such babies anymore! They are starting to feather out on their bodies. It doesn't show so well in pics yet on the ameraucanas but you can see it on my meal maker. I am really sure she is a buff orpington (she sitting on top of the feeder). She is furthest along in feathering out and is biggest over all, weighing in this morning at about 130 grams with the others around an even hundred.

Their antics are getting very funny! As you can see they are figuring out how to get around since they all now spend time sitting on top of the feeder. It won't be long before that is a stepping stone to getting out of the brooder! They are all testing their little wings. They do get enough lift to get their feet off the ground and the black bird gave herself a good launch of about 8 - 10 inches for a second or two, but their flight muscles are still not fleshed out enough for them to really go anywhere, but I am always half expecting to find somebody loose when I go up to see them! They clearly have formed a happy social unit. There doesn't seem to be any squabbling except when one of them has the last piece of some special treat. This morning I threw them a small handful of freeze dried meal worms and the very last one traded owners several times with each transfer passing over a smaller goodie. Whoever had it worked very hard not to lose it.

For some reason I think they should all be named after women from the old testament. I am not very religious (and not Jewish), but think there is something about many of the women of the old testament that represents strength and fruitful productivity which are attributes I am hoping for from my little flock. Here is my list of candidate names: Rebekah, Ruth, Rachel, Sarah, Salome, Miriam, Esther, Jael and Naomi. I kind of think the black one is Sarah and that the lightest of the ameraucanas is Rebekah. Tell me what you think.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

In the poll for names you can vote for more than one if you want, but please don't vote for more than five (since there are five birds). I will use the results to help figure out who is who and post results next week.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

So cute!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Thanks for sharing the naming experience. I like all your name choices but Salome and Jael are at the bottom of my picks.

Love the pictures!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Cute Cute Cute!!!!! I like your name choices too!


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## Poodlerunner (Jul 4, 2014)

OMG, they are so cute. My neighbor just brought over her chicks to show me and is trying to talk me in to getting some for myself. So tempting 

pr


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Oh! They are so cute! The MMM certainly does look like a buff Orpington. I vote for Rebekah, Sarah, Salome,Esther, and Naomi. Rebekah being the lightest one Sarah being the darkest one Esther being the next to lightest one and Naomi being the all blue one and of course Salome being the Orpington .


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Poodlerunner, how old are your neighbor's birds? What kind(s) does she have and how many? I am starting to get the sense that chickens could be like poodles and potato chips (something you just have to have more of)! My legal limit though is 8 and my neighbors are not far away, so I will have outside forces that put the brakes on adding more.

I found the first week with them to be nerve wracking. They were so tiny and I was really concerned about keeping them warm and our weather was on the cool side (they need to be at 95 deg for first week). I also had two (the two splashes) that had a little bit of pasting up and clearly each of them didn't feel to great for a day or so. Thankfully I noticed it very quickly, cleaned them up and got them through it with no apparent long term problems. They are a bit lighter weight than the others, but still adding weight and visibly growing.

Now they are sturdier to me and not so scary to handle. Actually the orpington is getting close to being too big to easily hold in one hand. I make sure I spend time each day picking each of them up and playing with their feet and their beaks while I talk quietly to them to prepare them to accept grooming and health checks later in life. I am trying to do this at least twice a day with each of them.

Poodlecrazy#1 I also was thinking Salome for the orpington since it means peace and they are I think a very docile breed. How are your birds doing?

Thanks everyone for your input so far on the names. When I weed he list down through the poll I will run he ideas past BF and my mom to try to make the final decisions.


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## Poodlerunner (Jul 4, 2014)

Catherine... I will ask my neighbor when I see her next. I think she now has 4, 2 that lay eggs for her and 2 new ones. I don't know what kind she has, I forgot. But they are cute  Grey and white. I know that they just got out of their little incubator and are just now able to walk around so they are pretty young.

pr


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I expect to be able to take my girls outside during the day this week, but will not leave them loose and unsupervised. They will come back in at night. I am hoping to put them outside between September 10th and 15th so they can acclimate to their coop and the outside temperatures as the weather starts to cool.


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Yes that was my exact reason for naming her Salome! Lol. They are very lovely; docile, sweet, and make great lap chickens yet they are good producers. I do believe they are a bit broody though. 

Thank you for asking about my little ones. Unfortunately my entire flock is not doing well . No deaths or anything like that, but they all seem to have come down with a respiratory infection. So they are on antibiotics which means I either have to deal with eating antibiotics or toss all the eggs ?! We are getting around 1- 2 dozen eggs a day and I just don't think I will be able to handle the waste. Not to mention the meat chickens are getting the antibiotic as well since there is no way to separate them. So that will extend their butcher date. And if that isn't enough my oldest hen had a real bad case if bumble foot so I had to do bumble foot surgery on her today. I didn't get the entire core though so I put her on Pen G injections for the next 5-6 days . Hopefully that will help her body fight the infection itself. She is running around with a big blue foot because that is the only color vet wrap I had on hand lol. It was funny watching her look at her foot a try to figure out what it was though ?. 

Ok little rant over, hope I didn't steal your post to much. 

Oh and the polish babies and the Dominique and Delaware are getting gorgeous! My MMM is definitely a production red. Hopefully I will have a video of them up soon.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I wouldn't have asked if I didn't expect a reply! I am sorry you are having some problems, but hope they pass quickly. I look forward to seeing a video update.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Keep voting please!


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Please don't name a chicken Sarah. Please don't. My sister called me "Chicken?" one too many times growing up...


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

I just love the idea of naming the chichs after Biblical ladies... I see many agree with me on Esther and Rebekkah :3 Not so much love for Naomi and Miriam... although I also like Ruth a whole lot.

Personally I wouldn't name the black one Sarah... I know this is really really obscure, but up here there's an ancient Suday School type-o-song which is so damn racist! AND CREEPY! It's about the girl "black Sarah"... there's about eight verses about how she's dying, alone, and in pain. Then she dies and goes to heaven and so on. Just my random anecdote 

More notably, the Biblical Sarah only had one child! Not necessarily a name you want for a laying egg eh ;3


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Here are some pictures of just the chicks from their first outing outside this morning.

hopetocurl, sorry your sister thought you were a chicken when you were kids.

peccan I didn't know that about the "black Sarah" song and I had forgotten that Sarah only had one child, hmmm......


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Oh they are sooooo darling! It seems they're just about to grow Big Lady feathers too! Lookit them~~ awww.

Anyways don't sweat over not knowing the song, I think it's only known in two or three little countries and even within those, among certain religious movements and a handful of others.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

They are starting to feather out in a hurry. There are four blue ameraucanas (1 black, 1 blue and 2 splashes) and one buff orpington. The orpington is the largest of them and is the furthest along in feathering out. She is the one with the copper tint to her back feathers. I've always thought that feather growth was probably sort of itchy for birds and she makes me think so all the more since she is trying to dust bathe in everything this week, pine chip bedding, spilled food, bits of ripped newspaper and while they were outside she was very attracted to this little patch of dead grass...lots of scratching and rolling!

I am glad for some warm weather this week, but also need those feathers to grow in before it decides to be winter around here. We have had very odd weather.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

*Actually now they are three weeks old!*

The orpington continues to outpace everyone else on the weight chart, but she will be a little bigger at the end anyway. She should top 200 grams in a day or so. Everybody is well over 100 grams now though.

They are outside in their coop for the day and having a great time. I can hear them chirping happily from my office window right now.

They are doing great with the dogs and the dogs are really doing very well too. Lily is a bit jealous when we visit with them where the brooder is, but she really doesn't pay much attention to them if you play fetch with her while they are all outside. Peeves got his first chance to be unrestrained around them today although we had him drag his leash so we could step on it fast if needed (but didn't have to).


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## sweetheartsrodeo (Sep 19, 2012)

I keep looking at the pictures. They are so stinkin' cute! I never thought about chickens being cute but these ladies are


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Wait until I get some newer ones up. I can't believe how fast they are growing. I think they look different every day!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Ok! It's time to train your chickens Lily.............Go to Utube and find 'Chicken Training Camp' by Dr Sophia Yin of all people! LOL!!!!! ( not good at doin' links--sorry!) 
Also 'Chicken Agility' LOL!
There are also some other videos there that had me laughing..........who says chickens are dumb.........


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Molly I will look those up later. They are four weeks old today. I hope to have a chance to put up some new pics tomorrow and to make announcements about their names. I also hope they will move outside over the next weekend.


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