Our first chicken!

I've been thinking about getting chickens since I was in grad school, and today I finally took the plunge. For the past month or so I've been researching them and feeling Jeff out to see if he would put up with a chicken coop in the backyard. Finally my friend Sue decided to go get a chicken of her own today (she already has two) and I went with her. I got one! It's a fuzzy, yellow, one-ounce buff Orpington. I'm also planning to get a barred Plymouth Rock and a golden-laced Wyandotte, but the feed store wasn't selling them today. I'm ordering my chicken coop online (I realized I would never get around to actually building one)... it's all very exciting. The chick I bought today will be named Maisy, assuming that she actually IS a hen and not a rooster (it's hard to tell at this stage, but she should be a hen.) She's staying at Sue's now with her co-chick (unnamed as of yet). In a week or two we'll bring them over to my house. After 5 weeks they can go outside, but first they will stay at Sue's so they can cuddle up with her chickens for warmth. Eventually when the weather is a little warmer they will be permanent residents here.

Jeff and Melina came over to admire the chicks at Sue's. Melina laughed at them at first and touched them very gently, but I think she actually got jealous of the attention we were paying them. But I think she will enjoy watching the chickens grow up. Buff orpingtons (and the other breeds I'm getting) are all supposed to be calm, affectionate and gentle birds. (Although I did notice Maisy was pecking Sue's chick in the head. Sue assures me this is normal chicken behavior, but I'm afraid I somehow picked out an exceptionally aggressive chicken.) Will post photos soon.