It seems like just yesterday we came home with a box full of chirping chicks. They were so adorable, and so fragile.

Here we are, almost six months later, and our chicks have become full grown hens. It’s hard to believe that they started out so small!

Oh, then there’s the rooster.

Our rooster is pretty hilarious. He crows at all hours of the day, and sometimes he just wants our attention. He lets us know when its time for some scratch in the afternoon. Every morning when I leave for work and the automatic light comes on, he gives me a good morning crow, even though the sun is far from rising.

The chickens are surprisingly low maintenance, with a medium to low gross factor as time goes on. Brent checks on the girls first thing in the morning, making sure that they have enough food and water and opening the coop door. They spend the day in the run, and then move up into the coop as the sun sets. One of us goes in to close the door at night, and that’s about it. They are on Coyote Creek (the mill across the road) Layer Feed, which is for full grown hens. They also get organic scratch for their personal enjoyment. It’s like chicken ice cream, and they go crazy over it.

Brent cleans their coop every week or so, replacing the poop-covered hay with nice, clean hay. I can tell they really appreciate it.

There’s something about having chickens that is really fulfilling. I feel like a genuine country girl. Now if we could just get some eggs…