Journey to our First Egg – Hatching a New Adventure

Week 1 with Chickens: What came first, the chicken or the coop?

Welcome to a chronicling of the Journey to our First Egg. In this series we will introduce you to the joys and hardships of raising chickens: as they grow, we learn.

Each installment will have associated Activity Sheets so homeschoolers and chicken enthusiasts alike can follow along and expand their own chicken knowledge along with us. Who would have thought there’s so much to know about chickens!?

For example, watch out for these chicken vocabulary words:

Now, without further ado, we’re excited to introduce you to our flock!

Why did we get chickens?

It all started with something rare: an afternoon running errands by myself. As I drove home I noticed Peavey Mart’s going-out-of-business sign. Not one to pass up a good deal, I pulled into the parking lot to see what treasures I might find.

I walked in and spotted a massive “60% OFF” sign over the entire poultry section. Did I dare?

Chickens were something we’d been wanting to start ever since moving onto our acreage, but with so many other projects to keep us busy we hadn’t yet taken the leap. Now, staring at the reduced-price sticker on the box for a DIY coop I thought to myself: in this economy, it would be irresponsible not to buy it, right? So, I walked out (well actually, drove away in a very cramped car) with a few large boxes and zero idea how to actually raise chickens.

But the ball… or egg… was finally rolling.

Excited about our new endeavor, we wasted no time setting up the brooder in the garage away from drafts, started bingeing chicken forums, and leaned heavily on our neighbor, a seasoned chicken mom, who graciously tucked some fertilized eggs into her incubator for us. We waited with anticipation for the new additions to our enterprise, Ameraucana – Barred Rock hybrids to be precise, to make their arrival.

Thanks to the Magic School bus, we knew we only had about 21 days to wait!

🐣 A Surprise Start

Then – surprise! The chicks arrived early!

Our neighbor messaged us on Good Friday that one of the eggs was starting to hatch, well technically ‘pip’, nearly a week ahead of schedule. Over the course of Easter weekend, twenty tiny puffballs pipped and zipped their way into the world, instantly throwing our carefully laid plans into delightful chaos.

Not all the chicks were meant for us, but the family taking the majority would be unable to pick them up until after the weekend, so we settled in to chick-sit.

We still had so many questions about our new wards, the most pressing of which was: where were we going to find chick food and bedding on a long weekend?!

The coop

The brooder

First chick pipping

First chick hatching

Chicks ready to move to brooder

Chicks in brooder

🧻 Bedding, Blenderizing & Brooder Life

Because they were early and born on a long weekend (when everything was closed), we had to improvise. Did you know that the fluff that covers day-old chicks doesn’t allow them to properly regulate their own temperature yet, so they need a constant source of heat? I had picked up a pretty fancy brooder (shout out to Little Giant) and heat lamp, but didn’t yet have any bedding!

So we laid down puppy pads and shredded paper to make a cozy brooder for the chicks first few days.

With no access to chick starter feed, we did what any desperate, overcommitted newbie poultry parents would do: we got some regular chicken food from our neighbors and blenderized into a fine powder. (Pro tips: do this outside if you don’t want your house to smell like grain, and in a glass blender.)

By the end of the weekend, the other family came to collect their share – 11 peepers packed up and headed to their new home – leaving us with a flock of 9. A more manageable number, though still comically high for people who had only recently learned that chickens don’t hatch fully feathered.

🐔 Who’s Who in the Henhouse

We won’t know for weeks who’s a hen and who’s a rooster, but that hasn’t stopped the naming from starting! So, without further ado and apologies for all who get mis-gendered, we are pleased to introduce:

• Margaret Hatcher, the Iron Chicken: the only all-grey chick in the bunch, “she” is a natural leader and was the first to try and fly the coop, if only for a bit of adventure. There’s a softer side to Margaret (Maggie) when the treats come out – she’ll happily hop into your hand for a snack.
• Betty White-Chest: the runt, “she” has a light face & chest, some silly shaped toes, and a very sweet disposition. Always the first to pop up to greet us, she loves snacking from your hand, too. She and Maggie seem to be buds.
• Professor Peck: with distinguished spectacle shaped colouring under “his” eyes, Professor Peck is the most studious of the bunch. When new items are introduced to the brooder, the professor will diligently check it out first.
• Fluffy: with fluffy cheeks, fluffy legs, and the adorable tendency to sit in a ball, what else could we call “her”? Fluffy has become a fast favorite of the flock.
• Spot: not an overly creative name, but an accurate one – Spot sports a white spot on its head. “He” tends to stand tall and gets feisty when something exciting is happening. We are starting to suspect Spot might be our rooster which is ok, I think he’ll do a good job!
• Blacker: if Fluffy is fluffy, then Blacker is blacker with dramatically dark features. Dark wings, dark head, dark beak… even “her” feet are black!
• …and a few more feathered friends whose names are still under negotiation. Please share your suggestions!

Betty White-Chest & Margaret Hatcher

Margaret Hatcher 1 week old

The Flock

Watching them hop, peep, and flap about is now the family’s favorite pastime. Chickens, it turns out, are nature’s comedians – and homeschool gold. We’re already sneaking science, math, and writing into every chicken chore. (Bonus: there’s been a noticeable drop in screen time and uptick in an interest in helping.)

So far, we’re having a grand time observing and learning about our new feathered friends. The chicks are adorable, the kids are engaged, and we’re already dreaming of omelets. What more could we ask for as we march into summer?

Now the big question on everyone’s mind is: When will we get our first egg?

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