the peeps :: week two

Shortly after sharing last week’s chick report here, which you may recall ended with “All is well in chicken world,” we had our first casualty – sweet, little Muriel.

Lily was the first to discover her (as she often tiptoes downstairs so she can be the first to say good morning to her chicks) and when I came down she shared the news.

“She looks like she is sleeping, Mama. But I don’t think she is. I don’t think she has anymore life in her. The other chicks are pecking at her. I’m pretty sure she is dead.”

She was right on all accounts and while Papa removed Muriel, Lily sobbed in my arms.

We discussed possibilities for burying her and talked about the risks and rewards of “being a farmer” and the fragile nature of baby chickens.

And then, wiping her tears, Lily decided that the other nine chicks were probably upset and needed to be comforted. And that cuddling them would help her to feel better too.

And, once again, my sweet girl was right.

In other chick news, this past week wing feathers have become much more prominent, which means some of the girls are starting to fly the coop.

They now reside in a long, rectangular box, which gives them more room than the recycling bin, and we borrowed a window screen off a nearby window to place on top when we are sleeping or not home. (When we are around and can keep an eye on them, we’ve been letting them explore a bit.)

We’ve also hosted many visitors, who have come to peek at the peeps, which is a lot of fun!

A few years ago I painted the walls of the space between our kitchen and living room, a cozy little “kitchenette” that is now our playroom. When I wrote the words love and laugh as intentions for the space under the first coat of paint, I wasn’t necessarily envisioning chickens living there, but this sure is the feeling I hoped to cultivate.