One of the first questions the DW and I fielded from the kiddos when we told them we were moving to an acreage caught me off guard. It wasn’t about the house, or switching schools, or a tree house, or dogs and cats, or even how soon we were moving… all of those questions would come later… it was “can we get chickens?” Wait, what?

It caught me off guard because it came out of the blue, or so it seemed. And even if he wasn’t really sure what he was asking for, Potato Boy was sure on one thing – in his mind his “farm” needed chickens. So, that was the first question out of his mouth. “Can we get chickens?” “No” was the first answer out of my mouth and would be repeated numerous times by me and the DW over the next two years.

Until last week…

Potato Boy and his supporting cast are now the proud owners of 5 Rhode Island Red pullets – at least they are supposed to be pullets, we don’t need any roosters. They arrived on the 4th as day old chicks from a hatchery in Ohio. The DW and I keep an eye on things generally and “help” Lulu on the days Potato Boy and Sissy are at their dad’s, but the plan is that the day-to-day care will be the responsibility of the kiddos.

With any luck, the kiddos will be collecting eggs by spring. Between now and then, the fuzz balls will need to feather out and settle into their coop – which technically doesn’t exist yet, but will soon – the plastic bin they’re living in in the tool shed will only hold them for so long.