Friday, February 20, 2009

Chickens and stuff

I have 15 chickens in my house right now. "Why?" would definitely be an appropriate question! The new baby chicks came in this week, so we ran over and picked them up - 14 of them. Max and I set them up in the spare room since the laundry room is filled with our future garden (whoooo!) and really 14 baby chicks need a little more space than a few inches on top of the counter. We set them up in a great little chick condo, with shavings and a wonderful heat lamp so they would be nice and warm.
I went outside to do some yard work to take my mind off waiting for the doctor to call with test results. After a little while, I went inside to check on Max who was quietly watching a movie. However, I smelled smoke.
Me: Max, did you light a candle?
Max: No.
Me: Did you light something on fire?
Max: No. (Not even looking up at me...)
Me: Why do I smell smoke?
Max: Shrugs
Right at that moment, I remembered the baby chicks and the heat lamp... I ran down the hall, opened the door and smoke poured out of the room. The fire alarm started to go off. And the my wood floor was on fire. Well, more smoldering. The cardboard box that the heat lamp was now in was on fire.
Me: Max, How DID This Happen???
Max: I didn't want the chicks to get burnt.
Me: So, you took the heat lamp out of the cage???? And put it on the floor????
Max: I put it in a box.
Me: But I told you not to touch it!!!!
Baby chicks are okay. My floor has a large charcoal spot. Max is in trouble for not obeying.
.....
This morning, I woke up to a rooster crowing. I'm not supposed to have roosters. Actually, I'm not even supposed to have chickens. So, a rooster is a big problem. Turns out one of the chickens my mom gave me a few months ago - a boy. Tonight I put him in a dog crate, in my living room. I'm hoping that will keep the neighbors from hearing him in the morning (and most likely the next couple of mornings) until my mom can take him home with her next week...
This has been an interesting week for our little "farm."

2 comments:

EnviRambo said...

That's too funny! I made the mistake once of buying a bunch of baby chicks before having a coop built. They lived in the basement waay too long! Any longer and we would have been gathering eggs in the den. I also had two ducks and no pond. I would bring them in the house for a dip in the bathtub. They loved it and were a riot to watch, but the splashed way more than an overzealous two year old. Good thing the bathroom was tile! Enjoy your chicks!

Jenn said...

Thanks for the comment! I actually have my coop built, but the run is not covered and we have hawks and owls and opposums...So in the laundry room they stay for a few more weeks!