Chicken Taming and Land to Live On

So, yesterday, my mother-in-law, R. and I all drove to this plot of land and met with a very pleasant lady who posted it for sale on Craigslist.  It's a bit out of the way (understatement) but it's within our price range.  It's a beautiful stretch of land.  We'll need to clear parts of it.  Maybe we can get a goat to clear it for us... not yet.

Anyway, here's a picture:

Beautiful, eh?  I was a little nervous, because this is a Craigslist deal, and you get what you pay for, but the seller seems honest.  It's worth a try.

We won't be able to live on it right away (even if we could magically clear the whole half acre overnight).  But if my fiance and I work with the land during the weekends, clearing and building, it might prove to be a very beautiful (getting-in-touch-with-nature type) bonding activity for us.  I'm trying to give my inner optimist a voice here.

And, now for something a little more entertaining.

The birds are getting big!  I didn't get to see much of them yesterday, and it looks like they grew visibly overnight.

I've been trying to tame them.  At least to the point that they don't flee and cower at the far end of the coop every time I approach them.  (Chickens, apparently, are instinctively afraid of people.  I really can't fault them on that one.)  So I've been making sure to bring a treat every time I spend any time with them.  I've been using dry oatmeal because I have access to it, but I'd like to switch over to sunflower seeds, which are supposed to be good for healthy feather growth.  I had to buy the salted kind and wash all the salt off.  It was that, or barbecue flavor.

Anyway, this morning I opened the door to give them some fresh water and food, and I brought a piece of zucchini (they haven't been able to go outside, so I figured they'd enjoy something green).  They all ran up to me when they saw something in my hand.  Then they noticed that it wasn't oatmeal, and stood in a little circle around my hand, staring at the zucchini.  Eventually one of them walked up and pecked at it, then backed away quickly.  A few of the others tried, but it was too big a chunk for them to do much with it.

I put the zucchini away and sprinkled some oatmeal in my palm.  Chicken feeding frenzy.  They all ran up to me and started nibbling at my hand, picking up little oats, and chewing at my fingers.  They have this very delicate bite and twist technique that tickles.

So, good.  They're starting to associate me with food.  That means picking them up to check them for parasites will be easier.  Plus it's fun to see them all come running up to me when I open the door.  They are cute, funny little creatures.

People keep telling me they'll breed like flies.  I really hope that's true.  Anyway, I must finish building that chicken coop.  Until next time :)