I live with 12 unruly teenagers

Before I get started, I just have to say: I'm BUSY! And I suspect you are, too. I've had so much to do lately that I'm completely falling behind on my important blog reading (and writing). I couldn't believe when I woke up this morning that my last post was on Saturday. Where is the time going?? Once the growing season really begins, I fear everyone will stop posting updates and I'll go into major blog withdrawal!

On to my girls...
I really had plans to move them into the garage this week. Yes, they are still living in my spare downstairs bedroom. They are a noisy, dusty, flappy, fluttery bunch that no longer resemble baby chicks, they now look, truly, like very small chickens. They had outgrown their baby brooder box and were making such a mess with dust and feathers that I decided it was time for them to make the move. At the last minute, though, I just couldn't do it. No, really. And not just because it is still dipping below freezing at night. There are still so many unpacked boxes in our garage from our move that, right now, there is, frankly, no room for the chicks out there. So, I went scrounging at various stores for a bigger-better-brooder-box (ooooh, nice alliteration) and got one at Costco. It was very tall and skinny, so I cut it in half, connected the two parts and voila!
A new and improved brooder box:

BEFORE: Old brooder box:

AFTER: New brooder box (see the relief on their little birdy faces?):

And at CeeCee's really cool recommendation (that's CeeCee from My Little Bit of Heaven, if you don't already know), I put a box with a clump of dirt and grass into the brooder for them to scratch around on. They LOVED it. The picture below is when they were -long necked - still initially, suspiciously investigating it (in case you're wondering, five adolescent chicks can actually fit in this box):

Below is a shot of Dot, enjoying the box of grass and dirt. Wait, no...here's Dot wall-staring again:

The most exciting thing today, though, was the fact that I went in to check on the gals this morning and somebody had laid me the most perfect little egg:

I am so amazed at how advanced my little girls are. Nobody would fess up to ownership, though:

Happy 1st of April!