New Chicks on the Block

 

We first got chickens in the fall of 2012.  I had wanted them for a while but it wasn't until I heard a neighbors chickens two doors down that I decided to get some.  Shortly afterward my neighbor came down to tell me that they were moving and wanted to know if we could take her chickens.  I ended up with 7 at one point, but after some predator losses I still have three of the neighbors chickens.  They are no longer spring chickens however, and their egg laying production has started to drop off recently.  It's still enough for our family of four, but they are getting older and I know it won't be enough for ever.

 

They are still useful because they help eat bugs like ticks from our yard. 

But lets face it, these ladies are getting ready for retirement.

 

Back in January I placed and order with My Pet Chicken .  I thought about hatching our own (but what would we do with the roosters) and I thought about buying locally.  However, I really wanted certain breeds, I wanted them to be sexed (female) and I only wanted four.  My Pet Chicken was a good option for this.  So we put in the order and waited.  And waited.  We got supplies ready because you have to be ready with a brooder set up.  The chicks need to stay pretty warm.  For this small operation we borrowed a brooder made by a coworker out of a Rubbermaid tub.  At first I bought the 250w red heat lamp recommended on the web site.  That was too hot for my small operation.  A 75w red heat bulb for reptiles was perfect!  We bought a chick feeder and waterer along with chick feed and some shavings and we were good to go!

 

Monday my chicks shipped.  Tuesday morning I got the call from the post office!  They were here!

This was the most exciting package I have ever received from the post office.

 

I got an Easter egger (lays blue/green eggs), a white leghorn (lays white eggs), a silver cuckoo marans (lays dark brown eggs) and a buff orpington (lays light brown eggs).  My egg basket is going to be really colorful in about six months.

They settled into their little brooder pretty quickly.  I checked each for pasty butt (sounds fun, right?) and gave them each a drink of water and showed them the food.  They are all doing great.

 

 

This age is super cute too, so we are all checking them as we go in and out of the garage and of course getting them used to some handling.  I named this one piccata.  Chicken Piccata.