Sorry to be a tease, but even though they aren't human, we are really excited about our BABY CHICKS! These fluffy little bundles of joy are a week old today, and we haven't even had to change a single diaper! Like human babies, they seem to be growing before our very eyes. Unlike human babies, they won't stay little and cute for very long. They'll be all grown up and ready to live outside in 3-4 weeks. Which is great, because they're starting to smell a bit...
There's been lots happening since Luke and I got back from our trip to Guatemala: the house got new windows, the geothermal system installation was finally completed (we were waiting on a back-ordered component), we installed an invisible fence to corral our roaming hounds, and now we're working on lighting and wiring. But somehow, I just can't seem to get excited about junction boxes and three-way switches when there are BABY CHICKS in the house (I think about them in capital letters, as in, "What's all that noise? Oh, it's the 33 BABY CHICKS in the living room!" Or, "Chewbacca is DROOLING on the BABY CHICKS!"). I have become a doting mother hen, checking on them any time there's a break in the work, saving bits of kitchen scraps for them, inspecting their little bums for dried poo. Yes, even in the poultry world, babies and poo are inextricably linked. Chicks can suffer from "pasting up," a fatal condition where their vents (called cloaca) get clogged with dried poo and need to be cleaned. I keep an eye on their little behinds and make sure the pipes (pipe, actually--chickens have just one multi-purpose hole. Don't think about it too much or you might not eat eggs again.) are working properly.
When Luke and I first decided to get chickens, we planned to dip our toes in the water with just six birds. We were even considering getting pullets (young chickens less than 1 year of age) or layers so we wouldn't have to deal with raising chicks. Well, then we decided to wade in a little further and get straight-run chicks. Straight run simply means that the chicks haven't been sexed, so you don't know if they're hens or cockrels until they're older. If you want to end up with somewhere around a dozen layers, you need to get at least twice as many straight-run chicks. (It's very difficult to "sex" a chicken. Their sex organs are inside that little vent I was talking about earlier. Pull it open--gently, they're fragile!--if you see a bump it's a male; if you see a smaller bump it's a female. Hmm. As you can imagine, this takes some skill. There are actually people in this world who are paid to look at chicken butts. All. Day. Long.) Though you can order chicks through the mail (!), we found chicks at a nearby farm. When my mother-in-law and I went to pick up our 24, there were just a few more left in the incubator. They looked so lonely without their brothers and sisters, so we decided to jump right in and take all 33 of them. Splash!
So we got them home and put them in their new little home. We went into the kitchen, filled up their water and food dishes, went back to the living room, and I swear they had already grown. And pooped. Everywhere. These chickens are little growing, pooping, eating machines! But that's okay, because in a few months, they'll be egg making machines too (except for most of the cockrels--kids, cover your ears--in a couple months, they'll be in our freezer). After just a couple days, I had to add an addition to their cardboard cottage. And after only a week, I can see that they'll be due for another expansion very soon. They are already getting their adult feathers and losing their chicky fluff. And they're getting feisty--playing and wrestling with each other, trying to fly, pecking at anything that moves (even their own feet). Pretty soon, we'll get to take them outside for little "fieldtrips" when the weather's nice.
I am probably going to be talking about these chicks for a while, so I don't want to overwhelm you all at once. For now, while they're cute and cuddly, just enjoy a few pictures of their antics!
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| Chick yoga! Just goes to show you, everyone appreciates a good stretch. |
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| Not dead, just tired. |
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| No really, I promise. He's fine. |
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| Synchronized sleeping! |
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| They're like little fuzzy yellow dinosaurs. |
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| Our first "rooster." |
When Luke and I first decided to get chickens, we planned to dip our toes in the water with just six birds. We were even considering getting pullets (young chickens less than 1 year of age) or layers so we wouldn't have to deal with raising chicks. Well, then we decided to wade in a little further and get straight-run chicks. Straight run simply means that the chicks haven't been sexed, so you don't know if they're hens or cockrels until they're older. If you want to end up with somewhere around a dozen layers, you need to get at least twice as many straight-run chicks. (It's very difficult to "sex" a chicken. Their sex organs are inside that little vent I was talking about earlier. Pull it open--gently, they're fragile!--if you see a bump it's a male; if you see a smaller bump it's a female. Hmm. As you can imagine, this takes some skill. There are actually people in this world who are paid to look at chicken butts. All. Day. Long.) Though you can order chicks through the mail (!), we found chicks at a nearby farm. When my mother-in-law and I went to pick up our 24, there were just a few more left in the incubator. They looked so lonely without their brothers and sisters, so we decided to jump right in and take all 33 of them. Splash!
So we got them home and put them in their new little home. We went into the kitchen, filled up their water and food dishes, went back to the living room, and I swear they had already grown. And pooped. Everywhere. These chickens are little growing, pooping, eating machines! But that's okay, because in a few months, they'll be egg making machines too (except for most of the cockrels--kids, cover your ears--in a couple months, they'll be in our freezer). After just a couple days, I had to add an addition to their cardboard cottage. And after only a week, I can see that they'll be due for another expansion very soon. They are already getting their adult feathers and losing their chicky fluff. And they're getting feisty--playing and wrestling with each other, trying to fly, pecking at anything that moves (even their own feet). Pretty soon, we'll get to take them outside for little "fieldtrips" when the weather's nice.
Hey
ReplyDeleteIt is so good to see those fluffy friends after a week of growth... They look happy and healthy! It must be all that tender loving care. I can't wait to see all 39 of you tomorrow (3 people, 3 dogs, 33 chicks) Keep up the good work.
Love,
ML