BABY CHICKS!!!

After the late start last year, we got a jump on chicken season this year. Our order came in today:

Our cold, scared baby chicks arrived this morning.

We ordered 26 chickens (!) from McMurray Hatchery. We opted for a larger breed variety than the four we got last time. This go-around has White Leghorns, Araucanas, Silved-Laced and Golden-Laced Wyandottes, Partridge Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and Anconas.




Once we got the babies cleaned up, pulled out, and set in the brooder box, we noticed that four didn't make it.  :(  I have no idea what breeds they were, but we ruled out Leghorn and Orpington.

The rest of them, 24 in total, are doing great.

Baby chicks in the plastic tote. I added a small water dish, which quickly turned
into a community pool. The top cage supports the red heat lamp.
I had to bend some wires to get my arm in and help out down there.

Here's a closer shot.

I hung a water bottle with two nipples from the top cage.
Now they're walking in the leaned-over bowl of feed. Yum!

We have to keep them in the house right now because our weather forecast is this:

That there's cold.

So the chick-u-bator shall sit unused in the shed for the next few weeks. Once either a) it warms up a lot, or b) the chicks are way too big for the plastic tote, we'll transfer them out. I expect between 2 and 4 weeks of inside house-chicks. They were in the bathroom, but we opted for the family room instead. The background peeping adds a new element of life to the home, which I hope does not become too tiresome.

In the meantime, they're so stinkin cute!!!

Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!