As was foretold, the chicks arrived at the local post office this morning. So I drove the 20 minutes there to collect them.

A guy that arrived in the post office while I was doing that was surprised to hear the peeping from the box, so I explained that it contained live chicks. Freshly hatched chicks don’t need to eat or drink for a day or two, as they are sustained by the goodies from their egg. So they can be safely shipped via the postal service.

Here’s the box of chicks in the truck passenger seat, safely belted in:

I took the box to the new chicken coop, and opened it; eight healthy chicks:

The packing list from the box, listing the breeds of chicks:

I lifted each chick out of the box, and placed them on the floor of the coop:

Now for a bunch of pictures of the chicks. They have a red tint due to the heat lamp. The lamp keeps them warm (95° F / 35° C), and the red tint helps keep them calm:

I taught a couple of them how to drink water, by dipping their beaks (remember, they have never had anything to eat or drink before). The others learned by example. Here’s the first one to drink by herself:

I put chick starter food out for them:

The rest of the food is in a dispenser, which they figured out after a while:

Several drinking; they dip their beak, then tilt their head back to swallow:

A sleepy chick; she had a long day:

They don’t get to sleep long, though, as others inevitably bump into them or otherwise disturb them.

I have my iPad focused on the camera in the new coop, so I can keep an eye on the chicks while doing my work. And Pippin is fascinated by them, too:

We’re still waiting for word on the ducklings; they are probably on their way, but we don’t have tracking information yet. They may arrive tomorrow, or possibly Friday.

You can expect lots more pictures of the chicks over the coming days, weeks, and months (with decreasing frequency, no doubt).