Chickens

Our chickens and chicken-related topics.

Baby chicks!

We ordered 14 baby chicks online (unlike the previous ones that we got at the local feed store), and they arrived today.

They are only one day old; hatched and shipped yesterday, and arrived today. They are all different varieties.

I had to pick them up at the post office. Safety first:


Unboxing:


Figuring out the water & food:


A video of them drinking water and eating:

Some close-ups.  The red light is from the heat lamp, which keeps them warm enough; 95° F the first week, dropping 5° each week, or as needed, until they can cope with the ambient temperature:

A chick in the hand….

We’re working on getting the chickies used to being handled, by spending time with them each day, speaking to them, and picking them up (also good for inspecting them for pasty butt etc). It’s going pretty well so far. This morning I held five of the chicks, and three of them settled down and sat for a few minutes each on my open palm, comfortable enough for me to reach for my phone with my other hand to take photos.


And then there’s the chick that decided she wanted to spread out on top of her sisters: