I got a call early this morning from the post office that a box had arrived for me that was marked "live animals" and was making noises. Oliver and I high tailed it over to pick our special delivery up. The chicks came all the way to Arizona from Connecticut (1 day express) which seems like a pretty hefty trip for these tiny things. Because of this, I'm always a little apprehensive opening the box in case one or more didn't make it. Fortunately, the box was very loud and I could feel the girls moving around inside.
We carefully opened the box and found our newest little pets all snuggly and sweet inside.
Meet Lottie the buff orpington
And Cookie the black australorp
And Minnie the silver laced wyandotte (Can you tell Finley named this one? Although I'm sure I don't spell it the way he'd want me to)
And my personal favorite...Francie the naked neck.
Once we got the girls unpacked, we carefully placed them into the brooder which will be their home until they are fully feathered (around 6 or 7 weeks) and ready to move outside.
They immediately dove into their food and water and filled their little bellies until they could hardly stand up. These girls are pooped out! Francie (the naked neck) could hardly hold her head up she was so exhausted.
The girls have a heat lamp in their brooder (which is why the photos have a red tinge) that will keep them at a warm 95 degrees for their first week. They all huddled together and had a nice, well deserved snooze. Again, poor Francie is face down in the pine shavings.
So far, they seem to be adjusting really well. They are well protected under the watchful eye of Sodapop. She won't get her first (supervised) face to face meeting with them until they are older and bigger. She's great friends with the big girls but these little ones might be a bit too tempting.
We are excited to have little chickies around again. I forgot how cute and tiny they are! My next task is to do some more research and come up with a plan of action for introducing them to the existing flock when the time comes. That part makes me really nervous... if anyone has any experience with that, I'd love some tips.
11 comments:
They are so cute! Good luck introducing them - no experience here, we just like to visit the chicks at the feed shop :)
They are adorable! I would love to have chickens some day.
Ahhh! They are all so tiny! I've found a new love for chickens after reading your blog and with the help of my 2-year-old son who LOVES chickens. Mommy and Carter enjoy sitting at the computer scrolling through all of your pictures of the girls :)
AHH! I love them! They are so adorable and love the names :) You make me want to have chickens! Can't wait to see more as they grow :)
Oh My Gosh Grace- They are just too cute! I LOVE that picture of Soda!! Maybe the boys and I could sneak by sometime soon to catch a peek of them while they are so small...
Aww! Love the chicky exhaustion pics. Hehe!!
I never in a million years thought I'd be raising chickens and enjoying it. It is such a blast and is so rewarding for the whole family. We've got awesome pets who provide us with awesome food and fertilizer! It's a win/win. :)
@Erica, I'd love to have you guys see them. They won't be this cute in a couple of days (these guys grow fast!) so stop by when you can.
Oh my, I had no idea the naked necks would have, well, naked necks...not as chicks! Our turkeys all hatch fully feathered, and then lose them later. How fun though, more chicks! Keep an eye on your naked neck chick though. Our last batch of chicks, by around 6-7 weeks, really started to pick on our one chick that looked 'different'. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of them. Introductions can be tricky to existing flock mates. For us it ultimately required the construction of another coop. If you have room (and not too many predators) that your girls can range though, it's usually easier for them to be introduced on range. I'd maybe put the young girls in a portable tractor, and allow the hens to investigate them for a while (but not able to hurt them). Just don't rush it. Chickens can be divas, and somewhat drama prone ;) Good luck!
@curbstone, the naked neck is the funniest little thing. I still can't get over the lack of feathers. Apparently they tolerate the heat really well which will be great for Arizona. I will be sure to keep an eye on her in the coming weeks to be sure that her flock mates aren't picking on her.
Thank you so much for your feedback on introducing the chickens. Our existing flock free ranges and I had never thought of introducing them while on range. I'm also going to have my husband build some sort of small coop/chicken tractor until they're ready to move in with the big girls. I really appreciate your advice.
grace i am sure you have answered this somewhere on your blog but where do you buy your chicks from?
@coco plum, I just sent you a message :)
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