Here they are in their shipping box (yes, there are 26 of them in there) looking a little weary, cramped, hungry, thirsty and maybe a bit chilled after their two day road trip.We were really worried that the extensive flooding of areas between the hatchery and here would prove to be disastrous for their journey but they arrived on time and all looking pretty good.
They're in their brooder now, eating and drinking, and making themselves at home.
I don't think I'd want to be in the hatchery business. This place that we've ordered our chicks from for several years is a family business run by great people and their stock has always proven to grow into healthy and robust birds. However, this year they've had their problems. They had two incubators malfunction and lost 1,200 eggs. (Make you feel any better, Carolyn?) What a blow. Then the hens of one of the breeds we ordered started eating their eggs. Good golly, if it ain't one thing, it's another.
So we accepted some substitutions for the breeds we originally ordered. I can't tell you off the top of my head what we ended up getting and Papa Pea has the papers somewhere up in his office. I can't seem to lay my hands on them and the dear man is, as we speak, dealing with a stubborn leak in the water filtration system we installed yesterday so I don't think this is a good time to bother him. Or talk to him. Or be in the same room with him.
I'll do another post on the little fluff balls with more info later.
What fun! We just got our chicks this week too and ordered an assortment. Where do you buy your chicks?
ReplyDeleteMary - We order ours from Sand Hill Preservation Center in Iowa. I'm going to get a post up this afternoon on the varieties we got.
DeleteSo cute. That is one cure to get your mind off the weather you have been having.
ReplyDeleteJane - Arrrgh! Would you believe we're getting more rain today? Gnash-gnash.
DeleteYeah, I guess 90 eggs is nothing compared to over a thousand bum eggs. Your little fluffballs are cute! Can't wait to start the incubator up again! I just can't resist those balls of fluff.
ReplyDeleteHope the water issue is resolved fairly quickly and without too much "to do". And hope you get to see Papa Pea sometime soon. When Paul is working on something, especially something broken, I give him a WIDE berth. Actually, I leave the house if it's possible to do so. Better for everyone in the long run.
CR - Don't cha wish the chicks would grow up into big fluffballs? What would be cuter than to have chickens as adults that look like they do when they're just born. (Or is that too weird a thought?)
DeleteMy dozen barred rock hens are 1 month old now and in the ugly teenager stage. I get 6 chicks every few weeks for 4-h petting zoo our county kids do couple times a month. My husband buys them at local auction then we resale them to our feed store customers. I dont trust sellers honesty bout sexing them.
ReplyDeleteLisa - What a neat idea you have for the 4-H petting zoo! Ours aren't sexed . . . and drat and darn, it seems we always end up with more roosters than hens! But on the other hand, that gives us young birds in the freezer!
DeleteI'm surprised they didn't have little rubber boots on! What weather you all have had! That's quite a few new chicks - how many originals do you have? All those newcomers will throw everyone's girdle in a twist, I betcha.
ReplyDeleteSusan - The hatchery won't ship less than 25 (so they stay warm enough during travel) and Chicken Mama wasn't in a position to split with us this year. At least half of them will be roosters so even if we end up with a dozen hens, that's really more than we need. In the hen house right now we have 7 layers and too many roosters. (We have three full sized and one bantam.) Happily, everyone gets along and the hens aren't overly "bothered" or some of the big boys would have to go.
DeleteOh how adorable, How old are they? I got mine at this size and was not sure of there age.
ReplyDeleteIv had mine a month.
here are mine now :)the top one is older about 5 months now,the bottom were the size of yours when we got them
http://iamonewearethree.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/chickens/
RJ - Ours were two days old when they arrived. Don't they grow unbelievably fast? But I guess that's the idea . . . we want those good eggs!
Deleteyes they grow very fast...
DeleteAfternoon Mama Pea,
ReplyDeleteSince you are the strawberry queen can wild strawberries cross pollinate with domestic ones? I had some strawberry plants pop up in a spot that I did not plant them. The plants are huge and the berries seem to be big but they look like wild ones and have more of that flavor although the kids don't let them get rip enough to find out for sure. I was just wondering if you had any clue what was going on?
Hey, M! - Boy, that's a good question. I'm no botanist but I'm betting our domesticated strawberries originally came from the wild ones so . . . why not? I'm sure the bees work both the wild and the ones we plant. You may have something great goin' there. Protect and save that plot of berries!
DeleteToo cute!!! Glad they made is safely:)
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I find it amazing that they can go from just hatched, to a journey of hundreds of miles with no food or water for two days . . . and be just fine. (I was so worried about them being stuck in the back of a post office somewhere that was closed because of flooding!)
DeleteAh, I am such a sucker for little peeps; they are so cute!!
ReplyDeleteSimply Scaife Family - I know! How could they be more adorable?
DeleteWhat a lovely box of fluffies you have! I just found your blog and became a follower (: I can't wait to come back for more posts! Hope you have a lovely weekend!!
ReplyDeleteMichele
xoxo
Michele - You have a lovely blog but . . . omigosh, what you have been through lately! Bless you for your postive attitude and outlook!
Delete:) How precious! I'm glad they made it to your home okay. Looking forward to future posts on them!
ReplyDeleteRS (Me) - Hope to get up a post on them yet this afternoon.
DeleteI have been off my computer for a few days so have missed all you water postings. But I just read in yesterday's paper about the Minn. Zoo and thought of you so booted up to see how you are doing. Oh my! I could hardly read the entire zoo story. Brought tears to my eyes. I do hope you have not lost too much in your gardens. Mother Nature sure can do nasty things sometimes just to remind us who is really in charge. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire state. Funny thing: I am just sitting here at my computer listening to the thunder roll in. Hope we are not getting anything like you did. Oh and good luck with the chickies.
ReplyDeleteKaren L. - Thanks for the kind words, m'dear. South of us ended up getting the really devastating flooding. We were just inconvenienced by roads washed out and a bit of garden damage. Some water in basements but that was to be expected with the amount of rain we got.
DeleteYay! I wouldn't want to be in that business either, just the shipping alone looks like one big hassle LOL!
ReplyDeleteErin - Even though this hatchery is family run, it's fairly good sized. Just think of all the chicks they have to pack up and take to the post office every day! Gak.
ReplyDelete