We have chicks! They were hatched at the end of February, so they're about 2.5 weeks old.
Like everything else, I had researched the heck out of chickens. After much googling, we finally landed on our plan: buy four chicks: two buff orpingtons and two barred plymouth rocks. I was going to check the two farm stores in town and if neither had the birds we wanted, I was going to mail order them.
On a Friday afternoon, Todd and I scoped out one farm store. Jackpot. They had what we were after. But, I wanted to see what the other store would have since store #1 had a six chick minimum. We took the boys and checked out store #2 on Saturday and it was a bust--mostly straight-run chicks (this means they haven't determined if they are male or female) and also a six chick minimum. By this point, T suggested we just go to store #1 and get some chicks. Since I had researched the heck out chickens, I knew what we needed to get, I though: why not?
When we got to store #1, we found out that the were all sold out of barred rock chicks (because, obviously, they are the best. That's the breed I picked out.) They still had the buff orpingtons which I've sold the boys on, so there was really no turning back. Also, since they have the six chick minimum it wasn't an option to buy a few buffs and go back later for the rocks. So...on the fly I picked out some ameraucanas because they lay blue eggs.
That's the story of how we ended up with six chicks instead of four and with ameraucanas instead of barred rocks. Oh well. Best laid plans...mumble mumble...
In my ten days as a chick watcher, I've learned these things:
1. Chick are little peckers. They peck everything and anything but especially each other. In fact, I was so concerned about their abusive behavior that I googled too much and found out that chickens really will peck each other to death if they get the taste of blood. I mean, I guess I should have known this from cock fighting, but I thought that might be more nurture than nature. Anyhow, we've still got the original six, and they are mostly sort of grooming-pecking one another for now. For now. Peckers.
2. Chicks act like middle schoolers. They huddle together most of the time. No one wants to be the first to try anything and then once one person likes something they all like something. In the last two days, they've been showing off for one another by seeing who can fly to the top of the feeder. They try to take cool things from one another--like particularly cool pieces of pine bedding. (Also, see number one.)
3. Chicks poop at a rate of approximately one poop per chicken every 18 minutes and they don't mind walking in it or pecking at it or laying in it.
4. Chicks prefer arugula to spinach. Picky peckers. In the last couple of days, when I offer a veggie treat, they form this mob which would be sort of alarming if not for their inefficiencies. They can only get a bite if they peck off some, but not too much. If it falls to the ground, it is dead to them (which seems reasonable, given #3). They eat plenty though, and I can visibly see them getting bigger and growing more feathers everyday. I only hope their brooder box (aka rubbermade tote) is big enough for them until they can go into the yet-unbuilt coop.
5. This is really the most important observation: chicks look ridiculously dead when they are sleeping. They fall down quickly and sprawl in a way you've seen every dead bird in your life sprawl. I spent a lot of time poking the chicks the first few days to make sure they were alive. (Yes, yes, that makes me a pecker poker. Ha ha.)
Speaking of coops...this week was my spring break. I was going to do nine million home projects including building the cutest darn mobile coop you've ever seen. And then I got the stomach flu. I haven't done a SINGLE thing I wanted to. On the upside, no one else in the family has got the bug yet and I still have four more days. Maybe I can get to one or two things now that I'm upright again, eating, and wearing pants.
