Today was a great day! I've been promising J that we would get chicks as soon as they became available and that he could pick them out, name them and help me raise them. We've been talking about this for about a month. I called over to our local feed store today and they had some chicks in stock still from last week. Bouncing with excitement and giddy with anticipation (well J was definitely bouncing and giddy), we drove over the hill to see what we would find. I was intrigued by the dark Brahma breed they had (I'm a sucker for a pretty hen) so I knew we would come home with one of those. I thought maybe two Brahmas but J wanted a Rhode Island Red too. I've never had one of those but they're good layers so why not? He named the Rhode Island Red John Deere and the dark Brahma Chicky Chicky Chook Chook. Because it's cold in the garage and they're small enough to fit through the holes in our dog crate, I'm keeping them in J's bathroom for a couple of weeks or until they outgrow this bucket. It will happen very quickly that's for sure. I love keeping chickens. I don't know why more people don't do it, it's such fun!
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| The set up. A heat lamp is imperative, without a mama they can't keep themselves warm |
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| Feeder and water |
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| I put rocks in the water because they can fall in and not be able to get out, the rocks prevent that |
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| Looking into the bucket, this will only hold them for a week maybe two |
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| Choosing the chicks - it's hard to choose! |
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| On the way home |
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| The girls in their box - you can see they're already getting wing feathers |
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| John Deere |
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| Chicks adapt quickly |
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| J doesn't want to leave them - listening to him talk to them is priceless. He is telling them stories, all about himself and just general chatter. |
So adorable!
ReplyDeleteI agree - nothing like baby chicks (or kittens or puppies)
DeleteOh, they are so sweet! I wish I could have some chickens!
ReplyDeleteIt was a very happy day when I learned I could have them here! A very happy day :)
DeleteLove this! So wonderful. Really wish we could have them here. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked? Lots of places will allow 3 hens. You just have to look at the laws. I'm in an unincorporated area so we can have any farm animal we want (if we had the room that is).
DeleteSo very neat to see your chick set up. We have 6 chicks on order and can't wait for them to arrive in mid May! My husband was researching tractor coop plans today and will start building soon... I think we will probably end up going the cardboard box route when they arrive initially, but I love the galvanized buckets too. I just don't have any!
ReplyDeleteThis won't hold them for very long. They are already trying to jump to the rim of the bucket. My very first chicks (years ago) lived in a large cardboard box in the bathroom until they were full fledged. I got tired of chicken in the bathroom after that so the next ones were put in a large dog crate in the garage. I would have put these girls out there too but we still need to put netting up over the holes (they can slip through the openings right now) and we had a pretty severe cold snap and I didn't want them out in an unheard garage, even with a heat lamp. These girls will move out there pretty quickly I would imagine. They grow so quickly and are very curious about what's on the other side of the bucket :) what kinds are you getting? I love talking chickens! A cardboard box will last for a bit but a very large Rubbermaid container will work too and will be easier to clean.
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