Picking Up Chicks

Say hello to our newest arrivals!

After literal years of discussing and debating, agonizing over whether to break the law (then finding out the law had recently changed), and spending too much time gallivanting around to commit, Zach and I finally bought some chickens! 

They are two Buff Orpingtons (the yellowish ones), both named Buffy; two Barred Plymouth Rocks (the black ones), both named Mayfeather; and an Ameraucana named Bobbie Dylan. We bought them a week and a half ago at the Fenton Feed Mill for a few bucks a piece, toted them home in a cardboard container that strongly resembled a Happy Meal box, and unloaded them into a large plastic bin under a heat lamp, where they’ll live until they’re ready to face the outdoors.

The chicks, 2-3 days old. Look how tiny Bobbie's wing is!

In that time, they’ve grown up a lot, from fluffy little balls of down into somewhat scraggly balls of down with fledging wings and longer legs. They’re a ton of fun to watch as they run pell-mell around the bin, fluttering and flapping and trying to jump out of the box (even though I put chicken wire on top). Then they’ll abruptly stop, fluff up into spheres, and face-plant into the wood shavings for a few minutes, their little sides expanding and contracting with deep sleep. Then they’ll snap awake as if from a scary chicken dream, stretch expansively, and continue running around like crazy.

This Buffy is pretty adventuresome— she'll hop onto your finger and let you life her out of the brooder

Our new favorite activity is feeding them small crickets from our yard. One of the Mayfeathers immediately caught on and has snatched up so many crickets that we had to take her out of the bin to give the others a fighting chance. One of the Orpingtons finally managed to grab a cricket, then ran around with it for two minutes looking utterly confused before she figured out how to swallow it. Bobbie Dylan remains terrified of the bugs.

I’m so excited for this newest addition to our homestead! Here’s hoping we can help them grow strong and healthy through the winter, with the promise of delicious backyard eggs in the spring.

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