CHICK DAY

But it wasn’t just goats that were being added to the farm.

The very next Wednesday was our first Chick Day. And once again, such a learning curve. There was a hatchery not so far away from us that I had selected to be my source for chicks. I don’t know what makes a good hatchery, but they were within driving distance. With the plague and all there were plenty of horror stories out there about people not receiving their chicks from mail-order hatcheries, and when they did, it was too late.

So I was lucky. About a day long round trip would insure that I was in control of the chicks. I had spent many weeks reading and studying and try to determine which chickens I would be getting. I knew I wanted meat birds. No problem. Check. But the laying flock was going to be my permanent flock. Hopefully I would have them for years. So I studied breeds, and temperaments, and laying statistics. In this first round I knew I wanted brown eggs (because they taste better, right?!) and I wanted some blue or green eggs. From my bucket list.

So me thinking I knew everything had called the hatchery a week ago or so to place my order. I didn’t know how hatcheries worked. They don’t hatch the same chicks every week. Plus, they have only so many eggs to hatch and they run out. Often. With the plague there has been such a shift to self sustaining homesteads that hatcheries across the country were selling out sooner than ever before. When I went to place my order, some chickens were sold out, others weren’t being hatched the week I needed to pick them up. So my well laid plans got all jumbled up and I had to think on my feet to determine which chickens I wanted to order. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, thinking on my feet is not one of my strengths.

So here are the chickens I settled on: Black Australorp, Delaware, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Ameraucana (for their blue or green eggs), Barred Plymouth Rock, and the Golden Sex Link.

It was simply amazing. I had chicks! I had setup their brooder and I was ready to go. Heat plate on. And everything worked out just fine. A couple of months later I moved them into their coop outside. As I look out my window I can see them running around in the front yard chasing bugs and leaves. Scratching for worms. And a dust bath just to feel good. It is so hot outside.

I don’t expect my first eggs until after 16 weeks. It will probably be my Golden Sex Link or my Sagitta that will start first. And it is so cute, every night at dusk, they all march back to the coop, find a roost, and they are in for the night. Makes it very easy on FarmBoy.