Baby Chicks Arrive

Our new baby chicks arrived yesterday! The post office called about 12 noon and said that they had a peeping package for us. I'm not even sure the kids put shoes on before they got into the car-they were so excited. I had set the brooder up the day before-we usually line an unused dog crate with cardboard boxes so they can't get out. Turn on the heat lamp, add some pine shavings and we're set to go.

Here's what they look like when they arrive in the box. We ordered 12 hens but unfortunately they only shipped 11. My Pet Chicken emailed this morning and is trying to resolve the problem. In the box is a heating pad to keep them warm on their journey home.

We got them settled right in and they were peeping very loudly. All of them began to drink and eat immediately. I'm amazed at one day old how they know how to do that.

We ordered 2 Cuckoo Marans which are just beautiful. The three Easter Eggers are brown, Chipmunk colored and a smoky yellow. We have one Plymouth Rock that is smoky colored, a Buff Orpington and 2 Australorps and 2 Dominiques. The Australorp and Dominique chicks look very similar and I'm having a hard time telling them apart. One of them has already been named Trouble-she makes a break for it everytime the cage door is open and pecks my finger. Remember the movie "Chicken Run?"

The marbles are so the little chicks don't drown even in the very shallow water dish. I forgot how tiny these babes are. I had the water bottle on the wedge of brick to help keep the litter out but it was too tall for the little fluff balls to reach. Now they just like to sit on it because it's nice and warm under the heat lamp.

And sometimes they sit in the water dish-and poop in it. We do water changes about 5 or 6 times a day. They are very messy with kicking litter and managing to get waste into the water.

Morgan got a little cuddle time last night with the Easter Egger that looks like Chipmunk, one of our grown hens that lays green eggs.

Excuse the wet head on Morgan-it was after bath time. I think this is one of the Dominiques that she is holding. Hard to tell.

The Chicken Whisperer quickly claimed the Plymouth Rock. We decided to hold off on naming the girls until they are feathered out. It will give us a better idea of personality and coloring. Does anyone else dote this much on baby chicks?

They are so fun to watch. The babes fall asleep standing up sometimes and fall over or sleep with their beaks in the pine shavings. Several times I had to rouse them just to be sure that they are ok. They are-tiny newborn babies need lots of sleep.

We are anxious to see all the different colored eggs we get in the fall when these girls start laying. For now...we will enjoy them being babies.