Hot Chicks (actually, not hot chicks)

Well, chick season is upon us.  We've decided to get new chicks this year because our current hens aren't laying enough eggs for us.  I'm afraid their days are numbered.  Right now we have seven hens.  We get 3-5 eggs per day, but David eats 4 by himself every day for breakfast (1 whole egg and three egg whites) so we need more.  We decided to get a dozen new chicks.  We forked over the extra money to buy pullets (girls) this time.  Last time we bought chicks we got them strait run (as-they-hatch) and all 12 ended up being roosters.  Yikes!

On Friday afternoon, I took the kids to Valley Wide Ranch Store to pick out our new chicks.  Each girl was allowed to pick out a chick of their own (which basically means they get to name it) and I picked the rest.  David would have liked to get a dozen of the same breed, but I wanted to have a mix and I'm the one who bought them, so that's what we got.  I'm looking forward to having brown, white and green eggs in the fall. 

Nicki's chick is named Fluffy Toes.  She has feathered legs.



Ali's chick is named Adventurous.  She'll lay green eggs.




Josh is admiring Jazelle.  She's a Blue Andalusian. More of an exotic show bird than an egg layer, but I think we'll still have enough eggs.

 Somehow, after getting one-of-this-kind, two-of-this-kind, I lost count and ended up buying 13 chicks.  Oh well - close enough right?  I tried to buy a red heat lamp bulb as a back-up in case ours burned out, but they were all sold out.  Heat lamps are very important until the feathers grow in.   When we got home, we were getting ready to transfer the chicks to their cage in our basement where they'll stay for the first few weeks.  In his excitement, Josh knocked over the heat lamp and broke it.  That's a really big deal with new chicks.  They'll die without a heat lamp.  I wish I could say that I was a patient, kind mother, but I wasn't.  I freaked out a  little bit and spoke much more loudly than I should have.  Anyway, I loaded everyone up in the van again, including the chicks and we drove to another store in town.  I bought two red bulbs and two more chicks as well.  I couldn't help it.  I wanted that breed and the other store didn't have them.  So, now we have 15 chicks.  Can you say eggs? 

We just love our chicks.  They are so fun to watch!  I like to sit and watch them for as long as possible.  They're really funny.  I love how they run around perfectly normally, then suddenly they tip over forward in deep sleep.  I love how they step on each other.  I love how quickly they grow.  Each day, there is a noticeable difference.  They're so cute!