Sunday, April 22, 2012

Chickens!

Well, it finally happened.  Four-and-a-half weeks ago I finally realized a dream.  We got our chicks in the mail.  This will be one of those shameless "look at my chicks" post, if you're wondering.

I had ordered 28 chicks: 5 Buff Orpington pullets, and 2 cockerels, 5 Barred Rocks, 5 Welsumer pullets, and 1 cockerel, 5 Speckled Sussex, and 5 Light Brahmas.  When they arrived, we learned that the hatchery had put in three extras for us, bringing the total to 31.  I believe that my extras are Orpington's and Sussex'... as a matter of fact, I think one of the Sussex is a cockerel too.  After about a week, one of my light Brahmas died, no rhyme or reason, just died.  So I went to a local (meaning 18 miles away) Rural King store and bought 3 Australorps and 3 ISA Browns.  Well, there was a six chick minimum!  So now I have 36 chicks.  I could have done with out the ISA Browns and just gone with 6 Australorps, but hindsight is 20/20.

At four-and-a-half weeks, they're almost through the awkward adolescent phase and are nearly completely feathered out.  Some are slower than others.  Several are trying their wings.  Some are sparring with each other to establish pecking order.  It's all pretty interesting.  I have the chicken coop all done and ready for them.  I'll have to post some pics from the coop soon.  I haven't moved the chicks to the coop from the brooder yet because our temps are still really variable with nighttime temps getting down into the 30's once in a while yet (freeze warning tonight!).  The coop is fairly open and I wouldn't be able to keep the temp warm enough in there for the chicks, so they'll have to wait another couple of weeks.

In the meantime, here are a few pics of the chicks just after we got them:




As an update on what else is going on around here... I planted 16 asparagus starts and 6 rhubarb starts this past week.  I also stuck four rather smallish blueberry bushes in the ground too.  Here's hoping for a future crop of all of it!  Also, I started some tomato seeds that were collected from tomatoes grown from seeds (as infinitum) that were originally grown by my Grandmother!  Years ago, she gave some tomatoes to a friend and she started growing the plants herself.  Now, years later, my uncle got hold of some of them and has passed them around the family.  I have several young plants growing and I hope they don't damp off or bite the dust out in the sun when they're big enough to go out.  More on those later... maybe.