Chicks!

Our four hay loft chicks are growing up.  They are all showing some barring on their feathers which is exciting.  It makes me wonder if Big Red is their father.

hay loft chicks

Unfortunately the eggs sat on under the goat feeder never produced.  They kept hatching but something would then kill the chicks.  So I stupidly decided to try to move the nest and hen to a safer place.  She, of course, freaked out and would not set on the eggs again.  I should learn, but I didn’t have good options.

So yesterday morning our chicks arrived at the post office.  I had to work so Tom went and picked them up and got them situated.  There were no casualties.  This morning when I got home from work I was able to see them for the first time.  Here is my first view of some of them.

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Here are more views of them mixed in with the hay loft chicks.  The hay loft chicks appear to be showing the younger chicks the ropes as far as eating the feed, drinking the water and going under the plate for warmth.

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This is an unusual chick that I haven’t seen before.  I wonder if it is my free surprise chick.

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Here is the packing list of what I ordered.  It will be exciting to see how they grow and develop.

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In other news, it is quite beautiful around here with the spring blooms.  Here is one of our crabapple trees.

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I tried to get videos of all the bees on the apple tree blossoms, but they did not turn out.  I will try again.  In the meantime I took the scenic route home from work again and saw the last of the tulips in the fields.

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In the obligatory dog photo, Steve was playing with rainbow bear while Ryeleigh was making sure he hadn’t left anything in his feed bowl.  As you can see there is plenty of dog toy fuzz (as well as dandelions for the bees) in our yard.

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14 Responses to Chicks!

  1. Jeanne says:

    What a great bunch of pictures! How many chicks do you have now? I tried to count them, but didn’t have much luck. They’re really pretty. Is there any way you can find out what kind your surprise chick is? Or does it have to remain a surprise?

    Your crabapple tree and the tulips are really pretty.

    I got a chuckle out of the picture of Steve and Ryeleigh!

    • Donna says:

      Thanks Jeanne! We have 38 chicks now. There is no way to find out what the surprise chick is until you can identify it as it grows up. So it is always kind of fun. I wished those bee-blossoms videos had turned out. It was so beautiful in the orchard yesterday. Now it is raining so no bees and the blossoms are starting to fall. This is the most apple tree blossoms we have ever had. A little worried about the fruit load on the trees this year. Steve and Ryeleigh make us chuckle all the time, so wonderful to have them in our lives. Donna

      • Wow! 38! We just accomplished the number of 21 chicks on our farm.

      • Donna says:

        We have about 100 chickens already.

      • WHAT! That is amazing.

      • Jeanne says:

        I hope your apples do well!! They are my favorite fruit!
        My goodness! 38 chicks is really a lot! I hope they all survive, especially the surprise chick! I hope you’ll be able to identify it after it gets big enough.

        We used to have a crabapple tree when we lived in Idaho. We were sorry to learn later, that the tree was taken out, after we moved. I loved making the jelly from those little “crabs”!

      • Donna says:

        That is sad that they took out your tree. It seems to be a sad fate for crabapple trees and undeserved.

  2. What a lovely little brood! What fun to have a surprise chick!

  3. We have 21 chickens right now! Groups of them are at different states of life. We live on a farm and are getting a baby sheep to raise in september! Follow us at: biederbeckfam.wordpress.com
    Thanks!

  4. They are Fun! I love the pic’s of your dogs too!

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