Turns out there are a lot of choices. Pierce was less than enthusiastic.
But Reid seemed happy enough.
Then we went online and I ordered 25 eggs, plus one mystery egg. I ordered 15 layers and 10 fryers, with the understanding that I wasn't butchering, plucking, or prepping in any way the fryers. I'll cook them, once they are ready. Paul really wanted the fryers. So they are his deal.
We had our incubator set up and ready to go.
Yesterday I got the call from the post office that they were there!
So I headed over and as soon as I walked in and heard PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP I knew.
We got chicks.
Not eggs.
OOPS.
Here is the box they came in.
Peeking in the box:
Well, we weren't set up for chicks at all. In fact, I didn't even know what to do for them. Quite a few were already dead on arrival. And the others looked kind of rough.
I put them in the incubator so they could get warm.
But there wasn't much air circulating and I think I got them too warm because then they were panting and fighting over the water dish.
When Paul got home, he devised a better set up for them in a big box with a heat lamp.
But we lost some more during the night.
And our remaining chicks are just nine.
:-(
I feel so bad.
My heart breaks just thinking about it.
Please don't call PETA on me.
I hope we can save the remaining nine.
Here are the goodies Paul got me on our $5 Valentine's budget:
Hopefully by some miracle I'll get to use them this summer.
Think about stopping by tomorrow to join in on Memory Lane Friday! The theme this week is a family pet you had growing up.
5 comments:
Oh, more chicken troubles! Looks like we aren't fearing so well. I am sorry for your losses. It's hard. Don't blame yourself, it seems like they had a traumatic journey, and probably weren't doing so well. Nine will eventually give you 9 eggs a day, more than you'll need. Chickens eat a LOT.
Less is better.
We raised 12 fryers once, never again. It was sad and all the work was not worth it. It turned out to be cheaper to buy an organic chicken at Trader Joe's! I look forward to following your chicken journey. They are fun to have around!
Thanks MamaK. We lost another today but hopefully the ones that are left will be stronger.
What an adventure.
I spent a summer at a farm when I was a child. The chickens were a lot of fun. They each had individual personalities! Make sure you don't feed them too much. They don't know how to stop eating.
Good luck with your chicks! I have thought about raising some chickens for consumtion but have heard that it is not worth the time and money. It is cheaper to just buy the chickens from our local butcher. We don't really use eggs that much so I decided not to get any chickens.
YD
Too bad about the chicks but you have to learn somehow I guess. I bet you'll be the best chicken mom ever now!
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