In early 2016, after pining away for chickens for years, my family was finally ready for our first "pets".
It took me a long time to convince my husband that the birds would be worth the effort (of course, I wasn't sure, I just HOPED they would be...) I spent hours researching the right breeds for our cold winter area, finding the perfect blend of docile, cold hearty prolific egg layers and made a careful order online in December.
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Chicks in a Brooder at Agway[/caption]
BUT....then at the end of January I drove to the local Agway store and heard the amazing, hopeful peeps of day-old chicks. I was desperate for something soft and happy, so I cancelled the online order and returned to the store the next day, family in tow. I actually found most of the same breeds that I had previously ordered, so it worked out perfectly. Sigh.
We got the basic supplies- a chick feeder, waterer, heat lamp, and thermometer. My daughters picked out the cute little fluff balls from hundreds of chicks in the brooder. My oldest chose a very quiet, shy black chick. To this day, Herme (named after Hermione from Harry Potter) remains her favorite.
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Chick Crate- aka - live chick Happy Meal[/caption]
I haven't eaten at McDonalds in over 20 years, but I still remember the size and shape of the happy meal boxes. I used to love getting the chicken nugget meal as a kid. The irony of carrying home 6 live chicks in the happy meal box was not lost on me.
We ended up choosing 2 Easter Eggers, 2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Plymouth Rocks. All are breeds that are good egg layers, hardy in cold temperatures and very people-friendly.
For over two months,
the birds lived in our house. More than a month more than planned. A story for another post. Keep posted. ha.
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2 Day Old Fluffballs[/caption]
