The chicks arrived at 8am this morning at our local post office. I quickly ran down and picked them up in a simple cardboard box. They were tweeting like crazy! No not on their cell phones lol. We immediately counted 26! Remember we had to order 25 and then as a surprise bonus they throw in one random rare chick, which you have to figure out the breed on your own. We are still trying to figure it out! Please make a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have any ideas or just want to add a comment!
Yesterday I picked up some essentials that I needed for the chicks arrival. For food I got a 50lbs bag of organic chick starter feed from Vermont called Green Mountain Feeds and also a 2 foot feeder. For water I picked up a 1 gallon chick waterer. For light I got a 250 watt red heat bulb and a drop light. And for bedding I got some wood shavings. Total was about $40.
Last night I designed a simple wooden pen for them and ran over to home depot to pick up the material. I grabbed some simple compressed wood that they use for shelving and also some banister posts. With some screws and a power screw driver, I quickly assembled their living quarters for the next few weeks. I even included a divider, which I thought will be helpful for cleaning and space control. Total was about $30.
Dave was in a hurry to get to work but he was anxious to meet the chicks. He helped me one by one dip their beaks into water. I added 12 tablespoons per gallon of water of organic sugar for extra energy. The chicks will be thirsty from being shipped and it's essential to rehydrate them and introduce them to the waterer. I also filled up their feeder with food and flipped on the red heat bulb! I also placed on the floor of their pen two layers thick of newspaper that will be used for the first few days. You want to use newspaper and spread some of the feed on it so the chicks immediately find the food. If you use wood shavings first, they may mistake them for food! It is amazing watching them explore. We also held them in our hands and let our goldendoodles greet them. Aubrey and Hanna watched over our every move from above the pen. They love to watch them tweet around and have spent the entire morning patiently waiting outside their door for a chance to visit them again. Check out their video below!
If you have any ideas on that surprise rare extra chick please make a comment!
Check out our video below!
how long will you be keeping them inside the house?
ReplyDeletewe have to keep them in the house between 1-2 months. Until they get their feathers.
ReplyDelete