A few months ago we decided that we wanted to get some baby chicks, pullets to be exact. So, we started making plans and two weeks ago we got serious.
We cleaned out a shed, put up a fence, and did some other work to get ready for the chicks.
As you can see, the kids were all a huge help.
Inside the building we sectioned off a smaller area for the chicks that had heat lamps to keep them nice and warm.
After we got everything ready, we went to a local tractor supply store and purchased 30 pullets, 15 Black Sex Link and 15 ISA Brown.
They packed up the chicks in to-go boxes that looked like giant happy meal boxes. 🙂
The kids were so excited because we haven’t had chicks since the spring of 2006, which was before Joseph and Janna’s time.
In case you weren’t aware of this, we used to raise chickens for eggs, that we sold to local customers, and for meat.
When I found out I was going to have a miscarriage in September of 2006 we decided to sell everything. My husband was getting his master’s degree and we made a quick decision because we felt like we just couldn’t handle them anymore.
In hindsight, we probably should have kept everything, but I think it worked out alright.
In 2009, we got a few hens that were already laying and put them in a dog kennel. We gave them away when I was pregnant with Janna.
Anyway, we are at a point in our lives where the kids are getting older and the oldest three are able to help with the chickens. The timing seemed right again.
This is what the chicks looked like the day we brought them home. They were already a couple of days old at this point.
This is what the chicks looked like a week later. You can tell they are growing, just look at their wing feathers.
Today when I was checking on them they looked even bigger.
We did lose one chick on Easter Sunday, but so far all of the other 29 appear to be healthy.
While it will be a few months before the chicks are big enough to lay eggs, I am looking forward to watching them grow and eventually having our own eggs.
Do you have any chickens or other farm animals at your home?
