Updates

I have chicks!  They came in almost 3 weeks ago on the 1st.  This time I got 15 Araucana hens and 15 un-sexed Australorps.  I wanted to make sure that I had hens to lay the green and blue eggs so I paid the extra to sex the Araucanas.

The only request my daughter had, other than not getting chickens at all, was to not get any more aggressive Rhode Island Reds.  Since I didn't enjoy them last year, I decided to humor her and we did not get any Reds.  Those things were mean.  And, since I didn't get them sexed because I planned to cull the flock by using the cocks as meat birds, we ended up with only four hens out of 20 chickens.  The poor things were raped constantly by the males.  I just kept thinking it was going to be a repeat of the crazy rooster my dad had a few years ago.  I used to throw buckets and pitchforks and anything else handy at that thing.  It would attack anybody at any time.

 

Day Old Araucana

 According to the chicken pickin' guide, Australorps are supposed to be a mild bird.  And the Araucanas from last year seemed pretty tame.  Add that they're pretty birds, heritage breeds, and one kind lays colored eggs and I think we've picked some good ones.

It's now three weeks later.  We did not have the brooder pen ready for them when they arrived.  Imagine that!  I procrastinated!  But we had it within a week.  Until then, the chicks stayed in our bath tub.  Since then it has been scrubbed and bleached clean.

Michael Working on the Brooder Pen

The Brooding Pen 

 The pen still needs a little work, but for now it is functional.

The Araucana 19 Days Old