We got chicks!! We have been waiting for this day for a year and a half, and everyone (even Matthew) is so excited that its finally here. We have been preparing by building a new coop for them, and by doing a lot of research on what breeds would work best for what we needed. We wanted birds that were known for being quiet, hardy, docile and friendly. I found three breeds that I thought fit the bill perfectly; Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpingtons, and Black Australorps. You can read more about them by clicking the links. All three are beautiful birds, and will all hopefully be wonderful additions to our backyard flock.
I had planned on getting chicks from our local feed store, but after two weeks of missed shipments, I was starting to feel pretty anxious. We wanted to get the chicks while Ruger was still really young so that we can (fingers crossed) teach him that they are family, and not meals on wings. So when I called the feed store this morning and they told me they weren't sure when they would be getting the breeds we wanted, I started calling around. I found a neat little store in SE Portland called the Urban Farm Store that had not one, not two, but ALL three breeds that we wanted! They only had 3 of the Sussex's left, so we canceled the lunch we had planned with a friend (thanks for understanding Sarah!) and drove out there to pick them up. They said they are about a week old, but I am thinking they maybe closer to two weeks with all the feathers they have. Its a little older than I wanted, but we are still thrilled to have them!
The chicks keeping warm while we set up their food and water:
Rowan was insistent that we open the box containing the Black Australorps first, here she is checking to see what chicks these were:
It was the Australorps!
Then the Sussex:
And the little Buff's were last:
They hung out in the corner for quite a while getting their bearings:
But soon enough they started venturing out, and found the food:
And settled in for a nap:
Awww....we have missed having these little ones around! We are looking forward to them being part of our family for a long time.
I had planned on getting chicks from our local feed store, but after two weeks of missed shipments, I was starting to feel pretty anxious. We wanted to get the chicks while Ruger was still really young so that we can (fingers crossed) teach him that they are family, and not meals on wings. So when I called the feed store this morning and they told me they weren't sure when they would be getting the breeds we wanted, I started calling around. I found a neat little store in SE Portland called the Urban Farm Store that had not one, not two, but ALL three breeds that we wanted! They only had 3 of the Sussex's left, so we canceled the lunch we had planned with a friend (thanks for understanding Sarah!) and drove out there to pick them up. They said they are about a week old, but I am thinking they maybe closer to two weeks with all the feathers they have. Its a little older than I wanted, but we are still thrilled to have them!
The chicks keeping warm while we set up their food and water:
Rowan was insistent that we open the box containing the Black Australorps first, here she is checking to see what chicks these were:
It was the Australorps!
Then the Sussex:
And the little Buff's were last:
They hung out in the corner for quite a while getting their bearings:
But soon enough they started venturing out, and found the food:
And settled in for a nap:
Awww....we have missed having these little ones around! We are looking forward to them being part of our family for a long time.