We recently acquired some little chicklets, that started out cute and tiny. They were just little balls of fluff and super sweet. Betsy is the black one, and Prudy is the one up front, with Penny behind her.
We also added two more, who are growing quickly. Here's Bella, the terror of tiny town, although I think the other chicks are putting her in her place without me having to put her in time out as you see her here. You can tell she's not happy...lol.
Here's sweet Daisy, the quietest and prettiest of the flock.
Betsy has grown quite a bit in the last week, with full feathered wings and a tail to boot. Chickens aren't much different than humans, in that they like company, like to be noticed, and love to eat. These little darlin's are all laying hens, at least we hope they are all hens. Penny was stretching her neck earlier, looking as if she was going to crow, oh dear! If any turn out to be a rooster by mistake, they are looking at cold storage, but that's the way of the world on a small farmette. We have two Gold Sexlinks, two Ameracaunas, and one black Austrolorpe. All are purportedly good layers of large eggs, and supposedly good natured and hardy. Hardy I believe as they took a 600 mile journey with me last week. I hope they are as sweet as they are supposed to be.
So the fun begins, with heat lamps, changing bedding daily, poop patrol in the brooder at least twice daily and water changing. I figured out that if I elevated their food and water a bit, the feeders tend to stay cleaner. Bella and Daisy love to scratch and toss things behind them with their feet so this has been great. I've found a great forum for getting questions answered regarding raising chicks at
Backyard Chickens Forum. If you have started a similar journey into Chickendom I'd love to hear from you!
