Things that make you go 'AWWWW!'

Let me introduce you to our new chicks. So far, anyone that has looked at our pictures or the IPod videos my son created, or has viewed the chicks with Skype has had the same response. An immediate, prolonged 'Awwww'. Furthermore, most of those 'aw's' have had at least 3 or 4 syllables and pitches. All babies are cute. Actually, critter babies are always cute. Human babies are amazing, but most times - they really aren't what you would call 'cute' until they've gotten past that red, pruny faced stage. Before you start arguing about how cute your babies were from the get-go, we'll set that aside and get back to the cute baby chicks.

Last Sunday morning, the phone rang at about 7 a.m. The local post office was calling to advise that we had a box of chicks and we could pick them up before 9 a.m. We were floored. We knew that we might get a call on Sunday a.m., but were expecting the call on Monday. We threw on our shoes and coats and with great anticipation, drove straight into town to retrieve the small box from the kind postal worker. We had placed the order for these chicks in November from Murray McMurray Hatchery. We had no idea that a box that held 25 chicks would be that small! The cheeps from within let us know that at least a good number of the chicks were very vibrant. The box rode back to our home between our two boys in the back seat. The guys tried to catch glimpses through the 1/2' diameter holes in the box lid, but couldn't see much.

We hurriedly put our cardboard box together to create a brooder, set up the heat lamp and monitored the temperature. We added a couple of inches of pine shavings, then topped them with newspaper. The hatchery had advised that covering the shavings would help prevent the chicks from trying to eat the shavings rather than their feed. Once the temperature was consistently 90-95 F, it was time to open the box and meet the chicks!

We immediately burst into laughter as all the chicks were piled on top of one another in half of the box - at least 3-4 chicks deep. The 'king of the mountain', or should we say 'queen' was ready to hop off! We set about dipping each chick's beak in water, then feed and setting them in their new temporary home.
Now - honestly...didn't you want to say 'awwww' as you gazed at these photos? How much cuter could anything be? In person, they are absolutely mesmerizing!
While we mixed up a product called 'Gro-Gel'. The powder is mixed with a small amount of water and immediately becomes the consistency of sticky Jello. Here's a link to the details of the nutritional benefits and contents of the product.
The green blobs in the feed are bits of the Gro-Gel and obviously, the chicks like it!
We also purchased a water supplement called 'QuikChick'. A teaspoon per gallon for the first two weeks adds helpful vitamins and electrolytes to assist in recovery from stress during shipping and give them a nutritional boost. For the first two days, we also added 3 T. of sugar to each waterer.

The hatchery only sells baby chicks in batches of 25 so that the they can keep each other warm with their body heat until they reach their destination. A company rep told me that they can easily handle 2-3 days without food and water, living off the last bit of yolk the chicks consume before hatching. We ordered 25 Red Star females. As extra insulation and a live marketing tool for the hatchery, a bonus chick can be added to your order at no charge. The shipping invoice identifies this chick as 'rare exotic chick'. The dark chick in the above photo would be our bonus chick. We look forward to sorting out the breed and gender of this little beauty!
One last photo of the chicks in their growing quarters. The essential elements: a box with tall sides for draft protection, a heat lamp to create the appropriate temperature, a couple of quart size waterers and a couple of one lb. feeders, a layer of changeable litter and there you have it! Here they'll stay until that coop is finished. Stay happy, chickies - we're working on it!