Chickens in the House

Yes, that is right. We have chickens in our house. We now have six new additions which are around two weeks old. These little chicks are more skittish than our first ones. The first ones were ordered from Hoover's Hatchery and are doing great. (http://www.hoovershatchery.com/)

Before we decided to get chickens my son and I researched the various breeds. He decided he wanted to get Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks. These would not only make good pets, they were also a pretty bird. Luckily this was a breed the hatchery carried. Both of us have allergies to cats and dogs so we felt chickens would be a great alternative for a pet. Not only will they make great pets, we will have some fresh eggs sometime this fall.

They newest chicks are a different breed, and are talking a little longer to warm up to us. We purchased them at our local TSC on April 28th. They indicated to us they received them at the store on Monday. These appear to be a few days older than they anticipated. Their wings seemed more developed at an earlier age so we are guessing they were closer to a week old when we purchased them. They did indicate their hatchery was out of state, and since the birds arrived on Monday, the difference in shipping time would account for the variance between those we ordered locally.

None the less, all of them appear to be doing fine. They are starting to warm up to us slowly. Just yesterday they started eating out of our hands. They are already perching on a wooden towel bar we put inside their box, and scratching bedding into their water and food every time we turn around.

Originally were only going to raise the six chickens we initially purchased; however, my son decided he wanted to get two more. He wanted some more babies of a different breed. The second batch of babies is amber and black sex links. They are suppose to be a good breed for pets and will lay brown eggs just like the Wyandotte chicks.

After some begging and pleading, since TSC would only allow us to purchase six, we came home with six more to start the baby process all over again. To be honest, we had just graduated the others to their new home and I was happy to have them outside. What can I say, I love my son and he knows how to get to me.

These newest editions will be grown and outside with the others in no time at all. I’m amazed at how fast they grow. It seems like they are growing right before our eyes. Just like our own children who grow up too fast. Before we know it, they will be out on their own leaving us to wonder where the time went.