Their here!

No matter how many times you get chicks in the mail---it is always exciting :-D
So they are finally here---and temporarily residing in the house in two rubber maid style bins. We didn't quite finish getting their housing together before hand so they will have to wait a day or so for larger digs. No big deal since they are so small anyways.
This is my batch from Murray McMurray. It is a mix of Cuckoo Marans, Delawares and Silver laced Wyandottes. I don't know what "brownie" in the box is---probably one of my extras. Hopefully it will be a hen and not a rooster so we can keep the color if we like it. I actually received 33 for the order of 30-- though I am not sure if one of the little black ones will make it. It looks as if it was at the bottom of the pile for quite some time when I opened them (they shipped on Saturday). I put it on one of the radiators that I turned up quite high so it would put off enough heat for the baby, force fed it water for about 1/2 hour----and it finally opened it's eyes. Lucky little booger since I was trying to decide whether or not to pull it's neck by then.
Then, since I forgot to buy feed (????!!!) I had to run down and get some at the store. I wondered if blackie would be dead when I got back, but it isn't and it even chirped a couple of times when I made it drink some more. I haven't seen it eat, and it still sits incorrectly, but all the others are busily consuming itty bitty pieces of chick starter and look just fine. They were a bit cold at first and piled together under the light for about 10 minutes. I kept "stirring" them so they wouldn't squoosh each other---and they got warm just fine. So, maybe the little black one will make it or maybe not---but the others look good and 1 out of 33 isn't bad considering. I count them and myself lucky.
My next order comes from Ideal Poultry in Texas and ships on the 21st. It is a batch of French Cuckoo Marans (they have feathered legs instead of clean). Hopefully, I will be as lucky with them as these.

SmallMeadow Farm