Friday, June 6, 2008

Peep Show

We FINALLY got our peeps today. What a relief! With any luck they will all be hens, but with our luck we'll probably end up with at least one rooster.


We have 8 of them:
2 Barred Rock
2 Araucana
2 Rhode Island Red (we think it's possible that one of these might be another breed as the wing feathers are a different color than the other)
2 Black Sex Link

They were hatched at approximately 10 am on June 4th.

So far, so good. They were very hungry when we picked them up from the feed store and there were a few squabbles in the box while on the drive home. Our brooder is Logan's crate set up with the top and bottom end to end with a heat lamp suspended from a camera tripod.
They very quickly figured out what food and water is and stuffed their crops full. Our biggest challenge will be remembering to keep the bedroom door shut to keep the cats out!

Here is an Aracauna. I've never had these before and am looking forward to see what they look like all grown up. their eggs' shells are blue. Here's one of them.


Chick hammock...... Out like a light. :)


7 comments:

Live/Love/Life said...

OMG!!!
I want one... They are sooooo cute.
Are you for real? 2 Black Sex Link.
Was that a typo or actually their name. J/k.
: )

Fooseberry said...

HOORAY !!!
They are finally here. A little morbid to think we will be eating their eggs soon but that is nature I guess.
Hope you have fun with them.
J.

Barry said...

They are doing awesome. They went on a field trip today out to their future pen to play in the dirt. Good times.

Gia's Spot said...

I love the Chick hammock!!!! that is so funny! How long till they lay? And what do you do if there is a rooster?

Barry said...

In about 5 to 7 months they'll start laying. Small eggs at first. Best in their first and second years.

Rooster.... I would likely keep him separated or give him away. Time will tell. The 2 black sex links will be female. There is a 5% chance we could have a male in the rest of them.

Gia's Spot said...

I find this VERY COOL! Can you buy hens (?) that are already old enough to lay or do you always need to nurture baby ones so they feel comfortable and then can lay?? And ummm dont they need the rooster to get them to have the eggs? Or are my chicken sexual exploits all messed up????

Barry said...

Like humans and just about everything else, no male needed to produce eggs. ;) (Most) Males are pretty much useless, right?

Not sure about getting older birds. Never did that before.