The Chicks Have Arrived

So our final batch of meat bird chicks arrived today for this year. We are very excited! We ordered 150 chicks and when we unloaded them into their new coop we were reminded exactly how soft and silky a baby chick really is. It's like trying to catch silky water in your hand.



This is the part of the coop the chicks will be in first while they are small.

We have a special coop for chicks. When they are young for the first week or two we keep most of it blocked off. That keeps them centralized and close to food and water and heat. Once they get their sea legs we start opening it up. In about a month when they have all their feathers and are starting to bulk up we will open the access door to their outside area.

While they are still so young we will be keeping the heat lamp on so we can make sure they are warm and we can monitor the temperature. But since it is their first night, I am like, are they okay, maybe I should go check on them. I am sure they will be fine, but I really want to go peak at them.



This is what a section of the coop looks like filled with chicks,
water, and feed. The glow from overhead is from the heat lamp.

But it doesn't take them long to get going. Within the first half hour they had found their food and water and were checking everything out. It is so cute to watch them scoot around at this age!

Holding them as we move them out. They are so light and
slippery and the softest of the soft!

Resting in the box they arrived in before we take them out.