When my parents arrived from shopping yesterday, they told me to go out the truck and pick up some groceries in the front seat. So I walked outside, opened the front door, and noticed two lunchbox-like crates. They resembled the ones handed out by delis, so I thought my parents had picked up something for dinner.
Then one of the lunchboxes
peeped. A tiny head peered at me through a small window cut in the side of the box. We've got baby chicks!
I've been raising chickens for eight years and this is my seventh batch of chicks, but I still can't get over how adorable they are whenever I see them.
There's fifteen of assorted breeds, all straight-run. (Meaning they haven't been identified as hens or roosters.)
Sadly I don't think the little tiny one with the white patch on it's head is going to make it. My mother told me it appeared to be perfectly fine in the feed store, but late last night it started exhibiting signs of nerve damage. Often handling chicks within the first 78 hours (three days) of their life can cause nerve damage, and since we didn't touch them aside from placing them in their 'brooder', it's safe to assume that it was hurt by a customer at the store. That's a frequent problem for feed stores, people don't seem to understand that Don't Touch means exactly what it says.
I also noticed while examining said chick that it is blind in it's right eye. Not sure where that came from, it may have had that as an embryo.
[Update 3/8/14]
Good news, the little chick appears to be recovering! Last night we thought we were going to lose her for sure - her symptoms were similar to that of nerve damage and I assumed that was what was wrong with her. After a closer look I realized her bottom was plugged - a common problem with young chicks - so we cleaned her up. I think that was part of her problem, because since this morning she has not only shown interest in food and water, but is beginning to eat and drink on her own. The other part of her problem, I think, is that all of the larger chicks accidentally knock her over or push her away from the water and feeder. (This was happening to her and other small chicks at the feed store, too.)
At this point, she acted more ill and weak than disabled, which is a lot better than what I was thinking. She can't swallow the chick crumbles yet, so I've had to supply her with a warm mash fed to her either on my fingertip or from a bottlecap. Her feathers had begun to grow in, which is a positive sign that she may make it. Keep fingers crossed.
Anyways, here are the pictures.
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loginSecond from left has been dubbed Chickzilla. I don't know what it is, but it's the largest and fluffiest chick I've ever seen.
So, there are my latest additions to my feather family. I'll hopefully be hatching some of my own later in the year, too.
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