03 May 2011

The Replacements

Lookie what arrive in the mail on Sunday!

That's right, friends... Sunday. At oh-too-early that morning we received a call from the post office in Roanoke letting us know our chicks were in and that we could pick them up there if we were going to be in town. (Otherwise, we could collect them the next morning in Floyd. They'd still be arriving super-fast.) I thought I had another errand in the big city so, after breakfast, I borrowed Mr. Fuzzy's vehicle (mine was in the shop due to some stupidity on my part) and made the drive down the mountain and into the confusing heart of the city.

It being Roanoke, I got lost twice and my GPS couldn't come up with the proper post office. Turned out the materials I needed to pick up weren't in yet, so it wasn't the most wise use of petrol.

I transferred the 50 Red Star and Brown Leghorn chicks (plus my free, rare, exotic, racing-striped, pullet chick) into a fresh box with food & water right there in the car and we merrily completed a couple more errands together in Christiansburg. (It's on the way if you're using the interstate.) By late afternoon, the peepers and I were home and they were settled in their brooder-in-a-brooder box (two hatchery boxes pushed together & lined with feed) for a nice, restful night.


The next morning I removed one of the boxes and let them explore their new home. Here they are mid-day on Monday... already exploring and asking the slightly bigger Miracle Chicks for help and advice. Martha (age 6 weeks) and a Miracle Chick (age about 2 weeks) look on in fascination and horror at the way their peace has been shattered.

Martha & Mary were caught "social pecking" later in the day and (having broken the terms of their brooder rent) were move into the general population. Thankfully, the big girls left room for the terrified Twins.

1 comment:

Lausanne said...

Glad to hear they arrived safe and sound! I can imagine you won't be taking any weekends away for a while with this many little beaks to take care of!