2022 Chicks - Cackle Experience

[Medodge]

Well I’m pretty sure at this point on this guy but now I’m wondering on another.

 

[SpicyDisaster]

So I have been spending time with my chicks and we have all but one who when we open the pen (take the cover off) who will fly to the ledge. But we have one whom we have named Red (no reason other than she has a red band on her leg lol) who will fly to me and then cuddle down into my arms and go to sleep. She does this every time. I think it is the cutest thing. She has recently started asking for neck scratches by extending her neck under my thumb and rubbing. I think she is going to be our lap chicken (not what I was expecting ! Anyone else got a fun story to share about bonding with their chicks?

Talk about adorable, lap chickens are the absolute best!

My chicks are here!

The hatched Mon, and then I signed up for shipping notifications. Which I obsessed over. They gave me false hope Mon night by saying they would arrive by 9pm last night. I kept my boots on till 11pm, for goodness sake, when they finally told me the chicks had only made it to 2 distribution centers away.

So I "slept" on the couch (afraid I would sleep thru the phone if the call came in the middle of the night). Every time I got an update, I was wide awake, worrying because our temps were below freezing, and fretting over the poor lil bebes bouncing around in a cold truck.

Ugh. I'm so tired now.

But my local PO called at 7:06am (I was dressed and ready for the call at 5am ) Heated the seat and had a fluffy towel to keep out wind for the 10min drive home. Haha.

But (so far ) all seem healthy. The brooder was ready yesterday, so the electrolyte solution was warm and clearly inviting, as the first few in the brooder were drinking before I even got them all out of the shipping box.

We ordered 3 pullets each of RIR, Austrolorps, SLW, BR, and New Hampshires, plus one BR roo. Cackle sent us 3 extra chicks too. Since I am still uber new at IDing chick breeds, I am not 100% on the darker ones, but I know there is an extra Hampshire, and I think an extra BR and SLW.

One of the BRs has a red smudge on his noggin, and at first I thought he was wounded. But after I looked closer, I realized it was probably just marking the boy, since he is clearly different color from the other 3 BRs. So, whew!

We plan to be helicopter parents for a few days, but honestly, I am truly impressed at how healthy the chicks are right now. Maybe I read too many horror stories, but I was braced to find dead chicks. There are only a few tiny smudges on their fluffy butts, but nothing more than that so far. And they all dipped into the nectar immediately, then went for the crumble right after.

So far, so good.. I will keep you updated if anything changes, but I wanted to add a positive voice for Cackle Hatchery. They sent lovely, healthy, & active little chicks.

Congrats on your new chicks!! You will have to post pics as they grow

 

[SpicyDisaster]

Marshmallow (EE) with his harem. Everyone is 8-9 weeks old at this point. Marshmallow and one wyandotte have been caught crowing. I'm fairly confident Frosty (EE) is also a roo. Disappointed that 2/5 EEs are roos.

As for the straight run Blue Ameraucaunas, I'm really not sure what kind of luck we got but it's not looking good. Out of 8 total by new feathers it looks like we have 6 boys, uggghhhh. If that's the case then I may have to add some more to the summer order from Alchemist Farms. We shall see over the next few weeks I suppose.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Marshmallow (EE) with his harem. Everyone is 8-9 weeks old at this point. Marshmallow and one wyandotte have been caught crowing. I'm fairly confident Frosty (EE) is also a roo. Disappointed that 2/5 EEs are roos.

View attachment 3097190
View attachment 3097191
As for the straight run Blue Ameraucaunas, I'm really not sure what kind of luck we got but it's not looking good. Out of 8 total by new feathers it looks like we have 6 boys, uggghhhh. If that's the case then I may have to add some more to the summer order from Alchemist Farms. We shall see over the next few weeks I suppose.

They are super cute i just found this thread and read through it all. I have ordered from cackle for 2 years now and 1 of my birds last year i thought was a roo turned out she wasnt. Then this year my wyandotte is looking kinda like a cockeral but waiting to see once it is 12 weeks old. I will follow along good luck with all your birds.

 

[BuddingGardener]

My four cackle birds hatched on April 6th and they're a month old! I ordered the City/Town Female Special (Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex, and Australorp) and received two Easter Eggers, one Speckled Sussex, and one Australorp. I'm new to chicks but I haven't seen anything to make me concerned that they were sexed incorrectly. They all seem pretty hen-ish to me.

 

[Iluveggers]

My four cackle birds hatched on April 6th and they're a month old! I ordered the City/Town Female Special (Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex, and Australorp) and received two Easter Eggers, one Speckled Sussex, and one Australorp. I'm new to chicks but I haven't seen anything to make me concerned that they were sexed incorrectly. They all seem pretty hen-ish to me.

How is that dog kennel working for you? Such a cool brooder! Chicks are beautiful! Any favorites yet?

 

[BuddingGardener]

How is that dog kennel working for you? Such a cool brooder! Chicks are beautiful! Any favorites yet?

Working great! It'll be pretty easy to take out the waterer and move them outside in this pen. We actually have a cardboard brooder, too, so the chicks are extra spoiled with a brooder palace (connected via the "door"s).

We started with a heat lamp per Cackle's instructions and switched over to a brooder heat plate at a little over two weeks. The heat plate is now on the highest setting and they rarely use it anymore.

As far as favorites... Oh, it's so hard to choose! I love Betsy Ann's cheek (she's the black australorp) and judging by the way she comes to me first and tends to lead the others, I have a feeling she's the top of the pecking order. Eleanor, the Sussex, thunders at me whenever I put my hand in, expecting treats. Gertie the gray egger seems very gentle and "innocent" to me, curious and reserved. Junie, the white/cream egger, is the flightiest of them all right now but she's such a spazz that I find it endearing.

 

[Carters Chick House]

Yessssss to the constant tracking checking!!! It’s so hard to not obsess over it every minute So excited for you!

I did the same. Checked tracking every 10 minutes.

 

[SpicyDisaster]

The chicks are about 13 weeks old now and we have been able to readily identify 10 males out of 31 total chicks (3 from local feed store). We have 7 or of 12 straight run Ameraucana males, 2 out of 5 (1 extra, ordered 4) sexed Easter Eggers, and 1 out of 6 sexed Wyandottes. More than I expected after getting 0 out of 16 sexed pullets last year. Over the next few weeks I'm going to have to decide which of these boys we are keeping and which will need to find homes or be processed.

Justice below, Splash Ameraucana.

 

[Iluveggers]

The chicks are about 13 weeks old now and we have been able to readily identify 10 males out of 31 total chicks (3 from local feed store). We have 7 or of 12 straight run Ameraucana males, 2 out of 5 (1 extra, ordered 4) sexed Easter Eggers, and 1 out of 6 sexed Wyandottes. More than I expected after getting 0 out of 16 sexed pullets last year. Over the next few weeks I'm going to have to decide which of these boys we are keeping and which will need to find homes or be processed.

Justice below, Splash Ameraucana.
View attachment 3130373

That’s quite a few boys to rehome/eat. Do they refund you for the 3 that were incorrectly sexed?