Baby Chicks Arrived!

[Enchanted1s]

I don't think I mentioned it in this thread... I think the babies joining the flock and hanging around them while laying has stirred the motherly instincts in my hens! Tootie has gone broody. Tonight will be her 5th night in the nest box. Today I watched while the two pullets that just started laying when in and tended to the eggs while Tootie went out to eat, stretch and poop for the first time in two days. No squabble at all when Tootie returned to the eggs.

So - now I have less than 3 weeks to make the OLD structure baby proof!

These babies will be 13 weeks tomorrow - but I got a picture today.

13 Weeks today - certainly not babies anymore!

 

[Enchanted1s]

I guess the babies think they are ready to start laying LOL. They have spent a LOT of time watching the big girls lay their eggs, and laying as close as they can to our Broody hen Tootie.

 

[April Barta]

I guess the babies think they are ready to start laying LOL. They have spent a LOT of time watching the big girls lay their eggs, and laying as close as they can to our Broody hen Tootie.
View attachment 1289877

That’s adorable!!! None of my girls are interested in the nest boxes. But they don’t have anyone showing them how. If I don’t see an egg by 21 weeks... (4 weeks from now), I’ll have to start withholding treats!

 

[Enchanted1s]

That’s adorable!!! None of my girls are interested in the nest boxes. But they don’t have anyone showing them how. If I don’t see an egg by 21 weeks... (4 weeks from now), I’ll have to start withholding treats!

Looks like we may have new babies next week! If my calculations are correct - Tootie has been sitting on her 6 eggs for 18 days. The two pullets that flew over in October started laying last month so we are still getting 2 eggs a day. It was the funniest thing watching the rooster show the young hens where to lay their eggs. They have all done quite well considering Tootie took away everyones favorite nest box - AND their area has been a construction zone all year.

 

[April Barta]

Looks like we may have new babies next week! If my calculations are correct - Tootie has been sitting on her 6 eggs for 18 days. The two pullets that flew over in October started laying last month so we are still getting 2 eggs a day. It was the funniest thing watching the rooster show the young hens where to lay their eggs. They have all done quite well considering Tootie took away everyones favorite nest box - AND their area has been a construction zone all year.

Don’t chickens hatch at 21 days? So you’ll have babies in a few days??

 

[Member 482121]

Two days ago I got my 50 Australorp chicks that I purchased through Tractor Supply. They came from Iowa, from the Hoover Hatchery. However they were delayed and were dehydrated, hungry and cold when they finally arrived. Some looked poorly, and the next morning I found 5 dead ones. Unfortunately they must have arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. Here in Elba, AL, for some arcane reason the post office is closed on Wednesdays afternoons. I had never known of any post offices in this fruited land being closed during business hours in the middle of the week, but here even the courthouse and all the public offices in it are closed on Thursday afternoons, so Elba must be a special town, a good, restful place if you are a state or federal employee... Anyhow, the chicks spent the afternoon and the night in the post office, obviously not heated up to the 90-95 degrees that baby chicks need. Well, I guess that Tractor Supply folks told me that I will have a free replacement or reimbursement for the dead chicks. The remaining 45 seem to be doing well. Actually one was not, and when I picked it up I realized that he was "pasted." His cloaca was blocked by a crust of dried-up feces. The poor thing could not excrete. I cleaned it up with warm water and a sponge, and as soon as the little orifice was unlocked it released some fresh poop. Later last night he seemed to be doing well, eating and drinking. This morning I have not looked at them yet. It's been unseasonably cold at night and I don't want to open the new chicken house (well warmed up by two infrared lamps) before sunup and let a blast of cold air in. If I find any more dead chicks I'll have to contact Tractor Supply again to give them the final body count for the replacement. I was really surprised that I did not find all of them dead when I opened the box they were shipped in. Four days in transit w/o food or water and a lower temperature (there has been a cold wave, with freezing at night) than what they need must have been extremely stressful on them (and my wife and I were stressed out, too, thinking of those poor things starving and freezing to death). And I wonder why Hoover ships through the notoriously inefficient USPS when UPS and FedEx can deliver packages in a day. And they don't close their offices and stop their planes and trucks on Wednesday afternoon!

 

[Folly's place]

So glad you have so many survivors! Bad timing, for sure.
Next time, see where your next nearest post office, or the regional distribution center, is located, and see if you can be called from there for chick pickup. Or if the hatchery ships on a different day. Or something.
Mary

 

[MysticTrev]

Adorable!

 

[Enchanted1s]

@herman 48 I'm sorry for your loss. I remember clearly when we were waiting for these babies - a stressful time for sure! We took a real chance ordering only THREE babies that hatched on 27 Nov 17. They arrived safely on the 29th. I picked them up from the Post Office at 0630 in the morning. I called the post office on the 27th to let them know I was expecting them, and I called them on the 28th to see if they had arrived. They called me on the 29th before the sun was up. I could hear them chirping as soon as I opened the main door to the Post Office! We only live 5 minutes from the PO, but I cranked the heat in the car and strapped them in for the short drive home. They have been happy and healthy birds.

Sorry again for your loss. I'm glad TSC is willing to replace them for you. 50? I can't even imagine! When we ordered - I could have got a great deal if I ordered 15. After our 3 were about a week old, we both agreed that we were very glad we had only 3! [We kept them inside until they were 10 weeks old.

Just had to add one more cute picture of our (no longer babies) Cream Legbars, Gracey and Little Bit.

 

[Member 482121]

So glad you have so many survivors! Bad timing, for sure.
Next time, see where your next nearest post office, or the regional distribution center, is located, and see if you can be called from there for chick pickup. Or if the hatchery ships on a different day. Or something.
Mary

Unfortunately the hatchery ships to the nearest post office, and mine is at only 8 miles from where I live. The problem is that our post office is not open on Wednesday afternoons, and my chicks, already late, must have arrived after it closed. The post office did not call me until Thursday morning at 6:30. So the chicks had been in the box for four days before I could set them free in their brand-new log cabin. I have been told by Tractor Supply people that after two days in the box their survival begins to be iffy. If I have to order chicks again I'll make sure they are shipped on Tuesday, so they'll be at the post office on Thursday.