Got my new babes today from McMurray. All survived the trip in fine condition. That first sip of water, that first peck of feed in your ENTIRE LIFE sure must taste good!
35 Gold Star Sex Links (calm, egg-laying maniacs, my favorite), 50 Rainbow Layers for variety (a neighbor has requested a dozen blue egg layers) and one gawky Turkin as the exotic freebie. At least he got to live, and he will have a good life here, unless a coyote gets him, as we are true free range with lots of grass and trees.
My wife insists on maintaining an animal sanctuary. I love fresh chicken dinner, but she reminds me we don't eat anyone we know. Can't argue with that. So, all of our chickens, our horses, our dogs, our cats, our rabbits are all allowed to live out their natural lives and are only euthanized when there is no longer quality of life.
My life with chickens has taught me a great deal, but one thing in particular has really impacted my life; I have finally learned how to research, research, and research more before I do anything, especially anything involving living creatures. Impulse buys are unrelenting potential heartache. However, I acknowledge that if it wasn't for the impulse buys, I would never have had chickens and I would not be where I am now with chickens. In my community, I'm the go-to person for chicken advice, because I've read SO MUCH on them on this forum, the Internet at large, and in books, and, unfortuantely, made so many mistakes. My main function is to keep people from making the heartbreaking mistakes I made and to prevent problems before they happen. It's a lot easier nowadays with the Internet at your fingers-- there is no excuse for ignorance. Feel blessed to have the Internet, if you do. When I finally got home access to the Internet, my journey with chickens turned around! And no doubt, I'm still making small mistakes that I'll regret later. So always be nice to the newbies who don't know any better!