Of course I managed to order them for delivery on what turned out to be the coldest day of the year! It was six degrees this morning when the post office called at 7:30am to tell me they had JUST arrived and I could pick them up at 8am.
Big kudos to both Meyer Hatchery for doing an amazing job packing them (a lovely straw-like pad lined the box with a heating pad underneath it) and to the Express Mail driver who apparently was worried they'd be too cold in the back of his truck and so hauled them from Ohio to Western PA on the front seat next to him wrapped in Express Mail bags to keep them as warm as possible.
We ordered eighteen hens, three each of Barred Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Red Laced Blue Wyandotte, Easter Eggers, Black Australorps and Buff Orphingtons. (We were supposed to have Jersey Giants, but they hadn't hatched, so we subbed in the Easter Eggers instead.)
Every last one arrived healthy and happy. One had a very SLIGHT case of pasty butt that was quickly fixed with some patience and a warm wet washcloth. One also appears to have a broken toe, which we've taped straight with a bit of scotch tape and who is walking around just fine.
Thankfully our kids were on a two hour delay for the cold this morning, so they got to spend the morning oohing and awing over the chicks in the brooder box before having to head out the door.
This will be our first foray as a family into backyard chickens. I grew up with Barred Rocks, but we only had two in a small coop in our fenced in backyard in the city. (Mom was a trailblazer...) We live on a 22 acre micro-farm in Western PA that belonged to my husband's grandparents, but that hasn't been a "farm" in 15-20 years. We're hoping the chickens are just the start of plenty more animals to come down the road.
A few pics...
Big kudos to both Meyer Hatchery for doing an amazing job packing them (a lovely straw-like pad lined the box with a heating pad underneath it) and to the Express Mail driver who apparently was worried they'd be too cold in the back of his truck and so hauled them from Ohio to Western PA on the front seat next to him wrapped in Express Mail bags to keep them as warm as possible.
We ordered eighteen hens, three each of Barred Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Red Laced Blue Wyandotte, Easter Eggers, Black Australorps and Buff Orphingtons. (We were supposed to have Jersey Giants, but they hadn't hatched, so we subbed in the Easter Eggers instead.)
Every last one arrived healthy and happy. One had a very SLIGHT case of pasty butt that was quickly fixed with some patience and a warm wet washcloth. One also appears to have a broken toe, which we've taped straight with a bit of scotch tape and who is walking around just fine.
Thankfully our kids were on a two hour delay for the cold this morning, so they got to spend the morning oohing and awing over the chicks in the brooder box before having to head out the door.
This will be our first foray as a family into backyard chickens. I grew up with Barred Rocks, but we only had two in a small coop in our fenced in backyard in the city. (Mom was a trailblazer...) We live on a 22 acre micro-farm in Western PA that belonged to my husband's grandparents, but that hasn't been a "farm" in 15-20 years. We're hoping the chickens are just the start of plenty more animals to come down the road.
A few pics...
I bought from Meyer last spring and was very pleased with the service and birds I received. Like you, I got a few of several different breeds
