Our unexpected 41 chicks (25 ordered...!!!) on their first "outing"

[newbie coops]

I thought I'd post some pictures of our 41 (42 received, lost one first week) chicks, three weeks old today, on their first outing. We ordered 25 and were surprised and amused to receive 42! My DH rigged a temporary run for their first foray into the wilderness of the backyard

- about 8 feet from the back door, so I could clean their brooders. They didn't want to be caught either way but once outdoors, and after a fashion, they started getting into their roles of how to be a chicken and pecked and scratched, ran and flapped their wings, chased each other, and just seemed to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. We have them in two brooders in the house, in a room that once was a porch but was modified to enclose. They are growing like weeds and are developing distinctive personalities. I can't get to know them like I probably could with the 6-8 originally planned (geez, that plan lasted about a day!) that grew to 25 then the unexpected 41. DH is busily spending every daylight hour after work (when it's not raining...this NH summer is the WETTEST I can remember, and I've lived here 41 years!) building the coop, and now we're deciding whether or not we're going to keep all of the pullets. Ordered pullets but I'm sure there's at least a few roos in the bunch. Some are "posturing" like roos do, too.

We're new at this and are getting quite an education!

Outside looking in!

Here they are on their first day...big difference!

 

[HaileyandJoliesMom]

They look great!!! My order came in Saturday and after reading about how many "extras" you got I was sooo nervous opening the box.

Hubby would have died if we had recieved an extra 17 LOL

 

[SunAngel]

Omgosh, 41 instead of 25, what a cool surprise! Wonder how that booboo happened?

Do you happen to know what breed the ones are that have yellow heads and brown feathers on body and wings? I have one that looks just like that, but dont know what it is.

ETA: Maybe RIR?

 

[Ms Ellen]

Hello, I am a newbie as well and I have three week olds too! This is my first post. I have 25 when I expected 26 but that's OK, it was still too many! I sold 9 and am trading 6 more once they get out of the brooder and all feathered out. We are having so much fun with this! I don't think I could handle forty one though! You must have gone through 100 pounds of feed almost!

Also I have some like that one in the picture and have been assuming they are either RIR or NHR?

 

[SunAngel]

I've only had 4 RIR chicks and they were all much more of a rust colored, even their heads. The yellow on this chick made me think it was something else. But maybe it might just be a lighter colored RIR?

 

[new chicken mommy]

I am very sick of rain to!! If you dont mind me asking where did you order your chicks from? Very nice chickens.

 

[newbie coops]

Quote:
NH Reds. They are colorful, distinctive, and aggressive. They have, as one of the developers of this breed (from RIRs) noted, "spizzerinktum"...

Very pretty but I can see how they earned that distinction.

 

[BJ]

I sense these will be extremely SPOILED chickens!!

How many have you named so far?
You have done an awesome job with "accommodations"!!

 

[newbie coops]

Quote:
They arrived in two boxes, and I was so nervous and excited taking them out and putting them in the brooder that I wasn't counting, so when he said, "looks like 50!" I shrugged it off and said they're "obviously no more than 26"! Proven wrong again...not the first time and won't be the last!

We're hopeful they'll all mature in good health and then we'll probably have to sell some. They are, indeed, interesting to watch!

 

[newbie coops]

Quote:
You are right...gone through roughly 100 lbs of feed...but that is largely because I have wasted a lot of it when changing their food and water. I change their water twice a day, and restock their feed twice a day. First two weeks there was a lot of wasted feed due to just wanting to give them new stuff every time I tended to their needs. Learned the lesson, for sure! Trough feeders are big wasters, too, I've learned - when all you want to do is skim off the top layers because they've been perching on the feeder all day!

Mine are NHR, BO, & BRs.