Chicks and a Mega Egg

This has been a strange, uncharacteristic spring.  It did the typical "hurry up and get super hot fast", and it certainly had a few late killing frosts that we've come to expect after decades in the Grand Valley, but we just might set a record for the latest killing frost, coming this Tuesday.  We are expecting a fairly nasty storm on Mother's Day Sunday, and it has been unseasonably cold for the past two days.  I am having to monitor the new chicks's brooder temperature on a regular basis.  I do change their water regularly (3 times a day, or more, if necessary), and naturally check on them, but the fluctuation in outdoor temperature has made this a little tricky.  After all, our setup is not a science lab, but a rather old-fashioned, basic stuff.  When the outdoor temperature during the day, in the sun, gets to be 85 degrees, which it was just a few days ago, the brooder only requires a small bulb in the heat lamp.  But then, if the morning low is around 40 degrees, we definitely want to adjust that.    This is one thing that's more difficult with a smaller brooder area this time around.  Just like fish aquarium, small space changes its environmental conditions a lot faster than a larger space. ^^;

That said, we've had a chance to observe our chicks and decide on their names. :D  I wish I could take pictures of them all looking at me and holding still, but they just won't do that. LOL  If anything, they're always looking away just as I think I'm ready to take a great shot...

From left, Vanilla (light yellow Easter Egger chick), Mocha (dark brown Easter Egger), Lavender and Sage (Barred Plymouth Rocks).  Mocha is a spaz.  She runs around the other three in circles or between two making figure 8.  Hard to believe she was looking really tired and wobbly upon arrival and I worried she may not make it.   She's a tough little chicky.

Unfortunately though, overnight, Lavender has developed a Pasty Butt, and she was weak this morning.  I carefully removed the crusty poop from her vent with warm water and cotton balls.  She was able to poop shortly afterwards and ate a little bit, but mostly sleeping.  Hope she's going to be OK.

So hard to take cute pics of chicks!  Frustrating... XD

But so much easier to take pics of the ever-so-cooperative eggs!  Check out the Mega Egg Fiona laid on Friday morning!!  This has got to be a two-yolker, I think.  The one on the left is the egg she laid just a day before.  That's about the regular grocery store's "large" egg.  The colors are very pretty, aren't they?  Love Easter Eggers for their green eggs.  Jr. thinks Fiona's eggs have a nicer flavor than Dorito's.  Their eggs definitely have perkier yolks, and the yolk colors are more orange than yellow.  When I cracked a store-bought egg next to one of our girls' eggs, the difference was noticeable.  I'll have to take a pic of that sometime and post.  *Edit: Just weighed the Mega Egg on my digital scale and it said 3.5 oz!  

Now that our ladies have come out of the molting phase, their feathers are just fresh and gorgeous!  Look how beautiful Fiona is with her gold and black neck feathers!!

Dorito, pecking on the treat cube.  They love the 25-lb cube of various seeds and grains.  They come out of the coop in the morining, and usually run straight to the cube.  Dorito has also finished molting and looking quite beauitful these days.  I love her red feathers, too. :D

Chicks Have Arrived!

For the second time, I was picking up the supplies for the chicken brooder at Walmart (thermometer, water bowl, heat lamp bulb, etc.) when my phone rang and it was the local post office letting me know that my chicks have arrived and they're ready to be picked up.  :D  The most exciting kind of phone call!  It's also kind of fun to go to the back of the post office and ring the service bell and get to go into the receiving and sorting area.   I saw a double boxed package with round holes and heard it chirping~!!  It's always a good sign when they sound strong and demanding in the box. LOL

I hurried home and set up the brooder in a hurry.  Put the light bulb in the fixture, put the pine shavings on the floor, place the thermometer, put the feed and water out.  Always last minute.  I don't know how this is always the case... ^^;

I tried to open to box inside the house to take a peek, but as soon as I got to the inner box's lid, I could see the little one trying to jump out.  And of course, the cats started to congregate as soon as they heard the chirping, I had to bring the box outside to the coop and open it inside there.

I was thrilled to see one Easter Egger chick that was light yellow with patches of grey on top.  Looks a lot like how Coco looked as a chick! :D  And the other Easter Egger chick is brown and black, so I'm guessing that she'll look like Fiona. :D  The dark girl already has the fluffy cheeks!!  So adorable~!!  This one was not as sure-footed as the other girls, so I was a bit worried, but she found water right away, and perked up very quickly after a drink and pecking on the crumbs.  All good!

The two Barred Plymouth Rock girls are tiny, but full of engergy.  They look practically egg-size.  So cute!  Frigglish was our first Barred Plymouth Rock chicken and she was exceptionally sweet and smart, so we're hoping the new girls will have similar temperament.  (Our previous Easter Egger, Coco, had a wonderfully sweet personality, too.  Always jumping on me and talking to me. ^_^)

The morning sun was behind me and I could only open the door a crack, so it was a little hard to get good pictures, but I'll keep trying.  To the left are the two Easter Egger girls, that will lay green or blue-green eggs, and the black with light yellow chicks are the Barred Plymouth Rock babies, that will lay brown eggs.  It's always amazing to see how active these chicks are.  Running and jumping at such young age. ^_^