In the free time I have between work, falling off of my bike and eating massive amounts of food (which I blame entirely on "training"), I go to war with bugs.
This involves waking up early every morning to smash squash bugs in the garden (an ongoing battle that deserves a post of its own -- I hate those damn things and it sicks me out that they are almost always glued together at the butt -- get a room!), scrape hundreds of tiny green eggs off of my artichokes (this also sicks me out) and hose spittle bugs off of my mint (not as gross, but still annoying).
I've decided I need more soldiers to help me fight the good (organic) fight.
Enter chickens.
I'm splitting an order of pullets (look at me and my flockster terminology!) with one of the vineyard managers at work. The girls are a mix of Brahmas (light, buff and dark) -- a gentle, docile breed known for being good foragers (kill the bugs!) that look like they are wearing pants (I can't tell you how happy this makes me) and Araucanas, a friendly, poofy-cheeked chicken that lays bluish-green eggs.
Anyway, this morning at about 4:15, I got a call from the post office telling me my chicks had arrived. It was all I could do to keep from jumping out of bed and rushing off to pick them up right then and there.
How funny that chicks are sent via snail mail, right? Even more awesome: The post office was filled with the sound of chirping -- apparently, I'm not the only one ordering chickens!
The girls are now all settled into their brooder. It didn't take them long to figure out the food and water -- a few of them ate themselves silly and then passed out beakdown in the shavings for a nap! (This is entirely normal, by the way. It looks funny, but it's normal.)
I can't wait to go home tonight and watch them. (And I don't know how I'm going to manage to give some of them away to the vineyard manager. They are just so darn cute.)
2 comments
oh my gosh! I am so jealous!! Chickies!!! I had to raise a chick for a few weeks back in high school. He was such a sweetheart.
They are so adorable, but I can't believe how fast they're growing! I need to post updated photos -- they look more and more like little birds and less and less like fluffballs.
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