five new fluffy friends have been added to our flock. well, not technically as they've taken up residence in our house for the next 6-8 weeks. this is our first time raising chickens from babies--we've gotten older pullets in the past which were already old enough to stay outdoors. right now, the chicks are comfortable in a large plywood box. they need constant heat from an infrared light--the opposite of eco-friendly for sure! we have already started them on organic chicken feed, forgoing the antibiotic-laden starter scratch that is often used. it will be interesting to see how these birds compare with our existing birds who were raised on antibiotics and have only recently switched over to organic food. lucy is thrilled with these new friends. hudson is indifferent. our dog maizy is very curious while our cat is (surprisingly) ignoring them altogether. i suppose she has bigger fish to fry--there are lots of baby birds hanging around in the yard this week. anyhow, jeremy likes the constant, quiet peeping from the corner of the room and i think these babies are all too charming. ask me again in about 4 weeks--once they get bigger and the novelty wears off! i will probably be VERY ready for them to move outdoors!
our chicks were $3.50 each and the infrared light & bulb together was around $26. we did not have to buy feed or shavings as we already had them. so, for about $60 dollars (not counting electricity) we've got 5 new hens. yes, i am being very optimistic that we did not inadvertently get ourselves a rooster... the feed store advertised 90/10 ratio of females to males. with the price of organic eggs in our area (between $4.75-8.50 per dozen), these little girls will pay for themselves in no time.
1 comment:
wow!
As a teacher, we "raised" chicks one year as part of our bird study, and later brought them to a local urban farm. The kids LOVED it, and I can tell from the pics that Lucy is so enthralled too!
I can't believe organc eggs are that much in your area! Here I have been grumbling about $3.00 - $3.50!
But, if I had a yard right now, I would so be following your lead -- so worth it and what a great learning experience for your kids! and SO cute and fuzzy!
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