By Julia Ridgmont
Let me preface this blog post by reminding anyone who has read previous posts from me that I grew up a schoolteacher's daughter. Other than dogs and the occasional stray cat who decided to make its home with us, I didn't grow up around animals. So when my husband, who did, decided to purchase some baby chicks (pullets?) recently, little did I know I was in for a huge learning experience.
He actually bought two batches. The first looked like they would be good chickens--and then they got bigger and we realized we had five roosters and only two hens. Oh, well. They'll taste good whenever we decide to use them in our favorite dishes like pot pie or lemon chicken and rice.
The second batch is doing well, but oh my goodness, what a racket they make! They're super cute, and my kids love them, but whenever I walk past them, they panic to the point where mayhem breaks out and we have to calm them down. They're starting to look like chickens now, too. Yay! So, with that, here are ten facts I didn't know about baby chicks before I became a semi-caretaker of some. Here, my daughter holds a chick in her hands, about 3 weeks old.
1. They can fly, though not far, even at a very young age. Once in a while, we see one fly up to the top of the cardboard box we have them in and simply perch there. Never fear. The kids are always on hand to help them go back to where they need to be.
2. Roosters are instinctive creatures. I always thought roosters crowed when the sun comes up. Ha! Was I in for a surprise! Our house remained relatively dark in the corner where we were keeping them, and they still crowed at 5:30 every morning. So awesome to woken up by your roosters when you've spent most of the night writing.
3. The chicks need a heat lamp for the first 3-4 weeks until they have more feathers. Thus the infrared light.
4. Their bedding has to be changed out daily, and sometimes two or three times a day, at least until they're old enough to go outside. Thankfully, my teenage son has taken on that job.
5. As they get older, chicks establish a pecking order. Hmm. That must be where that terms comes from. Something I'd never thought of.
6. They like dust baths. Fill a shallow pie pan with clean dirt and let go at it! Ahhhh, so refreshing!
7. Supposedly, the more chicks are handled when they're young, the more "civilized" they'll be to humans as adults. Just make sure you thoroughly wash your hands and any other areas they've touched afterward to kill germs that might make you sick.
8. They provide hours of entertainment for kids. The chicks have been a nice diversion for my children as summer break from school wears on. I'm glad they're having this experience!
9. If they start picking at their feathers, they're bored or there might not be enough space for them to move around. The good news, though, is these problems are easily fixed. You can buy or build a simple obstacle course for them, which we've found they love.
10. Chicks don't do well being raised with geese or ducks. It's best to keep them with their own kind at least until they are older and well-established in their surroundings.
As I think about the experience of raising chicks, I am reminded of how the pioneers had to practically raise their own food. If they didn't work in their fields or go hunting, they didn't eat. The women who came west with their husbands were constantly working to feed and clothe their families. Some women, I'm sure, had more difficulties in this regard to adjust to than others. My heroines in the Spinster Mail-Order Brides series, Leah and Molly, fit into this category. If you would like to read about how they grew into their new roles as wife and instant mother to some very special motherless children, here's where you can find them.
Also, you may enjoy putting this puzzle of the two book covers together. Click here to do the jigsaw puzzle: My Puzzles - Julia Ridgmont's Photos - Mail order brides (jigsawplanet.com)
A Home for Christmas: https://amzn.to/2QFCRET
A Lumberjack for Christmas: https://amzn.to/2C3vsKE
You'll have fresh eggs--really fresh eggs. I've never been around farm animals other than when I was really young and visited my grandmother. She would let me go with her to feed the chickens. During the day they were loose, but she led them to their pen each evening. Once when I was about six or seven, my mom decided the grocery store chickens weren't fresh. She and my dad drove out to a farm and bought a live hen. Mom grew up on a farm but she'd forgotten how much trouble it is to get from live hen to fried chicken. She did a terrible job killing the poor thing then had to pluck it. By the time she was ready to cook the chicken, she was frazzled and exhausted. She said she wouldn't do that again if we never had chicken (it was her favorite meat). That doesn't sound funny, but it was like an episode of "I Love Lucy". The memory still makes me smile, but also with sympathy for Mom. I suspect that when Mom was living on the farm, it was my grandmother who usually prepared the chickens for cooking.
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