24 hours later!

24 hours later and all 28 chicks are still going strong.

We learned a few things about baby chicks.
1.) Do not tip them upside down (i.e., to check for "sticky butt") because they puke all over you (it looks like clear saliva). At first we thought it was poop, but then realized different.
2.) Do not keep all 28 chicks in one box (the bigger ones pick on the little ones and it's pure chaos).  All the chicks settled down once we separated them.  Much more peaceful living environments!
3.) Do not think you will get much sleep if you keep the chicks in your bedroom (they did quiet down but the glow of the heat lamp and the here and there "chirp" kept us up most of the night.
4.) Do not let them walk on your bed (a very close call with having chick poop on my duvet cover)
5.) Do not let them walk around in a low box top- they can jump out and almost fall off the bed and onto the floor!!

So far, it is very fun having the "babies" in our house.  They are chirping away as I write this.  We now have 14 chicks in each brooder box.  We tried to separate them by males versus females (i.e., meat birds versus egg laying hens.)  We've already told the children they can't name the meat birds.  We have named two of the egg laying hens.  So far, we have Primrose and Magnolia.  I'm hoping to give all my "girls" beautiful, flower based names but JJ thinks otherwise.  He has fallen in love with the two, little Bantam chicks and wants to name them himself.  Currently, they look so similar we have to wait until they get a little bigger to name them.

Yesterday was a very productive day.  We got the chicks and their happy/growing.  Farmer J worked on constructing the boxes the hens will lay their eggs in within the chicken coop.  I went to Fleet/Farm (for the first time as a Farmer's wife) and got J and I some shit kicking boots (mine were only $20!!!) Finally, we got our garbage set up (first pick-up next Monday!!!)

Today, Mima (Farmer J's mama), J's sister and two of our nieces are coming over to see the farm and the baby chicks.  J may have to go buy another lawn mower as he ran over a rock with our current lawn mower (he has a history of bad luck with small motor machines.) I'm going to work on unpacking the mud room and maybe hanging a few pictures here and there to make the house feel more like our home.  Lastly.... I need to figure out how to post pictures on this blog! I have one last week before I have to go back to work so I need to make the most of my time.

Happy Tuesday!