Our Chicks

We have our first chicks of the year! We successfully hatched forty chicks. Some of the eggs weren't fertile, but all of the ones who hatched out made it and are thriving beautifully. They are so cute! We have a bunch of them sold already but we're planning to keep some of the hens because our neighbor's dog has thinned out our flock a little. :( I'm upset about that so we won't go there.

They look dead when they first hatch out, but after a rest and a little time to dry off they are up and running. :) I love little chicks. They are so much fun.

Here is the second bunch to go downstairs to the brooder. When we're hatching we let some stay in the incubator so their cheeping will encourage the ones in their shells to break free, but when a bunch get out they start running around and rolling the eggs so we take them to the brood box to chill under the heat lamps.

This is the last chick to hatch out. She got to ride in my husband's pocket because she had just hatched and would have been trampled in the tiny box we use to move them in. I don't think she minded. Isn't she cute??

Our cute, cute chickies. We mostly hatched out Production Reds (production version of the Rhode Island Red) to sell as brown egg layers, but we also put in a few surprise eggs to see what we come up with. We also got some from my brother in law when we visited him for Christmas. I can't wait to see what kind of chicks he sent with us. :)

This one looks like he's saying "I'm the cutest chick alive . . . no really . . . I am!"

These two look like they are sharing secrets. :) And yes I know I'm anthropomorphizing.

The ones with these stripes down their backs are from our Phoenix chickens. They are probably crossed with something else because we have a Phoenix rooster out with our main flock.

I never get tired of hatching out chicks. They are so much fun. :)