We care for this little acreage along Highway 1 in Johnson County, Iowa. If you come by to visit you can meet a few kids - both of the two legged and four legged variety- a couple of dogs and a whole lot of chickens. And two fairly tired but happy parents.
Two weeks ago we brought home an assortment of chicks to replace the older layers we sold to a family to get their small flock going. We have had many different breeds of chickens, but for laying skills and a little variety, we decided to go with three breeds: California whites, Rhode Island Reds and black australorps. Twelve peeping chicks with straight little toes and lots of energy made their way home with us. Over the last two weeks, two of them have died. We have never lost a chick before and we can't find a reason now - we are chalking it up to bad genetics.
Look at the beautiful feathers on this RIR
We posted several photos of the day old chicks on Facebook, but they never made it to the blog. (Click the Facebook button to the right to see the original photos) Today we have photos for taken at about two weeks. Look how many feathers they have now! Chicks don't stay cute and fluffy for long. You can also start to see their little combs coming in.
They will stay in their brooder in the basement under their heat lamp until they are fully feathered at about six weeks. Hopefully it will feel like spring then and they will be comfortable outdoors! Stay tuned for further adventures and see who gets to attend the Johnson County Fair in July. Or who lays the first egg!
