Small town living and how baby chicks are delivered...

My friend and I order baby chicks from a hatchery each spring. She called this morning and said, "The chicks are here!" The lady at the post office had called her as soon as they arrived. This was my cue to rush to get them.



They post office was not open so early, so I went to the loading dock and rang the buzzer. The postal clerk handed me a box as if she couldn't wait to get rid of it. I laid it on my front seat and could quickly understand why she was anxious to have it gone. The chicks inside were packed without a volume control, and they were LOUD.



At home I had a brooder box all ready and waiting with food, water and a heat lamp. I opened the shipping box and this is what it looked like inside. It is a chilly morning in Maine, and the chicks were a bit cooler than was ideal. One by one I lifted them out of the packing box and dipped their tiny beaks in the water bowl. After each chick had a drink I set it in the food container. This would be the first food/water they would ever experience. Chicks are hatched with enough reserves from the egg yolk that they can go 48 hours without nourishment. But by the time they arrive in the mail it is important that they eat and drink right away.


It is no small miracle to me that they are able to figure out how to get what they need so quickly. Once they have had thier fill they head for the warm spot under the light and take a nap. I put my cell phone in with them so you can see how very small they are. I put the new chicks in with the baby turkeys that I got on Saturday. The turkeys looked a little startled at first, but now they are snuggled up with their new friends.

The loud peeping has settled down some as the chicks busy themselves with the business settling into their new home. They are warm and fed and all I hear now are contented little chirps from the brooder. There is so much LIFE in my life!