A joyful noise...

 I've posted about this particular wonder before, but I'm writing about it again since I can't quite get over its magic. It does not cease to amaze me that baby chickens, freshly hatched, can be packed in a box and shipped across the country. When the lid closes on that box, the hatchlings have never had a sip of water or a morsel of food. They can survive the trip because they are born with a yolk sac that sustains them for a couple of days until they access sustenance. 

In this case, the chicks were hatched in Ohio. They were put on an airplane in Cincinnati and flown to Portland, Maine. They arrived at FairWinds this morning. Loudly. 50 tiny balls of yellow fluff, peeping at the top of their lungs. They make a fantastic amount of noise to be so small. The sound of them fills me with joy.

I had their new home all ready for them. Deep shavings, two heat lamps, and large containers for food and water. I carefully lifted each chick from the box and dipped its beak into the water. Then I set it down to explore its surroundings. 

Still chirping at the top of their very loud lungs, they quickly found the food. They moved from the food container to the water container in the next hour or so, eating and drinking voraciously. Then they all gathered near the heat lamp and suddenly became very quiet. Their crops were full, they were safe and warm, and the elevated peeping ceased. They rested. They alternated cuddling under the heat lamps with eating and drinking for the rest of the day. 

They will grow at an astonishing rate. These are "supper" birds bred to be meat. They will feed my family and my daughter's family all year. When they are big enough, we will put them in the pasture. They will be able to wander about in the sunshine and eat grass and weeds and bugs. They will take long dust baths and move about freely. They will have all of their needs met and live happy chicken lives. Offering them the best possible days is a privilege I appreciate. I never anticipated that I would grow my own food. The process is full of wonders.