We got chicks! Yay!!! I'd been waiting for so long and finally the day had come. We ordered fifty buff orpingtons from Trackers Supply. No other kinds though. :( My dad got a call at 6:30 in the morning from the post office in Washington (we were in Berkeley,California) that said that the chicks had arrived. A day early! Thank goodness for our lovely farming neighbors for taking them "under their wing". They were nice and healthy when we got them but two had already died when they were being delivered which is why it is so scary to have chicks delivered. They could die of fright or temperatures or mishandling. Seven in total have already died now which is very sad. There is a 10-20% mortality rate with most chicks. They are most vulnerable during the first week in which they are born.
The chicks are smaller than fist sized right now, and their so fluffy it doesn't even look like feathers. They are really cute. I can't believe I managed not to type that word until now. There is really no other way to describe them! They are being housed in our hoop house right now so they can stay warm. We have them under two infrared heating lamps and they all huddle around when it's time to sleep. Here are some pictures:
