The Chicks Get Split Up

The chicks outgrew their single pool, so I split them up.  I put the laying chicks in one pool and the meat chicks in the other pool.  The differences between the two types of chickens is amazing.  The cornish rock cross chicks (the yellow ones) have been bred to grow fast and be butchered quickly. They feel hefty when I pick them up.  The laying hens feel about one-third the weight and size of them!  

You can see a difference in the chicks in how they approach their food.  The laying hens in the top picture see their food and are picking at it - they're more concerned about me with the camera - while the meat chicks are a solid block of yellow on top of their feeder.  

I tend to slightly underfeed the meat chicks.  I find that, if given the chance, they will almost eat themselves to death.  By slightly underfeeding them (meaning they don't have food available every minute of the day and night) I find that they don't have the fantastically rapid weight gain and growth that leads to feet and leg problems.  These chicks actually grow up and will be able to spend a portion of their lives pecking and running around outside!     

The Chicks Arrived!

I got the call from the post office this morning that the chicks have arrived.  The sound of that many chicks peeping all at once was almost deafening!

I opened the box and how cute is that!?!

I dip the beak of each chick into the water and they very quickly figured out on their own how to drink and they were very, very thirsty!  They tilt their heads back like that when they take a drink. 

 This is their new home.  The red light is a heat lamp that keeps them warm and I've found that a kiddy pool - with no corners - keeps them from piling up on, and suffocating, each other.  They'll be in this one pool for a few days, but they'll grow fast and I'll very quickly be splitting them up between two pools.

It didn't take long for them to find their food!

Although the chicks had a nice warm spot under the lamp, a lot of them chose to bask in the warm sunlight coming in through the window. 

And because they're babies, and had a long and difficult journey, they soon began to fall asleep.

Now, I'm pleased to introduce a new "Pants On The Ground" baby.  When our beloved "Pants On The Ground" rooster was killed by a hawk (see here) I decided to add two roosters of his breed - Standard Partridge Cochins - to my order.  See the feathers on his legs?

This little guy has some big... umm... Pants to fill!

Be sure to drop over to the Homestead Barnhop at Homestead Revival.  Go to the bottom of the post and there are lots of great links to other people's blogs!