The day after Steve and I finished the outdoor run for the coop in October, I started calling hatcheries to get day-old chicks. All the hatcheries in Ohio had closed up shop for the season, but Privett Hatchery in New Mexico had chicks available.
The minimum order was 25, so Nancy, a friend from work who has a farm, graciously agreed to acquire 20-odd chicks so I could have my six! I had planned to get just Buff Orpingtons, but once I looked at the breeds that Nancy chose, I ended up getting a mix. Her criteria are the same as mine--dual-purpose brown egg layers that are cold-hardy and docile.
I took a chance having them shipped this time of year, and they came on a very cold day. They were sent in a small box with lots of ventilation holes and no insulation, so they were very lucky to have made the trip alive (and now after reading horror stories of chicks dying of cold in transit, I would not do it again). But they did make it, and they were screaming their heads off in the post office when I went to pick them up!
I had hoped to be able to keep them warm enough out in my unheated sunporch, but it was immediately clear that they were too cold, so we moved them to the kitchen and kept them in a stock tank under two heatlamps the first weekend. They are still inside, but down to one lamp. We’ll see how it goes.
I ordered all pullets, but sexing day-old chicks is an art and the hatchery only guarantees a 90% success rate. I won’t know for sure for another month, so for now I am assuming they are all girls!
Today they are 8 days old and their wing and tail feathers are emerging. Some of them are adept at reaching the “starter perch” that Steve made for them, and they’re also the ones that are eyeing the walls of the tank thinking about escape!
I’ve been watching them this week, and have worked out a rough pecking order although I’ve read that they really won’t get into it for another week. This appears to be true, because most of the pecking I’ve been witnessing has seemed more exploratory (does this taste good?) than aggressive (take that!).
This is Flicka who is at the top of the heap for the moment. She’s an Orpington, a breed that was developed in 1886 by William Cook in Orpington, County Kent, England. The buff variety which is currently the most popular was developed later from Hamburg, Cochin, and Dorkling breeds. They’re known to be quick to mature, and my three really seem to be the most busy and inquisitive of the lot. Of the three, Flicka is the medium-sized one, and it surprised me that after adding up the numbers for the last 4 days that she was the one that ended up on top.
Goldi is another Orpington and is the biggest chick of my group. She’s not the boldest, but spends a lot of her time stretched up peering at me and over the edge of the tank.
Rachel is a speckled Sussex, the most common breed in England from about 1850 to 1950. It’s possible that this breed was bought to England by the Romans 2000 years ago. The Sussex chicks were initially the most bold and curious during the first three days when I had all 29 chicks. Rachel was the first of my group to get tail feathers, but she’s mellower than the Orpingtons.
Belle is a Dominique, the oldest breed in the US. She looks black now, but she’ll end up with an indistinct barred pattern that can already be seen in her wing feathers. She’s the boldest one of my group--first to eat out of my hand and the first on the perch. The breed is known for liking to free-range and I can tell she’s contemplating escape!
Clucky, named by Steve in his proud family tradition of pet names (Scruffy, Scrappy, Chubby, Tubby), is the third Orpington and she came to me pasted up (which is what it sounds like). This is a potentially fatal condition, and I spent a lot of time cleaning her up and watching her the first couple of days. She’s been vigorous the whole time though, and now, although smaller than the other Orpingtons, she seems like she’ll be fine.
Zen, at the bottom of the totem pole, is a Jersy Giant, so although she may be low-ranking now, she’ll eventually outgrow the rest. Giants are the largest chicken breed--capons can weigh 20 pounds! They’re slow to mature, so that may be why she’s at the bottom of the heap right now.
All the breed info in this post came from:
Ekarius, Carol. 2007. Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.
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