When I decided to do the great egg hatching experiment, I figured we'd end up with 5, maybe 6 chicks out of the deal. Our backyard herd consists of 6 birds, and suits our egg needs pretty well, although I could do with a couple more hens, and one less nasty rooster. This is the scene at my house yesterday morning:
At last count, there are 16 chicks in the box, all dried off and pecking at their chicken feed. There are at least three more eggs that look like they are going to successfully hatch. That would more than triple my flock. That is a problem. Even if half were roosters, there are still too many. Worse, it is extremely difficult to sex baby chicks, you're looking at a 50/50 crap shoot at best. So, it appears that I'll be visiting my local Tractor Supply on a more regular basis and leaving them with a more significant portion of our paycheck. At least for a while. Maybe instead of a lemonade stand this summer, my kids can sell chickens at their roadside stand....
3 comments:
That's a lot of chicks. Sounds like fun though. Is it?
It has been very enjoyable for the kiddos. I can't wait to get them grown up enough to go outside! LOL Everyone really enjoyed watching them hatch, that was definately the best part.
It has been very enjoyable for the kiddos. I can't wait to get them grown up enough to go outside! LOL Everyone really enjoyed watching them hatch, that was definately the best part.
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