With spring just a few weeks away, it's time for our family to be thinking about increasing our laying hen population. Last week, we placed a chick order with Murray McMurray Hatchery. They had already sold out of several of the breeds we were looking for and we had to settle for what they had left. So I called several Tractor Supply Co. stores in our area to find out what kinds of chicks they had.
One store had Silkies for sale. Now, we had never raised Silkies before, and I am not one to just go out and buy chickens without knowing what they're good for...as in meat or eggs.
So I did some research on them: they aren't the best layers, but they are excellent setters and will hatch just about any type of egg: goose, turkey, or duck. And since our sweet little Banty got taken by some devilish critter recently, we are in dire need of a hatching hen. They are also considered the friendliest of all chicken breeds and easily tamed. From everything I read about Silkies, they fit the bill perfectly.
But being friendly and good setters wasn't all that sold me on the Silkies; I read about their history and, according to Wikipedia (I also read other sources that confirm this info), "The earliest surviving written account of Silkies comes from Marco Polo, who wrote of a furry chicken in the 13th century, during his travels in Asia." And Mimi is studying Marco Polo this year in Term 3 of AO! A chicken breed that was probably first documented by Marco Polo?? I couldn't resist. And you can imagine her excitement when I told her. I love it when we makes connections like this. :) Off we went to Tractor Supply!
Now for some photos of the adorable little ones...
According to Mimi, we simply can't have baby chicks without a Lincoln Log house for them to play in. ;)
Oh, and chicks we ordered from the hatchery? They arrived this morning. So that makes a total of 35 baby chicks in our den. We have them right beside the wood stove to keep them warm. Needless to say, it's a bit loud in the house right now. ;)
Have a great day, friends! :)
They are SO cute! So great about the connections your kids made. :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids would LOVE to have baby chicks in the house. :)
I agree about the cuteness, Catie..it's hard to keep from holding them 24/7. The 24/7 "cheep cheep cheep" will get old after a few weeks, though, if not before. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow! Cool! :D Marco Polo, eh?! :D They are very cute, Lisa! Amy
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in, Amy. :)
DeleteOne day I'll have to stop and share the sweetest baby chick story from my childhood. They are so cute!
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear your story, Kendra. :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful connection! I love having the baby chicks around... well, until the cheeping starts to get to me and the wood shavings start making my allergies act up :-) But they are so cute and fun to have around!
ReplyDeleteThey are adorable, Amber. But once the downy feathers fall out and the real feathers start coming in, the cuteness is gone so then I start focusing on all the eggs they will provide for our family. :)
DeleteSo good when these connections happen! I miss our chooks - we had them taken one night probably by a fox and I didn't replace them.
ReplyDeleteWe have had problems with weasels killing our hens, Carol. Last winter, we lost a total of 24 birds because of them. We are trying to replenish our flock. Thanks for stopping by. :)
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