We have several new additions to our little urban homestead!
I wanted to hatch out some more chicks this year to add to our flock, but we can’t have a rooster here in the city, so we needed to score some hatching eggs elsewhere. We used shipped eggs last year and the majority of them didn’t hatch, so we wanted to go local this time around.
My brother and his wife also raise chickens and when we told them our plans, they offered up some of their fertile eggs in exchange for some chicks. Sounds like the perfect trade to me! We also got some eggs from his in laws and ended up with 30 hatching eggs total.
Out of those 30 eggs we hatched out 17 chicks. We kept five and the rest went off to live in the countryside.
So without further ado… meet the chicks!
Wookie
Wookie’s name was quite obviously inspired by the upcoming release of the new Star Wars movie. She’s already starting to live up to her name, as she’s quite a bit bigger than the others. At this point we’re very much hoping she doesn’t turn out to be he! Wookie is quiet and shy, the perfect copilot for some of our more boisterous birds.
Vader
Following the Star Wars theme we named this jet black baby Vader. She’s turning out to be quite the pretty lady, which is a totally weird thing to say about a creature named Vader. I’m sure I’ll hear Darth Vader’s theme music playing every time I see her stomping about in the backyard. Hopefully she’ll get along well with Wookie and not turn out to be too much of a power hungry bully. But really, what’s in a name?
Zenni
Zenni is my current favorite in our new batch of birds. She’s quiet and shy and loves to cuddle. Her name was inspired by the word zen, as that’s how we see her peaceful demeanor. She loves to pick up and hold pine shavings in her beak. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Cardamom
My husband formed a quick bond with this little weirdo and named her Cardamom right out of the shell. She hatched with curled toes, which we corrected using bandaids on her feet for the first few days of life.
This adorable baby stumbling around with bandaid feet further cemented her into our ever growing list of favorites. One of her toes is still a bit crooked but that doesn’t stop her from being the most rambunctious and bossy chick in the bunch. She’s truly the leader of our tiny pack of poultry. Cardamom will outrun and out-jump any bird in the bunch. She’s also turning out to be a very adorable little ginger!
Bean
Bean stole my heart right from the start. When she hatched, she was the tiniest chick in the bunch and had a lot of trouble keeping up with the others. Her left side was weak and her wing droopy, which made it very difficult for her to stand up and walk in a straight line. We weren’t sure if she was going to make it, but had to at least try.
We took her out of the brooder several times per day for some chicken physical therapy. She was free to walk around on her unstable feet without being bombarded by her flock-mates, and we were there to help her back up when she fell. After just a few days she made a full recovery and has grown into a very strong and willful little chick.
We named her Bean as a testament to our mutual love of the cocoa and coffee beans, which matched her coloring quite perfectly. Here she is pictured with her yellow speckled friend, who was another favorite of mine and went to live on my brother’s farm.
I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting our little babies! I can’t wait to see what kind of beautiful and no doubt crazy birds they grow into!
I just hatched 10 out of 17 shipped eggs (in my classroom). My best hatch rate yet!
I have one baby with curled toes and splayed legs… She is all bandaged up. I have her in a brooder by herself right now because she was being picked on. I am hoping to take bandages off tonight. I checked her splayed legs two days ago and one was corrected while the other needed more time. Fingers crossed she is fine tonight and can join the rest of the brood tomorrow!
Awww I hope your little babe gets better! Chickens can be such bullies can’t they?!
Oh my! I had no idea how difficult it is for those little chicks to enter the world. I am glad they have a good home with you on your farm. They are beautiful creatures – the colors and personalities shine through! I used to want chickens but I can see they are quite a bit of work – although rewarding I am certain. Now, I just stick to gardening – plenty of work. Birds are welcome to come and go in my oasis. What a great gang of chicks!
Aww these are great photos Mer- thanks for sharing these! I can’t wait to see those little guys grow up
How many chicks and chickens do you have in all right now? 🙂
Right now we have 10 hens and 5 pullets, so 15 total!