This is Greta. She is the exact color of a mouse.
I think she's my favorite so far.
And this is Harriet. Every time I pick her up and stroke the top of her head, she closes her eyes and stops wiggling.
She's a glossy black with a small spot of white on her chest.
And this is Hazel. I couldn't put her down for the picture because she's a runner!
I love the few black freckles on her back.
All three chicks are Whiting Blues, a locally raised form of the breed known as Americanas. The neat part? Each chick will lay about 300 eggs a year. The great part? They love bugs. I can't wait to turn them loose on the vermin in my garden this year! And the fun part? They lay BLUE eggs!! The rumor is that the feed store where I got them will also soon have Whiting Greens, which lay GREEN eggs. I only wanted three chicks, but if they happen to have a Whiting Green next time I'm there, I may have to add another one to my flock.
I'm really excited to have them. It took a full year to convince the husband that we needed to have a few hens. But do you know who is even more excited to see them?
Sadie.
They currently live in a box with a heat lamp in my studio. I have to keep the door closed. If I walk toward the door, Sadie is right beside me. She can't wait to see the chicks. She peers into the box with the most intense stare possible for a dog.
I handle each chick a few times a day so that they'll be used to people. I pull each chick up out of the box and stroke her head. Before long, Sadie starts shaking. I'm sure that she thinks she's looking at the best squeaky toy, ever. So far she's been pretty good, but she did lick the head of one of the chicks I was holding! Of course, I keep a close eye on her and make sure the door is always closed.
The other night I woke up and Sadie wasn't in her bed. I turned on the light and looked out in the living room and found Sadie standing with her nose touching the door, no doubt giving it a push every now and then just to see if the door knob was really latched...
Oh oh! This may be too much for Sadie the hunter of squeaky toys! Grow little chicks...grow!
ReplyDeleteThose little chicks will be chasing Sadie all over the place soon, peckin at her heels.
ReplyDeleteBlue eggs (and even green eggs) sound amazing. I can't wait to hear how you get on rearing and keeping them - I've always fancied keeping ducks and geese myself.
Funny that you mention ducks... I'm still waiting for the first shipment of ducklings to arrive. I think we'll get two of them! :D
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably cute!
ReplyDeleteomg omg i thought she was Monte's twin!!!!! Monte has the exact same look over the baby gate for the kittens, he is insane. and he also thinks they are a giant squeeky toy!!! hugs to sadie bug. and the chicks are adorable, my fav is the first.
ReplyDeleteSo, so cute! Animals really enrich our lives!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! They are the most adorable things...and so marshmallowy soft too...mmmm. ahem. Anyway, they look yummy, I mean, cute. They would make great pets for our kids. I can just imagine their expressions when they see the blue eggs! Just tell the hubby he gets huevos rancheros and frittatas everyday! :)
ReplyDeleteHate to ask a dumb question but will they lay eggs even if they don't... uh, ahem...have significant others?
ReplyDeleteYep, they'll still lay eggs. They're like most other animals that can ovulate on their own without having to be stimulated by a "romantic encounter" with a significant other. The only difference is that they ovulate every day versus other animals that have a longer cycle and ovulate less frequently (e.g., the approximately 28-day cycle for women; thank goodness we don't have to lay our eggs!!).
ReplyDeleteWithout a rooster, they'll lay an unfertilized egg; with a rooster around (assuming he does his job), they'll lay a fertilized egg.
And that concludes today's Reproductive Physiology lecture. :D
They're very hot chicks, though, so I think that you should be prepared to have "the talk" with them at the appropriate time, you know, so that you don't end up with a TON of them.
ReplyDeleteHow cute! No wonder Sadie is beside herself with curiosity. Me too... I'm already looking forward to updates and can't wait to see the blue eggs. Fingers crossed for a green layer too. Ahhh, the things you are teaching this suburbanized girl.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Sadie a bird dog? She is a good girl they look about 3 bites and swallows each. Really those are about the cutest chicks I have ever seen. I would love to have chickens and the hunny isn't going for it. How'd you get your husband to change his mind?
ReplyDelete