# Chicks Gone Wild



## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

The new chicks arrived from the hatchery today. I'm planning to have a new brooder area set up this year, so that this is the last time that we order chicks. 
We hatched out a few this past summer, but hopefully we'll start hatching all of our chicks now, and only purchase or barter a new rooster from time to time so as to keep the genetics good.

5 Americana Pullets, 5 Cuckoo Maran Pullets, 10 Buff Orpington Pullets and 1 Cockerel.

Chicken In A Box


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

:congrat: looks like the beginning of a lovely flock! :2thumb:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Baby chicks are soooo cute.

Congrats!


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Walked into Tractor Supply today, and could hear the little 'peep... peep's coming from the middle of the store - love it! It's getting to be springtime!

Thanks for sharing pics of your babies with us! :2thumb:


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## tnelsonfla (Feb 24, 2012)

*Careful*

Keep a close eye on the Americana's( so they don't get picked on) when I've had them in past as chicks they tend to grow slower and are more shy than most breeds. The Orpington's get big and grow fast. What is your cockerel?. You'll love the Marans and those dark eggs every 2-3 days. My favorite breed is the Black Australorp.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

This is the second time that we have raised the Americana's, and I have definitely seen them picked on by the Buff's. We now have a separate area for them, and will add them in with the older girls once they have grown enough. This is our first year for the Maran's though, and we are looking forward to their eggs to add some more "color" to the group. The Cockerel is a Buff. Our current Buff roo is 8 years old, and I figure it's about time to start grooming a successor.

We have a friend that had raised Australorp's for years and we had considered getting some also. There's so many great breeds that we'd love to raise. My sister raises Silkies, Polish, Houdan, and several other interesting breeds. So many breeds, so little coop space.  So I guess that we'll stick with the Buff's as our main breed, and every now and then we'll try a few different breeds.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Congratulations, I just love baby chicks. The fifty we ordered a few weeks back are growing so fast.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Our local TSC had the sign out that they were going to have chicks starting today..
a word of help.. if you want to save a bit of cash.. our store gets straight runs of black sex links and if you know which is which they are usually about .50 cents cheaper than the pullets.. 
with black sex link.. the chicks with the white dot on the head are males and the black headed(whole body will be black) ones are females.

We got a deal one year.. all the straight run chicks were .79cents each.. we picked out all the females.. they do lay big brown eggs too. Good thing I bought so many as we had a raccoon take out about half that year before I could get out there and get rid of it.. he ripped thru three layers of fencing so now our brooder pen has chain link fencing nailed over the top.. the next night I heard a ruckus and got out there to see a huge raccoon walking all over the top but not getting in.. we live trapped him a few days later.. he is no more..


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

So JEALOUS!!! I want the Marans too, but I kinda thought they were a tad too expensive.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I like my Marans but once summer hits (high temps), they pretty well shut down on eggs. My Easter egg chickens, on the other hand keep putting them out.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Earlier this week hubby had to go to the Dr and didn't want to go alone so I went with and we checked out the TSC in that town(we live in the country between two towns and each as a TSC) and while I wasn't going to buy any chicks unless they had the Americana's, cuz I want more blue/green eggs, I just couldn't help myself.. they had a bunch of the week old ones on sale for .50cents each.. I ended up with 6 Barred Rock pullets and 6 Black Sex Links... all for $6! Score.. they were normally $2.69 each.
Then tonight while at the other TSC picking up chicken food for my older hens I look thru and they still didn't have the Americana's but in the bantam brooder there were these two little sad looking mixed bantams(straight run) in a box and the young man running the chick area said that they had broken toes that had gotten a bit of blood on them and the other chicks were just pecking them to death so they were in solitary till he could find someone to take them home.. of course I love my bantams (they tend to be pets to the family) I had to ask how much and to my joy.. he said that if I was gonna love them and take care of them I could just have them!! JOY! Who knows what they will be or if they are roos or pullets I can't wait.. One has feathered legs so it will be cool to see what it ends up being and the other looks a lot like my last bantam chick that turned into a golden seebright. That would be cool to have another one of.. very friendly and pretty. I will have to get around and take pictures and put them up.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

You softie. lol I'm the same way. A few years ago we were in TSC and they had eight homely looking chicks left, and a sign that said "free". Guess who went home with them... They turned out to be a mix of Cinnamon Queen, Production Red, a Black Australorp, and a what I believe was a Brown Leghorn (but don't quote me on that one).

I wish that I had more coop area, because I would love to order one of the "surprise specials" from the hatchery. I may end up doing so eventually.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

Great picture! Every year, about this time, I get chicken fever. We have plenty right now, don't need any, and when we do, we hatch out our own, but.... those lil' "cheep cheep's" in the feed store tug at my heart. I LOVE BABY CHICKS!!! Gonna try to refrain....course if we run across a bargain like Emerald did, well.... you know...


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

ok, can I keep these in the middle of the city? How much work is involved? How will they get along with my two drop kick dogs? Our deck sits about 5' above ground level, space underneath is mostly wasted.


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