The Chickens
It took some time to convince my husband that raising chickens were the way to go. I tried everything from, listing the advantages to begging. Until I guess he just realized that 'a happy wife is a happy life'. I know I sound like a brat but I wanted chickens. Not only do they provide you with fresh eggs but they will help clear your yard of gnats, ticks, mosquitoes and field mice. Google a video that Joe Rogan posted a while back of his chickens catching a mouse. CRAZY! These birds are entertaining creatures for sure. Ever try catching a chicken? ha! you can't. These little F*rs can run and FLY they will.
Now, we live in the woods. We have 2 acres of trees so when my husband finally agreed to raise some chickens he did research on which breed was the perfect fit for us. We decided that we would start out with 3 Rhode Island Reds. They are hardy, non broody (where they nest on an egg) birds that can survive our cold climates here in the North East. I was excited :)
If you are able to find a place that sells baby chicks great! if not and every place is sold out you may have to contact a few places out of state. NYS also has this law where a hatchery can only sell you chicks in bundles of 6. This can be a problem if you wanted less. Unless you buy some with another person who's willing to take a few. The reason is because they use each other for warmth. They must be kept in a well heated brooder for the first few weeks of their life. Each state has different laws so we lucked out and found one in Ohio. We knew we wanted to raise them as babies so they could imprint on us and we wanted the experience. When baby chicks are born they are immediately shipped overnight with heating blocks and using their embryo sac as food which is filled with essential nutrients to help sustain them for the trip. In just 24hrs we were new parents to 3 baby chicks!
I contacted my local post office to notify them of the 'live stock' that was coming. Their response "ok we get live stock almost every day" - aaaallrriiiight Mr. I ran out and got all the essential baby chicks need: 2 heating lamps, extra bulbs, anti-slip pads, chick feed, water bowls, toys and a mini branch so they can learn to roost. What else could day old chicks need?
