For reals.
I seriously have a problem.
It’s this new sense of freedom I have. And it’s totally dangerous. Especially when it comes to chickens.
You see, right now we have 20 chicks.
This all started because I missed the big chick day at our local farm store. The day where they bring in a ton of different chicken breeds to choose from all in one day. Because I missed it I was forced to order my chicks online. So I went on over to the MyPetChicken.com site. What a cool site. So many chickens! So many breeds! It’s like a candy bar isle for me… I want to sample them all.
Originally I was thinking I would only need about 6-8 chickens to keep my family in eggs. But as I started adding chicks to my cart I got this whole chicken collection mentality or something. I wanted one of each I tell ya! I ended up adding 12 chicks to my cart and clicking that buy button. My chicks weren’t going to be delivered until the middle of April so I had 5 weeks to get ready. I was disappointed that I couldn’t order a Buff Orpington or an Easter Egger. Those breeds of chicks were sold out for that shipment. But I was happy with my selection as there were some really cool new ones I’d never seen before in real life.
Here are the 12 I ordered:
Black Frizzle Bantam
Buff Brahma
Light Brahma
Blue Copper Maran
Blue Andulasian
Light Brown Leghorn
White Leghorn
Olive Egger
Golden Laced Wyandotte
Swedish Flower Hen
Partridge Cochin
Rhode Island Red
But waiting for 5 weeks for chicks to arrive is a long time.
And in my defense it was Easter weekend. Plus two families with kids would be joining my house for the holiday. So I thought to myself… maybe I’ll just go down to the local farm store to see if they have any chicks in stock. Who knows.. maybe they would even have a Buff Orpington or Easter Egger? I said to myself… “I’ll just get one or two chicks and we can have babies to hold during Easter. What’s one or two more, right?
So down I went to the farm store with my two kids, and came home with 3 Golden Sex-Links, a White Leghorn, A Rhode Island Red and two Easter Eggers. I was weak I tell ya, weak. But we officially had some baby chicks at our house! It was so much fun.
7 baby chicks with 12 to come a month later.
After the excitement wore off I was starting to worry about having so many. I thought to myself, well they all probably won’t make it. I’m sure the little kids that visit will be too rough on them or something. It’s bad to think that I know, but I also was getting a bit worried. 19 chickens is so many!
Yet, they all survived, every single one of them. Of course they did.
My youngest two really loved holding the chicks and spending time with them. The 7 are super sweet and used to being held. But I personally didn’t end up having the time to really bond with them. (Yes chicken bonding is a thing….) The 7 chickens got bigger and bigger and by 4 weeks old we were able to put them outside (as it was really warm) in my husbands unfinished chicken coop. They just stayed in the bottom part of it with a tote I made with shavings inside.
THEN MY CHICK ORDER CAME IN..
12 new sweet babies. These ones are mine. I am the mama hen. 🙂
As soon as I opened up the box my heart melted. They were just the cutest sweetest chicks ever. And they’ve been my babies ever since. I am starting to get attached to these ones. As are my children. We are always holding them or watching the silly things they do. Currently they are 3 weeks old now – let me introduce you to them.
1. Olivea – our Olive Egger
2. Lagatha – our Swedish Flower Hen
3. Katniss – our Rhode Island Red
4. Emerald- Golden Laced Wyandotte
5. Butterscotch – our Buff Brahma
6. Taylor – White Leghorn
7. Sumo – our Light Brahma
8. Lina – Blue Andulasian
9. Martha – the Partridge Cochin
10. Drew – our Blue Copper Maran
11. Chica – the Light Brown Leghorn
12. Penguin – the Black Frizzle Bantam
BUT THAT IS NOT ALL… NO, THAT IS NOT ALL…..
I had placed my name on a Buff Orpington waiting list at our feed store, and was going to pass on it. But they called me only 5 days after my new babies arrived and I was weak again. So, now we have 20 chicks. But…but…but… I love this Buff Orpington!!! She is the sweetest of all! Her name is Gigi – (named after our beloved last Buff Ginger.)
Yeah, I need help. Someone needs to stop me. I am banning myself from any farm stores from here on out. Unless I need to buy chicken feed, in which case I may need someone to come with me for support.
Well, off to clean out the chicken bins..again.
xoxo, Karrie
PS – You can see pics of my crazy chicken life on my Instagram here. And if you want to get started with chicks you can read my How to Raise Baby Chicks Guide HERE.
The chicks are so adorable!! I’m jealous! 🙂
Too adorable… hee hee. Thanks Jen!
Oh you chicken hoarder you! I am calling for an intervention!…not really. They are gorgeous and look at that freckle face with that baby chick. this is EDUCATIONAL you tell yourself. It is GOOD for the children to learn responsibility and tenderness in taking care of a tiny fragile living thing. This is a wise investment you tell your hub. I can SELL those eggs. Right. Honey chil you done been bit with the chicken love thing. HBO cannot compare to sitting and watching those babies dig in the dirt and chase each other and come when you call them. When someone talks about the good life…this is it. Enjoy it. Every single second. Just remember you are building memories too.
Bwahahaha!!! Yes…I am a chicken hoarder! 🙂 It’s so true though…they are so very entertaining. 🙂
Sounds perfectly normal to me – that’s why I NEVER go into a feed store unless I’m wearing blinders (they sell those there too) and have a specific list! Forget Ranch and Home – they have lots more goodies than just farm-ish stuff for outside. They have inside goodies too. Dangerous! You really need to read the book “The Egg and I” if you haven’t already :-))
Yes Sue, I read that book!!! Next time you should come with me…to help me be strong. lol
Where is your barred rocked? They are the sweetest chickens ever!
I know, right? I need a barred rock for sure.. 🙂
So many but so wonderful too. Thanks for sharing.
I did the chick/chicken thing for years. But really was hating winters (Pacific Northwest RAIN) and making sure they were fed…plod out there every day, just got old. I sold my chickens and hubby says no more. We had the sex link ones, almost an egg a day. I do miss them, but now I can stay toasty warm in my house, and buy brown eggs from the lady who bought my chickens. Win, win..hee.
I cant wait to read a blog post from you when you meet up with a few mice…in the chicken coop or feed!! I had some making a nest in the feed bin. Someone didnt snap the lid on very good. I found the cat and put the cat in there. She had a blast getting the mice…ewww.
Oh yuck.. I hate mice! But I have seen a few around making holes and such on the property. I need a cat badly…
Hee hee! I love it!!!
I have a real problem with chicks as well! We have been getting new chicks every season for three years now and I never regret it! I love watching and playing with them and so do my kids! We haven’t had to buy eggs in two years. We have lost some to dogs, cold and some have just died for no reason. We currently have 25 and I’m sure we will get more come spring again!
It’s so hard, isn’t it! They are just so darn cute.
My group (Dreams for Haiti) started a Chicken program last fall in Haiti. We are growing chickens and giving to needy families in the village. In turn they must take care of their chickens and return the first born back to our program so we may share with other families. We now have 25 families with chickens and they are so excited. I was there in April and we passed out chickens to 10 more families so they will have eggs to eat and to sell and chickens to eventually to eat. I wish I could share a picture on here of me with one of our chickens. They are so cute!! We also are doing this with goats. You should see how cute our baby goats are!!! goat milk, goat cheese and eventually goat to eat. $10 gives a family in Haiti a livelihood. I am also falling in love with our chickens and goats!
Oh I love it!!
So sweet- they all look beautiful, and after my last comment, I’m glad to see your new little GiGi 🙂
Hi there, love your site!
Just think of all the lovely cakes you can bake and the extra money you can make from selling them (eggs or cakes)! The first spring we had our muscovy ducks, I made 7-8 batches of sponge cake every Saturday! Then when you get overrun by eggs, you have a chance to start hunting for new recipes that uses lots of eggs, like oven pancakes.
(And never ever calculate just how much you spend on feed, equipment etc! ;D )
This is what happens when you leave the eggs on the counter!…. just kidding. Chickens love big families. You only make them happier with more sister friends. ❤