The Homecoming

Sunday, April 27, 2008

This afternoon I picked up my long awaited chicks from Trisha and Billy Krushwitz in Clifford, VA. They have a petting farm called KIDZ KORNER(WILDWAYFARM2001@aol.com) A man at Amherst Milling told me about her. She has over 30 breeds of chickens at their petting farm in addition to sheep, goats, cows, a pig, donkeys, guinea fowl, turkeys, peacocks, and some cats. I paid her a visit in March and fell in love even more with the Cochins and Frizzle Cochins. She called me back in April to let me know she placed the order and the chicks will arrive at her place on April 18th. I decided to let her keep them a week to get them started off right since I work two jobs and was concerned about them eating and drinking. I brought them home in a cardboard box. My order was for 1 red frizzle Cochin, 1 mottled Cochin (black w/white spots), and 1 Golden Laced Polish. I took home 3 extras to bond with because we don't know the sex of the chicks at this young age. I will return the others later. When I got home, I already had the brooder ready - a 66 quart clear Rubbermaid container which I have filled with pine shavings and hung an infrared light bulb (100 watts) over. I filled the water container and the food container with chick starter and the temperature was 90 degrees. They seem quite docile as I moved them from their cardboard box into the brooder. They immediately layed down on their bellies with their wings spread and their faces down in the soft shavings. It worried me a bit because I didn't realize they sleep like that and thought perhaps they were too hot. I called Trisha and she assured me that is the way they sleep. I am used to my parakeets roosting. All is calm.