Some very exciting news for this bunch….. We got 8 peeps!!!  I’d been doing some reading for the last couple months to learn about the different chicken breeds, what they need to eat, how the coop needs to be set up and what is needed for their bedding, and lots of other basics.  As I read more and more, I think I got more and more nervous about bringing home animals and doing something wrong that would result in one dying. It seems so complicated and I’m a master student. Have always liked studying, reading, and taking notes to absorb information and this was having the opposite effect.  (This is when Cactus Man usually says that you can’t learn everything from a book and need to just go do it to learn.)

I figured this weekend would be a good time to go to the local Tractor Supply and check out what chicks they had in store.  I had done some research on breeds and people have recommended others to me as good “first time chickens” – Rhode Island Red, Isa Brown, Golden Comet, Red Sex Link – but they didn’t have any of these in the store that were only female (pullets).  The boys and girls were mixed together (straight run) and I didn’t want to take the chance of getting a dude (cockerel). I could have bought 10 chicks online and they would get mailed, but say what you want, I was not comfortable doing that this time around.  Just wanted to pick out some baby chicks live and in person. One of the main guys there Terri was super helpful and nice. He actually talked with me for about 15 mins answering lots of questions so I’m sure I’ll be taking advantage of his wisdom more in the future.

So here’s what we got – 4 Leghorns and 4 California Whites. We’re just looking to start small, see how it goes and figure out what we do and do not like.  Having chickens is something I’ve been looking forward to A LOT. I know they aren’t family members, they are farm animals.  But I feel like I couldn’t bring any living creature to be part of our lives and not have some sort of connection to it. I understand why it’s not practical and of course I’m not going to be cuddling and snuggling with them, but I’m sure a couple of them will have a little something extra that makes them fun and special to watch or be around.

For now the peeps are staying in a cardboard box, in a tub that we never use in the bathroom off the kitchen (who puts a tub next to the kitchen? Is that a thing?). This is very temporary as Cactus Man is very unhappy about this arrangement and believes they should be outside. But it’s cold out, 45 degrees, and that just seems mean. They are six days old today so I think they should stay in until their 2 weeks old.