| Welcome to the four newest members of our coop!
I got four unsexed chicks from a local breeder today: Black, blue, and lavender Ameraucanas (one of each color) and a Silver-Laced Wyandotte. They are all nameless thus far, particularly because my roommate is talking more about eating any that turn out to be roosters.
The new girls (well, we hope)
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| When I asked my roommate's oldest daughter if we should get adults or chicks, she asked for chicks. So we've got 'em. I found a local breeder who advertised on Craigslist and met her in a Whole Foods parking lot today. She brought all of her chicks and let me pick out the ones I was taking, so that if I get any roosters it will be my own fault for picking them. Of course, since they are impossible to sex, I just picked the cutest ones. Here they are:
Lavender Ameraucana
See the puffs of feathers around her cheeks. Those are called muffs. It's a feature on both Araucanas and Ameraucanas. The lavender Ameraucana is a new color that is being bred right now. Poultry breeds are officially named and described in the Standard of Perfection, and breeders must work hard before a new color or breed will be accepted. I don't think the lavender is there yet, but I'm excited to have this new color. And Ameraucanas lay blue eggs, or so they say. (They look more green to me.)
Blue Ameraucana
Black Ameraucana
This little one is camera shy. Well, actually it's just that she wouldn't sit still. She's show quality, and she's got a lavender gene in her. So if my black and my lavender turn out to be one boy and one girl, I can breed them to make lavender and black babies.
Silver laced Wyandotte
Last but not least, my silver laced wyandotte. My roommate proclaimed this one to be the prettiest, and I think she will be when the girls are all grown up as well. But Silver-Laced Wyandottes are pretty common so she'll be gorgeous but not that special.
Currently, the four of them are in a cardboard box on my nightstand under a hot lamp. They are having lots of fun with their bowl of food and the shot glass of water I put in there. I figured the shot glass was just the right size to keep 'em from drowning in it. The flip side is that I'll have to keep filling it up several times a day. I've got a very curious cat peering into the box but so far only my two non-hunting cats have discovered the chicks. One of them, Raiden, has progressed to putting a curious paw into the box. Cat number three, Molly the Mini Tiger, is outside on the prowl at the moment and I kind of dread what she'll do when she meets the chicks. The chicks, for their part, are ignoring the cat. I might either move the chicks into the bathroom (with the door closed) at night or put some chicken wire over their box to keep them safe. Plus, it will be a nuisance to have a lamp on in my room all night when I'm trying to sleep.
My only other issue is whether or not to give them medicated feed. I've got some of each. Right now I'm giving them the unmedicated kind, since they aren't outside at all and won't come into contact with any soil bacteria, yet. Any suggestions? |
