I'm A New Momma!!!

Lookee lookee!!! We got chicks!!! They came two days early! You should have seen the panicked scrambling around here as I ran around (like a chicken with its head cut off) trying to set up the brooder before I went and picked them up. Nobody told me they might come before they were scheduled to!

I got the phone call Tuesday afternoon. "Your chicks arrived two days early. We'd like you to come get them as soon as possible." Whaaaaat?!! Hyperventilating began in earnest as I realized I was not ready for this. I felt like I was in labor. Breathe, breathe. We made a mad dash to the feed store and brought them home in a cardboard box cozily ensconced on Isaac's lap, the heater in the car roaring, chicks chirping merrily - while we were all suffocating. Gasp. Breathe. Breathe. Back at the house finally.

I had set the bin up with pine shavings on the bottom, a layer of newspaper, and a layer of paper towels on top of that. Hey why not try all three? One of them should work, right? Light was clamped to a chair next to the box rather than hanging (because I wasn't ready, remember?). Waterer was full.....water plus some apple cider vinegar (thank you, Christina!) and a dose of probiotics.

Okay, deep breath.......taking the chicks out of the box (oh no, what if I squish one?), I gently tipped each ones beak into the water and set it loose in the bin. Hey! It worked! So far so good. (They must have read the same books I did.) They were so lively, peeping and running about. It seemed as though they were more curious than frightened. As soon as I scattered some feed on the paper they dove onto it, pecking madly. At the food rather than each other, thankfully. Good chickies! Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen? I know they're dense as a tree stump, but for cuteness, you have to give them an A+!

So here we are....and our adventure begins. Today I still have a dozen happy chicks. No casualties so I can't help getting my hopes up despite all the information I've received to the contrary. Honestly, I feel like a new mother. I keep running in to peek at them. Are they poopy? Are they hungry? Are they thirsty? Are they BREATHING? Well, you know the way they flop down to sleep....it looks like they're dead, so I keep checking. Oh, and I think they recognize me. At least when I show my presence they come running to me peeping their little hearts out. Awww.......they think I'm their mommy. This is fun!