4-H Chickens

Well it is finally here. The kids on the farm have been counting down until time to go get their 4-H chickens. So last Monday we went and picked up our 25 new little additions to the farm. They seem to be really healthy and perky. The Ag Extension office said they used a new hatchery this year and the entire back they received seem very healthy.

We also got them a brand new chicken coop just for them to start their new life on the farm.

The first day they got their sugar water as suggested by the Ag Extension office. That was something new to me. I had never done that before. But then again, I have never received babies that were this young. That first day, they didn't eat or drink very much. The instructions said to wait 2-3 hours after giving them sugar water before putting food in with them.

Now they have been on the farm for a whole week. I'm happy to report that all 25 are doing great. It's amazing how fast the little things grow. The big hens just stand by the garage door wanting to see what all the cheeping is about.

We have already had offers to buy some of our babies, but we want to keep them a little while. When the fair comes around, we take 6 of them to the fair.

We had heard that in order to check to see how many were roosters and how many were hens, that you could place your open hand above their heads. Then the roosters raise their heads up and the hens squat down. Well I tried that yesterday, and all it did was startle the poor guys and they all ran all over the place. I couldn't tell any difference. Maybe we will try again in a day or two.

Feel free to leave me ideas about how to distinguish the sex of baby chicks.