the first livestock has arrived

Unfortunately, not all of the chicks made it through the shipping process, which I'm not surprised but still saddened by. We ended up with six Speckled Sussex (out of ten ordered), five Black Minorca (out of five), and five Americana/Araucana (out of five) chicks. One of the Speckled Sussex chicks is supposed to be a rooster, so we're hoping that he was not one that met its demise en route. A friend got in on the order with three Red Star and three Pearl-White Leghorn chicks, all of which are happy and healthy and that we'll be swapping out with a few of said friend's homegrown chicks on Thursday.

The heartbreak of receiving DOA chicks (and a few that were clearly not going to make it and had to be euthanized) has encouraged us to explore homegrown chicks more thoroughly, but I'm still more interested in letting a mama hen be responsible for the work than incubating chicks ourselves. Euthanizing a chick is certainly no fun (not that I dealt with it -- Jay took care of what needed to be done).

In our household, everyone (meaning all the beasts) must get along, so we introduced Moose and Tally to their new chickens, and all has gone well so far. Clyde and Nekkie already have experience with chicks and know that they are not to be messed with, but even so, the chicks will be kept in a locked room for now to keep them safe.

Ali made her way back to California today, and I miss her exuberance and energy already! Here's to hoping that she and more friends will be paying a visit again in the near future.