Nothing says spring like new baby chicks! I couldn't help myself - I got the opportunity to use a little chicken house (more on that in a later post), so I had to go and adopt these three sweeties...
And of course this little sweetie had to hold them.
Mark was pretty gentle, but I did feel a little bit like we might have an Of Mice and Men situation on our hands.
Susie liked them quite a bit, when we could get her to look at them...
Even Daddy Ty loves baby chicks...
Before I introduce you to each of our new babies, I have to tell you two things. One; they are all hens. Females. Girls. And two; Mark named them.
First we have the Silver Laced Wyandotte named Chad, after supercross racer, Chad Reed.
The Wyandotte, when mature, is one of my favorite chicken colors. Chad is the oldest, and always the ringleader. Though she is the first to freak out when we come near, she is also the first to simmer down and get friendly with us, approaching us or even perching on us.
Then there's Mark's favorite pick, Travis, a Buff Orpington named after freestyle motocross star, Travis Pastrana...
She is always the one Mark wants to hold, and was named Travis because Travis rides a yellow Suzuki and she, herself is yellow, Mark says. She is a sweet little gal, and the middle child of the three. Whatever happens, she just goes with the flow.
She will grow up to be a plump, soft, full-figured gal (you know what I mean if you clicked that link). These are my favorite breed. They grow up friendly with a hint of an attitude.
Then we have the baby of the three, Angel.
Now there is no motocross star named Angel, however, there is a story behind this name. After the first two were named, I realized and stated to Mark, "You know what, these chicks are girls... maybe we should give them girl names." Mark said, "No." So I suggested, "What about a girl dirt bike rider, like Joleen?" Joleen rides with Travis, so I thought he'd go for that. But Mark replied, "No. How 'bout we name her 'Send Me an Angel'?" OMG. Send Me an Angel is the 80's song that plays during a segment of the dirt bike video Thrilbillies - Double Wide, when the girl dirt bike riders are introduced. Mark sings along. That is really kind of sick, but I give up. "Okay, Angel it is!" By the way, to defend myself here, Travis Pastrana's videos are among very few dirt bike videos that are clean. We are strict about that and only watch Pastrana or dirt bike documentaries about specific races or riders.
When she wakes up, I will tell her to hurry up and grow big and strong and make me some green eggs so I can make green eggs and ham! But she is usually sleeping, since she is a little baby, and always disappears under the other chickens to get toasty warm...
And then I dig her out and make her visit with me because she is so deliciously fuzzy and cute!
And then I put her down and 30 seconds later her narcolepsy makes her do this...
Silly, sleepy chicks. Well even if you live the subs with a small yard, I would recommend chickens as pets. Chicks usually run from $2 - $3, depending on breed. To get started, all you need is a $15 heat lamp and bulb, a large container to keep them in for a few weeks (even a large box would work), a $10 bag of feed and $2 feed and water tins that screw onto standard canning jars...
There are a couple resources I recommend for raising chickens. The book Animal Housing is great. It has several chicken housing plans, from large walk-in chicken houses with doors and windows, to very small city-type housing. And the book Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens is a great reference for their health and well-being. Both are available through Sno-Isle Libraries.
After Chad got up to perch on Mark's leg, Travis decided to check things out...
Angel was getting cold in the grass all by her lonesome, so she had to jump up and get under Travis...
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