We got baby chickens around noon yesterday;
69,800 peeping babies spread out among four houses.
For the first two or three days the chicks stay close to the feed trays and water lines.
After all these years of raising chickens, I'm still amazed at how quickly the babies learn to drink from the nipples. One chick sees a drop of water and his curiosity leads him to it, then others have to see what it's all about. Oh my! to think that when we first started in 1972 we used jugs to water the babies; the jugs had to be kept clean and filled often.
So today I start over again in my role as "Mother Hen".
Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh.
Shadows of the evening steal across the sky.
When the morning wakens, then may I arise,
Pure and fresh and sinless in Thy holy eyes.
Charlotte
Oh my goodness ~ all of those sweet chicks peeping must be pretty loud in their houses. They look so adorable.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your growing babies ~ FlowerLady
Oh, aren't they cute!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love that song that you posted the lyrics to on this post. We used to sing it in music class when I was in grade school and it always made me feel so peaceful. Thanks for the reminder.
That is a lot of baby chicks! They are very cute. I love that last photo. How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAwwww...everything looks so clean and pretty! Cute, cute little baby chicks!
ReplyDeleteAwe, these are so cute. I just love looking at your pics. I know they must be a handful so to speak but it sounds like you really enjoy them. I remember when we had old hens that came off of the nest. We looked forward to them so much. You take care and stay warm. Hugs, xo
ReplyDeleteOh--this takes me back to the days of helping my Grandma on her Poultry Farm and Hatchery. She had the baby chicks in several small brooder houses and they got their water from the large cans with the floats in them. Everything had to be disinfected and cleaned often. Oh--I actually miss those days and all the work involved, in the gathering the eggs from the two large hen houses, setting those eggs, turning the trays in the incubator, taking the chicks "off" when they were hatched and separating all of them into boxes for people to buy. Best years of my life!!! I adore all the peeping going on.
ReplyDeleteOh my, that a lot of little chicks to take care of, they are so cute.
ReplyDeleteI never tire of seeing baby chicks. They're such marvelous little creatures. I can only imagine the din of noise that 69,800 peeping chicks would make. I would be tempted to be out there playing and petting them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a warm and pleasant rest of the week.
I really like your blog header. You make such marvelous quilts and quilt tops.
:)
I can hardly take in that amazing number of chicks! They are very fortunate to have fallen into your hands Charlotte. I know they will thrive.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how many chickie children yu have to take care of! Must be fun watching them! Nancy
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure, you as a "mother hen" has her hands full. We had chickens, but never this many. I loved gathering the eggs.
ReplyDeleteThese little chicks are lucky to have a Lil Red Hen looking after them. I love your pond reflections!
ReplyDeletethey make me smile
ReplyDeleteat the end of this day :)
I am always amazed at what you do to raise chickens. That is such a great bunch! Lovely photo at the end........did you write the verse yourself? So lovely!
ReplyDeleteHello again, just realized......the words were to a song. LOL.
ReplyDeleteWell mother hen, looks like you have counted all of your chickens well! What a brood to watch over! Lovely photo to go with the verse!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I've never seen so many baby chicks in all my life. They are just the cutest things!
ReplyDelete