Peepers :)

We got our chicks about a month ago now and I still haven't taken a SINGLE picture of the kids and the chicks.. And now the chicks are a month old and white and no longer cute so there will be NO pictures of the kids and chicks this year. Oh well.

 Baby J had never seen chicks before and he got that WOW look in his eyes when he saw his 1st one. His little blue eyes just glowed!! Then he did a very typical baby thing and tried to pick it up by it's neck. lol. I was holding it so I manage to rescue it before it was damaged and showed him how to be very gentle with it instead. He really liked to stroke it's head and smile and drooled with pleasure. Yup he's still a drooler :) The other kids had seen chicks before of course but they still love to hold them and pet their downy heads.

No one got pooped on this year, which I believe is a first!! Nothing can put you off chick cuddling like a fresh poop RIGHT on your hand, arm, leg or whatever. I'll never forget the look on J's face when he got pooped on.. pure HORROR!!! Then he cried!! I laughed so hard I cried. Then I wiped it off and explained that chicks have to go sometimes too..and that he was just fine, he could wash when we got inside.. but the damage was done.  After that E would NOT hold one at all as she was determined NOT to get pooped on!! Little R who would have been just about a year old then just placed her hands very firmly behind her back and shook her head!! L really was the only one to hold chicks again that year.

We got 200 CC non sexed this year as Papa wanted to try them again. We got them from a new hatchery and a new farm store, both of which we will be doing again! I actually had HELP to bring my two boxes of chicks to the truck.. Something that has NEVER BEFORE happened at the old place. It may not seem like much to you but when you have 4 kids, and a cart and 2 boxes of chicks getting out of the store, the building, across the parking lot and into the truck is a serious challenge. Which btw is what happened two years ago.. and they had PEOPLE who WORKED there standing there watching me. Can you say TOTALLY unimpressed?? Last year Papa brought them home as he was home because we'd had a baby 4 days or so before :)

So far we have some 'runners' which we are unused to seeing after several years with just cockerels but for the most part we are pleased with them. We lost about 10 the 1st week which is also unusual for us but, as we remember, normal with the non sexed. Unfortunately they are still in the barn as our weather has been TERRIBLE this spring. A lot of pouring rain and cold temps.  We've had a few nice days but the ground is still soaking and the nights cold. And it's suppose to rain all weekend but we might give them a pen around the barn anyway just to start getting them used to the weather as they have to leave the barn eventually. Nice weather or not.