Babies everywhere

We used to have a lot of chickens, but now they are all getting old and their numbers are dwindling. We are down to 7 rather oldish hens, and I really wanted to get a few more to boost their numbers. It would also be nice to get more than 2 or 3 eggs per $20 bag of chicken feed..

Unfortunately it seems that point-of-lay chickens here are gold plated because they sell for $20 each. So our plan to get a few more chickens was put on hold.

But, on a whim (how unusual for me, right) I decided to go to the pet store and buy some babies, instead. It's not like we need adult chickens right now, we can wait.. and I have a $250 aviary sitting on the back verandah going to waste. So why not?

I bought 10 little babies and brought them home in a cardboard box. I kept them in a cage in my room, thinking I would keep them there for about a week and then transfer them to the aviary. Unfortunately I grossly underestimated the amount that tiny birds can A) eat and B) poop. I was having to feed them all the time, give them fresh water once an hour because they kept messing it up, and they also rapidly messed up the cage and made it smelly. So this morning I had to go and get the makings for the aviary.

Sadly one of them died overnight.. I think it may have eaten a sharp seed (I have starter mix, bran, and some mash but it had some seeds in it, I picked most of the big pieces out but perhaps it ate something too big) or maybe some bedding, I'm not sure. I feel really terrible, the poor little thing. The only thing that makes me feel a little better is the fact that it quite literally died in its sleep, curled up in the middle of all the others. So at least it was peaceful and I assume painless. Still, I feel bad and very guilty :(

The other 9 are going strong though. They seem to really enjoy their new aviary home with its straw bedding, lots of food, plenty of room, and a proper water dispenser that even the tiny little black chicks can reach into, but not fill with dirt and straw. They already think I'm their mommy, and I have to show them where the food and water is by pecking at it with my finger. I went and sat in the aviary for a while and they hopped onto me and pecked at my buttons and my freckles (freckles are not food). One of them is particularly happy to see me all the time and flies over to me with its silly stubby wings. I love them all. I'm going to try to spend as much time as I can with them so they get really used to me.

Tonight I had to "teach" them where bed was. I gave them a box with nice soft bedding, but instead they decided to sleep huddled under the water dispenser. This worried me because a) it wasn't very protected from the cold air, b) they might get damp and then cold, and c) as secure as I made it, I still hate to think of them sleeping under a big heavy object. So I went out there with the torch and sat on the straw, carefully extricating each chick and shoving it (lovingly) into the box. When all 9 were inside, I pushed extra straw into the entrance to dam it up and make a warm nest around them. I tucked the top flap down a bit to limit the amount any breeze that might blow in. They settled immediately into a group, nice and warm in a big fluffy chick pile. They just needed their mommy to show them where to sleep.

I'll go back out and check on them before bed to make sure they stayed in there - hopefully now they know the box is warm and safe, they'll use it all the time.