Chicks in January

Yesterday our yearly order of future laying hens (day old chicks) arrived.  Per the norm, we received a call at 6:45 am from the Post Office letting us know that our chicks were there.  For those that thinks this sounds odd, I should explain further.

We order all our chicks from Hoovers Hatchery in Iowa.  The chicks are hatched and packed into little cardboard boxes for shipping.  The chicks going to Minnesota are actually driven up to the main post office hub in Minneapolis.  From there they are sent out via the normal mail trucks and arrive the next morning at the local post office, only one day old.  How do they survive a whole day without food and water you ask?  Right before a chick hatches it inhales into its abdomen the remaining egg yolk (its food source for the 21 days of incubation).  This gives it enough food to go for a couple of days.  What an amazing design!

When I ordered our chicks I unfortunately could not order the weather at the same time.  So yesterday I got up early and went out to get their little brooding area preheated up from -11 to 98 degrees so it would be ready when the post office called.  They are all very happy and running about the pen being a bit peckish.

So why chicks in January?   Well, it takes about five months for laying variety chick to reach maturity and start laying eggs.  This means that they will start laying in June, about the time Friday on the Farm starts to ramp up. 

See ya in June for Friday on the Farm!