Brock and Bentley had so much fun looking at all the chicks. Brock wanted the "yellow one" which was pretty much any of them, except the black chicks. Bentley was just intrigued at all of them running around and flapping their little, underdeveloped wings. I was hoping for Rhode Island Red chicks, but unfortunately they were all gone at the time, so we settled on Red Production chicks. Red Production are a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a New Hampshire Red and are known for their large brown egg production.
For most families, once you've picked out your 6 baby chicks, you would head straight home to set them all up....but not the Roorda family. Our hour long trip to Mankato couldn't be complete without a few more stops that only the nearest bigger city could offer. Knowing that baby chicks are susceptible to becoming too cold, we just had to bring those little chickies with us around the mall in the bottom of the stroller (in their box, of course), bundled up in coats and a spare blankie to stay warm. Katie said to me, "This is the first time I've ever walked around the mall with baby chicks." My response: "It might be the first time anyone has done this." Nervous of the loud peeping noises coming from the stroller, we tried to stay in louder areas. Katie mentioned that at one point, while in Target, the little ladies were so loud that she had to pretend to whistle to throw off a passer-bye. Never-the-less, we left Mankato, all chicks warm and intact.
Once we got home, I went out to the cattle barn and found an old, fiberglass watering trough and filled it with pine shavings, placed the heating lamp at, what I thought was the appropriate height. We decided to put them in our basement to keep them away from a draft and to protect them from the predators all around the farm (including the cats that like to sneak into the garage at night). I filled their water and food containers where I also purchased at Tractor Supply Co. and placed the little ladies in their temporary home for the next few weeks.
After doing a little research on how to take care of your little, baby chicks, I found that they should be checked on at least five times a day, so the boys and I have stayed busy for the last few days, checking on the chicks. They seem to be happy and healthy, enjoying their little sauna (week old chicks should have their containment be 95 degree at least for the first week, decreasing 5 degrees each week until they go outside) in the basement. For more tips on caring for your new chicks, you can check out the same page I did: Baby Chick Care
Brock is loving his new little friends. He's been such a big help with the chicks. He even wanted to name them Brock and Bentley because they are "sooo cute." We convinced him to choose the female versions of their middle name, Henrietta and Alexandra, "Allie" for short. If you have any good girl names for the other four chicks, add them to the comments below.
Just a few more pictures of the little chickies, happy and healthy.
Be sure to stop by for further updates on the chicks as they continue growing and transfer to their new home outdoors.
(Please excuse the jammies and morning hair....It was the first "chick check" of the day!)
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