Saturday morning we set off after yet another call to the farm store just to make sure they still had Welsummers (yes, come on down and get them!). Myself and husband as well as Trevor set off about 9:00 AM. We stopped a couple times along the way for a snack break and later gas. It was kind of strange to stop at the Stateline store in New Hampshire right before the Massachusetts border. For years and years we stopped there on the way to visit my mom, the kids Grammy. After she became ill with Dementia we often picked up treats for her at this store a nice halfway point on the way to the nursing home. The clerk, it was almost always the same female clerk was good to us and would ask about my mom and sometimes drew a heart on the bag with her treats. Once their debit machine was fussy and we had no cash, the clerk said if we can't get this through I'll buy "Grammy's" snacks. I wondered if we would see this clerk but alas after almost a year of not going to this store the layout had changed and the clerk wasn't there. Life goes on. We got our snacks and back on the road.
The farm store was not very far into Massachusetts not as far as we would have had to go for Mom's home or nursing home in the past. It was practically over the border and turn left! Just that easy, well about 10 miles after the left but that is nothing when you live rurally. We needed some gas and the first station we came across looked a little different. As soon as we pulled in someone started taking off the gas cap and inserting the pump nozzle, full service? That is a novelty and if we pay cash it would be a good discount and already the price was around 30 cents or more lower than I'd seen near home. Cash it is, the gas station was sure interesting a real throwback. I don't think I've seen another in my whole adult life.
A few more minutes down the road after the gas station we found the farm store and I found the chicks.
Chicks and plenty of them including lots of Welsummers. How to choose, I was only going to get two chicks. Somehow when it was all done there were six chicks in my box, I have no idea how it happend :-D. Four Welsummers, one Barred Rock and one Australorp.
A few days short of a month old, at that awkward stage and possibly contending with a feather pecking issue,hence the bare backs, but seeming otherwise healthy the six chicks alternated sleeping and curiosity on the long ride home. The bare backs could be from the way their feathers are coming in but where they all have it about the same and in the same places I would guess there was some boredom and feather pecking going on. They were getting too big and crowded for the brooders they were in. I imagine the store thought they would have sold more by this age. I guess not many are interested in winter chicks but there are perks, they'll be laying by summer! The downside is that they'll need to stay indoors for longer and they won't be able to go outdoors for some playtime, outdoors is covered in heavy snow.
We settled the chicks in at home and all took to food and water just fine. The shavings were a huge fun time for them as they'd been in wire bottom brooders in the farm store. The chicks dust bathed in the shavings for a long time their first afternoon at home! I bet it felt good.
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| Dust bathing is nice! |
The cats are very interested in the chicks and the chicks are interested in the cats. To curb boredom I made them up a playcage with some sticks fastened onto the wire sides with zip ties. Into their main (for now) brooder I added some shiny marbles and gems for them to peck at. We're going to get chick grit so that treats can be introduced too, things to scratch and peck around for. These chicks are certainly old enough for a few treats such as dried mealworms. They just need the chick sized grit to aid in digesting the treats, there is no natural grit to be found outdoors in this weather!
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| Perches to try out. |
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| Shiny things to peck at. |
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