Chicks

I stopped by Tractor Supply last week to get some ameraucana chicks. There was one chick separated from the others and Eden cried, "Mom, this one is all alone. He needs a home. Get it, Mom!" I told her that it was probably just alone because it was already sold to someone. Then we were informed that it has a bad leg, and that we could take it home for free if we wanted to try to splint it. We brought it home, and I splinted and wrapped its poor leg, but unfortunately it has a slipped tendon, which needed to have been treated by a vet within 24 hours, and it is too late, so I don't think that it will be able to heal. I've warned the kids that it might not make it. We named it Gimpy. Parker has claimed it for his own. It isn't growing as quickly as its siblings, as you can see here.

I originally had the little chicks in with the bigger ones. Unfortunately, I had a production red baby that put its head through the chicken wire and then was sat on or bumped into, breaking its neck. I had to put it down, which was hard. I'd never killed anything before. I cried. So now I've got the little guys in their own little brooder until they catch up on size.

My two broilers are way bigger than my layers. I'm up to 13 chicks, when I originally only planned to get 7. I would love to get a couple more ameraucanas, because the ones I got could end up being roosters. The light brahmas were also sold straight run, and the broilers don't count, and Gimpy might not make it, so I may end up with only 6 after all.