The chicks are shipped immediately after hatching. They have about 48 hours before they'll require food and water, during which time they are sustained by the last of the yolk they consumed before hatching. I always imagine it to be quite a rough and unpleasant way to enter the world! Stuffed into a tiny box to conserve body heat, kept in the dark and jostled around. I hope the employees of the United States Postal Service are gentle with them... :)
I decided to go with some different breeds this year, so we can't wait to see what we end up with! The big fluffy-headed ones are my favorites, or properly called Silkies.
Since many of you also follow my girls' blogs (Dreams of Fae and Rainbow Veins), I won't subject you to another chick post. Because although Jordan hasn't come out of the basement long enough to actually write a blog post, she's taken enough pictures to last a lifetime! I'm sure we'll hear from her soon. But, I did think that one or two photos were necessary, since their constant cheeping never lets me forget they are near! The cage that they live in for the time being (called a brooder) has been in my family forever (or so it seems!) My father built it when we were kids and raising tons of chickens each year. Being the animal lover in the family, I had the daily job of cleaning it... I have now passed that job down to my girls. Rest assured, they do it quite happily. We ordered 25 assorted feather-footed bantams and received 30. We'll wait until they're old enough to distinguish the hens from the roosters, then find homes for all those handsome little boys. I've found that more than one rooster spells trouble. Bantams may be small, but they make up for their small stature with an overabundance of testosterone!
One more because I think it's hilarious! When they sleep, they SLEEP! Often I have to check them because I think one may have been trampled (example: the one face down in the shavings in the front, or the one with its face smashed up against the wall!), but at my touch they're up and off!
So, while the girls have been living in the basement with our new feathered friends, I've been very busy getting ready for Riley's 11th birthday party on Thursday. I made the party favors and readied the scavenger hunt. Alas, that means my sewing machine has been silent, but the ideas have still been brewing in my head. I'm thinking I may design a pair of overalls next, wouldn't that be cute? Here's one of my latest 18 inch doll outfits, I managed to get it listed yesterday in both Simply Smitten and Inspiration-Earth. It kind of makes me nervous to have the same thing listed twice, but I was willing to take the chance! I'm thrilled with my first attempt at a 'hoodie'!
It took me forever to pull that zipper out of an old sweatshirt of my daughter's! I can't believe how many times that thing was sewn in there. It seemed a bit excessive!
This outfit is made from a velor skirt I found at the Salvation Army. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would make a perfect little doll outfit! So many different ways to recycle!
I needed to refresh myself on that blanket stitch around the heart, it's been awhile since I've used it!
Well, I guess that'll do it for today. It's a mild, rainy day here in Ct. I adore the wet, sloppy spring days... except for the muddy dog prints everywhere! ;) I remedied that by purchasing my dog a pair of socks, no kidding. Non skid dog socks. I'll have to post a picture sometime, it's kind of funny. For the first week he was mortified, tip-toeing around. Now, he seems to have resigned himself to the indignity of it all. There is a solution for every problem, isn't there? ;) Happy Tuesday!
Peace ~ Melinda