Chicks in the mail. It really is an amazing thing. They're packed up as just-hatched chicks and arrive here a day later, ready for the brooder (chick housing) and all the loving that is to come their way. Oh, those birds. They are handled and sung to and all of that. And yes...these are the birds that ultimately end up on our table, and everyone knows that. All the more reason to love them. We've found a good groove with approximately 70 chickens a year. That seems like a lot until I remember that one chicken isn't enough for a family of eight, and so it's always two that I roast. And then it lands somewhere under once a week, which is just about right for us. We've been keeping Freedom Rangers for a few years now and really like them. We keep them in two batches of 35, which makes housing and feeding them - and ultimately harvesting them - just a bit more manageable for our set up (the second batch arrives a month behind the first).
For now though, all that they need is warm light, good food and water, and plenty of space. I'd like to think they like all that singing and snuggling too. At least I know that we do.
