Yesterday I stealthily purchased 5 very sweet, very adorable Black Star pullets (or hens) for Erin's birthday! The lady I purchased the chicks from assured me that all five chicks are, indeed, girls, but I have to admit I am suspicious that we may actually have only 2 pullets (or hens) with the other 3 chicks being roos (or roosters).
Usually, you cannot tell the sex of a chick until several months into its lifetime. Sometimes you can't be sure of the sex of the bird until it either lays an egg (you've got a girl!) or crows (you've got a boy!).
However, the breed I purchased is a little different in this respect. Besides being called Black Stars (for their pretty black coloring) they are also called Black Sex Link chickens. This is because these chickens have been specially bred to have distinct differences in coloring between the males and the females. This coloring is apparent from birth, thus allowing you to know the sex of your chicks early on.
I had browsed over this information about coloring before purchasing the little babies, but it wasn't until I got them home that I really took it into consideration while looking at them. That's when I noticed that three of my little chicks have white spots on their heads. That means they are boys. Darn it!
Erin and I don't want roosters for two reasons. 1: Roosters don't lay eggs. 2: We're not really supposed to have chickens where we live, and roosters make noise.
Roos or no roos/rouse or no rouse, it's definitely time for some pictures, right?!
I have to admit, he/she is pretty cute.
The seller had 6 chicks and claimed that 5 were pullets, and 1 was a roo.
She was supposed to sell me the 5 pullets and keep the 1 roo.
We'll see if I got had....
Our chickens are exactly one week old today. That makes them very young and super susceptible to getting sick, etc. I know my babies are cold because of the way they huddle together, so as soon as I finish this blog post, I'm off to the store to buy an additional heat lamp. I was worried about their comfort last night, so I moved their box into my room for the night. I figured it would be warmer in my room with the door closed and my big, human body heat going on than it would be out in the big open living room. I think I was right. The chicks made pleasant noises all night, and when I got up this morning, they were walking around in the box instead of huddled together like in the above picture.
Also, when I call them my babies, I really mean it.
Case in Point: On the way to pick them up yesterday, I was so nervous! What if I'm a terrible mother and they die?! What if they get sick!? What if they don't eat?! What if they hate me?! What if a hawk flies down my chimney and eats them right in front of my eyes?! I honestly can't remember the last time I felt so jittery nervous/excited.
Case in Point: I showed off their pictures to everyone at Erin's birthday gathering last night, talked about them way to much, made Steven come over to look at them (even though I know he really just wanted to go home), and generally worried that I should get back to the house and check on them as soon as possible. What if a hawk was flying down my chimney to eat my chickens, and I got there too late to save them!?
Case in Point: They slept in my room last night, kept me awake, and caused me to stay up too late and get out of bed way too early so that I could give them clean food (they like to poop in it), clean their box, clean their water bottle, clean their food dish (they really do poop everywhere), check their butts for clogs (yep), give them some love, and generally make sure they have a happy start to their day.
I'm tired.
