Got a call yesterday afternoon from the post office saying our chicks had arrived!!! Mom and I drove into town stopping at Shopko for a thermometer and then Woods for some soda bottles to turn into chick waterers, raw apple cider vinegar and garlic (you mix these and honey in with the chicks water for the first day. I’m not sure about all the specifics as to why, I’m next in queue for the poultry book that has that specific recipe, currently mom is reading it.) *Note: I’ve since learned it is making your own electrolyte drink to give them a bit of a boost after all that traveling.
Back at home, Darci and Josiah set to work taping a few boxes together for the chicks temporary home. The men just finished our guinea coop, and we should have a chick pen today or tomorrow (long before they need the extra space) then we’ll build the larger more permanent chicken coop! There are so many building projects lining up! All those blogs and books that tell you to have a coop ready BEFORE you ever bring chicks home, are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!! Those few weeks you have while waiting for your order, and while they are growing are absolutely crazy and having one more thing to do is kind of stressful. Although it does definitely get a fire under you with such an important deadline.
So, Mom and I walked into the post office and could hear them peeping in the back room, it was soo cute! Once we told the postal worker we were here for the chicks she walked into the back and we could hear her cooing to them saying “Did you hear that guys, you get to go home now!” She was so sweet! Then we told her the hatchery advised us to open the box there in case any of the chicks didn’t make the trip so she could verify it for us. She was not thrilled, she got a little nervous saying “I’ve never done that before, if one of them didn’t make it I don’t want to see it!” however she was saying it under her breath more to herself than to us, and we had to do it, so we just kind of went ahead and opened it. :) They were all fine, cute little fluff balls running around making their peep peep peep noise. The three of us oohed and ahhed over them for a moment and she actually thanked us for letting her see them before we left.
At home we quickly got their waterers ready and headed to the barn with Aunt Darci, Papa, and the kiddos. Chris was still working at his computer in the barn so he came over and one by one we took each chick out of the box and made sure they knew how to drink out of the bottle waterers before setting them in the box. A few of them were too tired to drink! We would nudge their little beaks with the nipple and they would look up for a second and then their heads would slowly droop down onto your hand and their eyes would close. They looked for all the world like a baby falling asleep in the high chair!
Chris had the idea of taking them outside and letting them run around in the grass to see if they’ll have more energy outside of the warm barn. We took the three that hadn’t learned to drink yet and set them down in the grass as we sat on the side of the driveway. They did become more alert, walking and getting excited about the bugs darting around. It took a good hour before they ever seemed interested in drinking. At that point it was pretty hot outside and Chris went to get their box out of the barn so the rest of the chicks could get some fresh air. When he was about 10 feet away from us one of the chicks darted over to him. I told him there was a chick under him, but he thought I was talking to our son Josiah and kept walking.
Before I could make it clear I meant him, He accidentally stepped on a chick he couldn’t see because of the box he was carrying. The look on his face was awful as soon as he realized what had happened. I carried the chick over to my mom since she’s been reading more specifically about the poultry, asking if she knew of anything we could do. The look on her face told me before she said anything. It was too badly hurt and couldn’t be saved. We took the bird to the fence line, Chris ended its suffering and then we buried it and grandma said a prayer. Josiah followed us and saw everything, without really talking about it Chris and I decided to let him be part of this. He sniffled a little bit, but dealt with it wonderfully. After the fact Josiah was talking about how his younger brother Duncan (who passed away a few months ago) could play with the baby chick in Heaven. I’m sure I wasn’t the model farmer, but I cried holding that suffering little chick in my hands. Chris made the comment, “things like this are how some people become vegetarian.” We knew something like this would happen eventually and we would have to end an animal’s suffering, but when they traveled so well we didn’t think it would be this soon. I’m sure if there are any seasoned farmers reading this we sound like a bunch of babies! However, I don’t want death to become so common to us we lose respect and appreciation for life.
I am grateful Josiah was able to witness the whole process and understand why we had to do what we did. One of our goals on this farm is for our children to have more respect for life. To understand and be grateful for the sacrifice that is made for them to eat a healthy varied diet. I believe a large part of that is understanding the finality of death and fragility of life. I’m grateful for a husband who cares enough about life that the loss of a chick is important. I am glad that while we are raising these animals to sustain our family we are also raising them to have health, joy, and peace in their own way. I am grateful that we have these goals of offering the best we can to our family and being good stewards of the life that is in our care.
