Peep Show

More new arrivals on the farm. 300 of them, to be exact.

The meat chickens came today. As you can see by the photos, they come in boxes in the mail. The postmaster in Kinsman called a few minutes after 7AM to say they were down there and driving him crazy! We ran right down to pick them up.

There were 2 boxes, each box divided into quarters; they are crowded but that helps them stay warm enough. The peeps are shipped the day they hatch; the chicks are still digesting their yolk sacs which provide them enough nourishment to survive for 72 hours. Luckily for us, we live close enough to the hatchery that our chicks arrive the next day, so are usually in good shape.

We had their new home already warmed up. The brooder is a hood-shaped affair that we’ve seen called an Ohio brooder or a hover brooder; it’s up off the ground a few inches so the chicks can run under if they’re cold and run back out when they’re warm enough. We have it hung from the ceiling on chains so it can be raised easily. You can’t believe how fast the little chicks grow!

The big circle around the brooder contains the peeps. We like the circle set-up because if the peeps get too cold from a draft or frightened by a shadow (meat chickens are very fussy!) they will all run to a corner, pile up on top of each other and smother the ones on the bottom. With a circular brooder there are no corners to hide in.

The waterers are automatic; they’re actually sitting up on a silverware divider with a piece of screen over top so the chicks can hop up, hang on, and get a drink out of the dish.

As you can see, they get right to the eating and drinking, which is a good thing. They’re busy skittering around, chirping loudly if they don’t like something and were very quiet and content under their brooder when I checked on them before bed last night.