Thursday, October 4, 2012

October is for baby chickens

October 1st - HATCH DAY.  That's right, all four chicks were born this day.  That meant anytime between October 2 through October 4 they would be arriving in Silver Lake! So on October 2, I woke up early too fire up the brooder lamp and warm up their brooder box.  Baby chicks need a temperature of about 95 degrees, and after a stressful journey I wanted them to feel cozy and safe.  I had already set up their box and their food and water about a week earlier (can you tell I was excited?).


Thankfully, my efforts paid off.  According to the USPS tracker, my chickens landed at LAX around 10:30 a.m. and departed the distribution center! They were coming that day!


Around 1:30 p.m.  I got a call from a rather disgruntled postman who had tried to deliver the chicks but no one was home.  After assuring him not to worry, that I would be there in 10 minutes, my sister and I hopped in the MINI and drove straight to the Loz Feliz post office.  I think I was expecting a special  "live animals" window, but Sherry and I  obediently filed in the normal line of people picking up non-living things.  Everyone else had parcel slips, but I simply said "I'm here for the chickens."  He knew exactly who I was, and exactly where my parcel was.  Sherry and I stood eagerly by while trying to ignore the looks people were giving the strange girl who was picking up chickens in Los Feliz.  (I fully acknowledge that I was the crazy in the post office that day).


Suddenly the postman came back with this tiny box, and from it, tiny chirping noises.  It was hands down the sweetest noise I have ever heard.


We loaded up the MINI with this tiny box and waited until we got home to open it - 6 tortuously long minutes!  We didn't want one to hop out and get lost in MINI. 


But we did sneak a little peek and saw one little black ball of fur! 


I had been mentally preparing for a dead baby chick.  Sometimes they die during shipment, and I didn't want to be too disappointed.  So you can understand my nerves in opening the box.  But when I opened it, we saw these four fluffy and healthy beings! 




They had a long journey, and were likely very thirsty and hungry, so we wanted to transfer them to their new home as fast as possible.  We showed each one how to eat and drink by dipping their beaks in the food and water, and they seemed right at home!







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