New Peeps for Spring of 2012 and Other Goin' Ons

Last Sunday we picked up our peeps at the post office.  This is not the first set of peeps that we've raised (we've had plenty of peeps on the farm), but they ARE the first ones that we ordered and picked up ourselves.  We ordered from McMurry Hatchery based on their excellent reputation, as so far, couldn't be more pleased.  We got the message that they were shipped on Saturday, I was beside myself.  Glad we got that brooder done!  First thing Sunday morning I checked their tracking to see how far they had traveled.  They at one of the main post office hubs  in Pittsburgh!!  We live about 35 miles outside of the city, but I was willing to drive in if I could pick them up.  My first thought was, "It's a Sunday!  No one will be available!"  But we called all the same, and a return phone call gave us the answer we'd been waiting for, "Come and get 'em!"  And that we did.

Newly hatched chicks can survive for about 72 hours without needing food or water.  For mama hens, hatching her own chicks this is important.  She must patiently sit on her chicks until they have all hatched.  And this can take 48-72 hours.  So these little guys and gals absorb their yolk sac just before hatching to provide them with the nourishment to survive those hours before mama hen can take them out looking for food.  Pretty darn creative, don't you think.  This allows chicks to be shipped in the mail. However, warmth is another consideration, therefore typically they are shipped in no less that groups of 25 so that they can keep each other warm.  Larger birds, like ducks or geese, can be shipped in few numbers.  I'm happy to say that every last one of our birds arrived safely, and all seem to be happy, healthy, and thriving.

On another note, the weather here has been crazy.  Definitely an uncharacteristically warm winter.  I'm not really complaining.  I checked the weather this morning when I woke up (as I always do - I'm a weather junky) to find that it should be nice and sunny and warm all morning and into the first part of the afternoon, where then it will turn into rain....and then more rain....and then thunderstorms....followed by a wind advisory!  I had to laugh!  Folks, on any given day we have a wind advisory up here on the farm!  Don't believe me?  Stop by for a visit; I guarantee it will blow your socks off.  Guess I better get my outside chores done soon then.

This semester has seemed to leave a lot less time to blog.  So bear with me folks!  I'm trying to return to a bit of normalcy.