So yesterday morning dawned bright, clear and cold. But it was the day that we've been waiting for for a while now. The day that our meat birds, turkeys and rhode island reds would arrive. The post office had called the afternoon to say that they would be arriving at the post office the following morning first thing.
So as soon as the Cable Car opened, my husband went to go pick them up. I would have loved to have went too, but we had my neice sleeping over for the night and there wasn't enough room in the vehicle for us all to fit. So it was decided that he would go and get them, and I would meet him across the river after he picked them up, and I could take them home from there, since he had to head back into town again into work.
So I headed across in the cable car.
This is our Cable Car that we ride back and forth in during winter, low and high water times.
We wrapped the box in a sleeping bag to try and keep the little ones warm for the ride home. The cable car can be a cool place, but only takes about 5 minutes or so to cross on.
From there, I loaded them onto the back of the quad for the short ride home. Poor little things were peeping very, very loud. They must have been very unhappy.
The kids were waiting for them with great excitement! I'm so glad my niece was there to share the moment with us.
We open the box...
Then open it all the way! Wow! That's a lot of chicks!
As I took them out of the box one at a time, counting, and checking them, I gave them each a drink. I added Electrovite to the water, which consists of Electrolites and Vitamins. This is to give them an extra boost, because I think that being mailed is very hard on them. This is the first drink that they get since they are hatched, and after over 2 days of being closed in a box with a hundred other chicks, I'm sure they need it. I then placed them under the heat lamp to warm up because they were chilled. They Hatched on April 21st.
After I finish taking out giving drinks, checking and counting them, I do the same for the baby turkeys, One at a time.
They bunched Under the heat light to get warm. A few head back to the water for another drink, and some do a little exploring.
To show them where the feed is I tap on the feeders. Chicks have a natural curiosity, and if I was a mommy hen, I would peck and cluck at the food to show them where it was. Ok, I will admit, I did cluck, but I think I scared them because they all stopped peeping and dropped to the floor. Yeah, I'm that scary.
Some of the Turkey's took the trip here really hard and were weak, floppy and not much interest in eating or drinking. I've been babying them since yesterday, trying to get them to eat and drink, but this morning one died anyways.
Here are some drinking on their own.
I'm wondering if perhaps I got some production layers as well as Rhode Island Reds? The one on the right is a lot darker then the one on the right.
Today I've been continuing to make sure that they're eating and drinking. I've also started to notice some pasty butts (when poo sticks to their butts and plugs them up) so I've start washing butts that need it. This is caused by stress and getting chilled. I noticed that my home hatched chicks from the incubator don't get this as much. Ones that a Broody hen has hatched gets this even less.
One of the turkey poults died and another most likely won't make it. The meat birds this far seem to be healthy and active and so do the Rhode Islands. Some of the Turkeys are even ripping around.
Turkey Poults.
Meat Bird Chicks
Rhode Island Reds
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