Massachusetts has a state holiday, Patriot’s Day. It’s a Monday in the middle of April, a spring day that always feels like it’s at the beginning of things. It’s like the whole state plays hooky. We have the only major league morning game at Fenway Park, which ends in time for the fans to join the crowds cheering on the marathoners. This year I stayed home to work in the garden.

Those close to me are all safe. I think about the dead and injured. And I know that something intangibly special and wonderful has been destroyed.

UPDATE: This contest is closed. Geneva (from Australia!) is the winner.

Christine Heinrich is writer, a hen keeper, and my friend. She is committed to promoting old-fashioned breeds of chickens, and brings her science writer’s clear-eyed view to such matters, as well as to flock health and maintenance. Her book, How to Raise Chickens, has been reprinted in a revised and expanded edition.

I have one of her books to giveaway! Simply let me know your favorite breed in the comments below, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for her book. The contest closes on Friday, April 19 at 10 pm EDT. The winner will be selected via a random number generator. Only one entry per person, please.

The chicks are just over two weeks old. I told you that they wouldn’t look like like quintessential Easter chicks for long, and I was right. Their necks and legs are longer. Their down is coming off and feathers are coming in, but in spurts and in patches. It’s a gawky stage.

The new feathers are most noticeable on the wings and rumps. There’s a marked difference between how quickly the breeds are maturing. The Delaware, developed as a meat bird (but which happens to be a good egg producer and have a docile temperament), is ahead of the rest (but grows nowhere as fast as a modern meat bird, thank goodness.)

This black star is a tad slower to grow her tail feathers, but they’re there!

This little chick arrived with almost no down on her back. Her skin was dry and rough. Perhaps she had difficulty hatching? But she’s thriving and bold in nature. Even she has a wiggle of a tail.

The chicks are quite aware of their transformation. They’ve been flapping their wings. A few have achieved lift-off! I’ll be raising the sides of the brooder soon.