On Thursday, March 28, I left a snow-covered yard and flew to Austin, Texas where the temperature was twice what it was at home (mid-80s!) and there were trees covered in little yellow flower puffs.

They reminded me of the chicks being delivered while I was away. But, I knew that Steve would take good care of them, so I was free to enjoy the blooms, which included the justifiably famous bluebonnets. (Did you know that the Texas Department of Transportation annually sows 15 tons of wildflower seeds over 800,000 acres alongside Texas roadways? Texas is big and beautiful.)

There were butterflies.

It was so hot that turtles were out basking in the sun (I took this photo at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)

I arrived home in the early hours this morning. It’s windy. The temperature isn’t going to reach above freezing. But, I must have sent some of that Texas weather up here, because most of the snow has melted.

And there is the promise of blossoms pushing up in the front woodland.

I’ll fill you in on my trip, and of course do some updates on the chicks, as soon as I catch up on laundry and on sleep!

We were expecting our chicks to arrive on Monday. However this morning the US Postal Service distribution center called and asked would we like to pick up our chicks today? Why yes of course! Steve and Jacob drove to Shrewsbury.

There were several chick orders.

The worker said chicks have been coming every day. “And bees will be coming soon.” Jacob took our order.

We could hear the chicks cheeping noisily and clambering about.

Almost there!

Twenty-six chicks! All alive and healthy.

Each one is given a drink.

Welcome home!

UPDATE: I am out of town until Tuesday, with sloooow internet service. I’ll post more info after I get home.

The brooder is ready! The post office is waiting! The ChickCam is up!

The bulk of a chick’s diet should be commercially prepared chick feed. This is different from laying hen pellets. Chick feed is higher in protein and lower in calories.The most important thing to know about the two is that although hens can eat chick feed, chicks should not eat hen feed. This is because laying hen pellets contain calcium, which is essential for the formation of eggs, but will cause kidney disease in growing chicks. So, don’t wait until you get your chicks to purchase the right feed. Sometimes feed stores run out and you don’t want to risk having a boxful of chicks arrive at the post office, and no food for them. Buy a bag, and a galvanized can to store it in. Label it!

Another difference is that chick feed is finely ground into “crumbles”

chick feed crumbles

laying hen pellets

(You can buy adult chicken feed as crumbles. Some people with bantams use it. However, chickens toss feed on the ground and the crumbles turn to dust and becomes inedible. Pellets are less wasteful. Chicks need the smaller size of the crumbles, adults don’t.)

Some feed stores sell only one type of chick feed while others offer a range of options. You can get a special mix for the first few weeks, and then another for the final growth spurt. I simply get one chick feed and offer that for the first four months. Be careful not to buy crumbles meant for solely for broilers, which are chickens that are only meant to live to at most three months of age. You want your laying hens to grow more slowly than the meat birds.

Some chick feed is medicated to control coccidia, which is a protozoa that can cause diarrhea, bleeding and death in chicks. I’ve successfully raised chicks without a coccidiastat, but that was when my coop was on virgin ground. Now that I’ve had birds for years, there are coccidia present, and so medicated feed is prudent. However, this year I’ve bought chicks vaccinated against coccidia. So, I have to be very careful not to feed a medicated ration. Only unvaccinated chicks get the medicated feed. Sometimes it’s obvious what you are buying.

And sometimes it’s not.

This company uses the same bag for all of its rations. You have to carefully read the tag, which (frustratingly so) is on the bottom.

Those little fluffy babies look like they’ll “eat like birds” but, they will eat like chickens – a lot! Each chick will eat about 2.5 pounds of feed in their first 6 weeks. I have 25 chicks coming. They’ll finish a 50 pound bag ($18) in just over a month. I’m ready for the ravenous peepers!

But, crumbles are not all that my chicks will be eating. Just like adult hens, chicks also enjoy and benefit from a variety of foods. I’ll be talking about those in a future post.

I grow horseradish for only one reason: to make maror for Passover seder. It’s a basic raw sauce: grated horseradish and beets, white vinegar and a touch of sugar and salt. It’s delicious, but it’s one of those foods that somehow I get a craving for only once a year. It’s best when made with freshly dug horseradish. Horseradish is a deep tap root that spreads. That’s why I grow it on the far side of my vegetable garden. I keep it in check by feeding the leaves to the goats. They love helping me garden!

This is my horseradish bed this last week of March:

Obviously, I will have to buy horseradish this year. It looks like I won’t be planting my peas the first week of April, either.

However, one sunny corner has warmed up enough to feed my dreams of rhubarb pie.

And one little dog knows how to make the best of a moment of sunshine. Do you see him?

Scooter says that yes, it is springtime.