A box full of joy

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts on the loss of our angora. We do not have news from the necropsy yet, but I will post when we do. All the others continue to be fine.

Luna is also doing marvellously well, and if you want to see her latest antics, feel free to watch her latest YouTube appearance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jd_RHQE7_I

Yesterday was a better day. It reminded me of the circle of life. One life passes away, but there are always new lives just beginning. We fondly remember those who have gone before, and welcome those who have just arrived. The downtown Des Moines post office phoned me yesterday morning to tell me that my chick order had arrived. They said that the chicks wouldn't make it out to our rural post office until Monday, so they asked if I wanted to come and pick them up before 4 pm. Of course I wanted to!!

There's something so special about baby chicks - they are so fragile, so fluffy, and so loud! I had ordered from Murray McMurray hatchery, which is located in Webster City, Iowa. I knew that by ordering from a local, the chicks would have a shorter journey by mail, and would hopefully be healthier despite their journey. I have a few more chicks coming later in the spring from Sandhill Preservation - I really like their operation because they preserve some of the breeds that are threatened. I chose some of those breeds for myself this year.

Sure enough, all my chicks were hale and healthy upon arrival! Hooray! I had ordered from the "Brown Egg Layer Assortment" and the "Ornamental Layer Assortment" so all my chicks should be pullets. They are all Marek's vaccinated as well. The chicks are not identified - they can be any of the breeds that are possible in the assortment.

The possible breeds in the brown layers are at least 5 of the following:
Black Australorps; Light Brahmas; Dark Cornish; Black and White Giants; Buff and White Orpingtons; New Hampshire, Rhode Island Reds, Barred, White, Partridge, Buff Rocks; Delaware, Sussex, Turkens; White, Silver Laced, & Columbian Wyandottes, Red Star and Black Star.

The possible breeds in the ornamental layers are at least 8 of the following:
Sumatras, Dominiques, Golden Laced and Silver Penciled Wyandottes, Silver, Golden, Buff Laced, and White Polish, Golden Campines, Golden Penciled Hamburgs, Silver Penciled Rocks, Partridge, Black, Buff, Blue, & Silver Laced and White Cochins, Araucanas, Dark and Buff Brahmas, Phoenix, Fayoumis, Salmon Faverolles, W. L. Red Cornish, Lakenvelders, Black and White Langshans, Red Caps, Silver Leghorns, Crevecoeurs, Silver Gray Dorkings, Modern BB Red Games, Sultans, Buttercups, Spanish, White Crested Black Polish, Buff Laced Polish, Golden Polish, Silver Polish, White Polish, Black Polish, Mottled Houdans, Crevecoeurs, and Sultans.

Wow! What a list!

I am pretty sure this is a white crested black Polish.

I am pretty sure that this is a silver Polish.

Here's a cute little unknown breed brown chick!

There are some chicks that certainly appear to be buff orpingtons, and then I noticed two were different - they had feathered legs! Those two aren't buff orpingtons, but I'm not sure what they are yet. Possibly buff cochins?

Then there are two "Naked Neck" chicks, sometimes called "Turkens" although they have nothing to do with turkeys. I think they are named that simply because of the appearance of the neck, which is more like a turkey neck. Surprisingly, they are very hardy birds and good layers. One of them is black and the other buff with a little black splodge on her head.

Here are a couple of black and white chicks - no idea what breed they are!

I rather like the little grey one in this picture. I'm not sure what she is, but she's a pretty colour. The little partridge-coloured ones are cute too!

Also yesterday, because the girls have been so generous with their eggs, I made a nice egg custard. The custard turned out such a lovely golden colour. There's nothing yellow in the ingredients - that's purely a result of using farm fresh eggs with golden yolks. Store bought eggs would be so pale in comparison. Aren't we spoiled rotten!?