Meet the Babies!

I finally had some free quiet time to spend with the chicks. I had originally had planned to leave them alone until Sunday. You know only handle them to clean the cage and some times their bottoms. Well that went out the window fast. If I could I'd carry them around with me all day. They are just so sweet. OK now for the introductions.

The top picture is Darby. She belongs to my youngest Emily. She calls her "Chickie Darby." Darby is a Buff Laced Polish. She should grow up to be about 4 pounds and have a beautiful feather poof on top of her head. Emily is not quite three yet so of course I do not let her hold Darby. I hold her in my hands and Emily uses a finger to pet her head and kisses her when I put her back in the brooder. Darby is fast becoming the head chick. She has a wild streak in her that if she keeps will be a prefect match for Emily as they grow up.

On the left meet Crystal. She is the whole reason we started our chicken adventure. Crystal is Megan's baby. She is a Blue Silkie and should be under 3 pounds full grown. Silkies are called the lap dog of the chicken world. They keep the "chick look" their whole lives. Their feathers lack the tiny hooks that would make them look normal. Megan wanted a white silkie so that when the chick got older she could use food coloring to dye Crystal's feathers. Yes, I know it's crazy but Megan is six and a total girly girl. I hope that Crystal and Megan become the best of friends.

At the right is my Honey. As a standard Buff Orpington she will be our big Mama at around seven pounds. I choose an Orpington for two reasons. One my Grandfather had one as a child that was more like a dog then a chicken. It even slept with the dog. And two I love the golden color of their feathers. I named her Honey because of that gorgeous color. Orps are most likely the model for big fat cartoon hens.

So there you have them. I am trying to make a slide show of each chick with them standing in front of a growth chart. I will take a picture of each chick every day to show just how fast they will grow. Keep checking in for a lot more pictures, video and stories.