Don't they look like they're being interrogated? Can't you just see them asking for tiny cups of coffee and their one phone call?
So. There they are. All half a dozen of them. They seem happy and healthy and are eating and peeping and drinking and pooping just as baby chicks should do.
Jessie and August came over this morning to go with me to Monticello.
Before we went we threw some bread to the grown-up chickens from the back steps. August is not afraid of any of them one tiny bit, not even Mick when he flaps and crows which is a pretty impressive display of manliness. That rooster flaps so hard that I was standing three feet away from him when he did it and the wind cooled my ankles and made my dress blow up. Dude has wing-power! And August does a mean Mick Jagger imitation.
Mick Jagger the rooster, that is.
We went to the thrift store in Monticello and got August a shirt and Maggie a dress and oh yeah, August got a stuffed penguin, too. Then we walked to the Mexican restaurant where we had delicious foods and August ate everything he could, and he loves salsa and just licks it off his chips which he dips and re-dips and re-dips. The chips are mostly just a salsa-delivery system in his opinion and if we all followed that practice we'd save a few calories.
Then we went to the Winn Dixie because yesterday when I went to Publix and spent eight hours wandering the aisles and spent four thousand dollars I forgot things like bananas and black-eyed peas. The Winn Dixie is always a hoot. A place where everyone is friendly and old men wearing Make America Great caps flirt with your grandchild.
What can I say?
And then, finally and at last, we went to the Tractor Supply. We heard the babies chirping the second we walked in the door and headed back to the where the chicks were. They had about six varieties of peeps and also baby ducks. The lady working there said that none of the signs were right and she didn't really know much about them and so I basically just said, "Two of those and two of those and two of those."
So. That's what I got.
I think that may be Nicey Three-Three. I haven't yet determined who Dearie (Deerie) Two-Two is yet but Gibson insists there will be one and I agree wholeheartedly. Billy asked if Waylon could name one. And of course he can!
And now I have my baby chicks, all cozy and warm and getting comfortable in the bathtub in the old bathroom we don't really use. They are spreading their feed out because chicks are messy creatures and sipping their water delicately because they are graceful creatures too. I love how they get a beak full and then throw their heads up to swallow it. I am mesmerized by them and could kneel on the bathroom rug, leaning on the edge of the bathtub for hours, just watching them. I have no idea why. Is there anything more common and familiar (to me, at least) than baby chicks? And yet, is there anything cuter?
I really plan on spending a lot of time with these chicks so that they are familiar and comfortable with humans and will hopefully interact with the grandchildren more although honestly, chickens are not really pets in the grand scheme of things and as we all know, their lives are perilous and the more I know them, the more it hurts when I lose one.
Well. Isn't that what life is? Daring to love despite the odds?
At least it's part of what life is.
As Mr. Moon said, "You got your babies."
And yes I do. I am just a fool for babies.
As we all know.
Love...Ms. Moon
I'm glad you got some more chickens. They may be common but they make want to cry because they are Cute Overload.
ReplyDeleteI know. Babies are Mother Nature's magic tricky trick to get us to care for the young.
DeleteOur recreational vehicle lost a fuel injector awhile ago, stranding us in Kanab, Utah for three weeks. It was very stressful. Every day we would walk over to the farm supply place and watch the baby chickens, they were so soothing to our frazzled selves. The kids that worked there thought we were nuts.
ReplyDeleteChicken therapy is real and should not be dismissed. I know.
DeleteToday was better than yesterday. I'm grateful.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat. It was.
DeleteThey are adorable!
ReplyDeletePretty much the definition of adorable, in fact.
DeleteI like these two-two and three-three names!
ReplyDeleteSome names are too good to let die, if the chicken does. I'm thinking we need an Eggy Tina Two-Two as well.
DeleteContrary to earlier protests in passing, I knew you'd give in to Spring fever and get some chicks. These are little heart warmers. Heart. Heart. x0x0 N2
ReplyDeleteI know. I swore. And yet- it's just like how when the weather gets to a certain point and I have to plant peas and potatoes- when it's time to get peeps, it's just time.
DeleteOh, those sweet baby chicks! I am so happy this is happening! And I'm with August, salsa is the damn nectar of the gods! I could eat it every day of my life and never tire of it. Just slurp it up with a spoon, no chips necessary. Delicioso!
ReplyDeleteAngie D
Well, at this point, he's better with a chip than a spoon.
DeleteOMG they are Adorable and no wonder you got two of each, I couldn't have chosen which were the most Adorable... tho' that Black one with the White patch that looks like it's wearing a Toupe' made me Smile the most so I guess that one is my Favorite by a very slim margin... shhhh, don't tell the others. Can you tell yet which are the Males and Females, do they separate them so you mostly get Hens? As you can clearly tell I've never owned one... but I've wanted to when we owned Acreage... Dawn... The Bohemian
ReplyDeleteSupposedly, at least three are hens. As to the other three- we shall see. I don't mind have at least one rooster in reserve.
DeleteEvery spring I go to the Tractor Supply just to see the sweet little chicks. And inevitably, when I text my husband a picture he replies with one word: "Don't" ! One day maybe I will be able to have a little flock of hens. I hope so.
ReplyDeleteYour new babies are darling!
Getting chicks is one of those things you just have to DO. I probably never would have done it if my friend Kathleen hadn't just brought me some and handed them over.
DeleteThose chicks are so cute!
ReplyDeleteAnd the softest things ever.
DeleteI knew you would get some new chickies! Nothing sweeter than to hear their wonderful cheeps and to fondle all that fuzz! I love the top photo where they are lined up with their counterparts...... two by two...... congratulations to your new sweeties!
ReplyDeleteSusan M
It's funny to think that one day, these babies will all be part of the same flock. But it does seem as if the "siblings" do tend to hang together.
DeleteAll your babies! So many babies, all of them adorable. This post makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish you could have City Chickens! Did your mother keep chickens?
DeleteBaby chicks are magical creatures. These ones are so pretty. I'm glad you decided to get more. The yellow one posing alone looks very sassy :)
ReplyDeleteI don't get why none of your hens sit on eggs and hatch their own though, surely they would, free range as they are?
Some breeds are what they call "broody" and some are not. The broody hens will sit on eggs but the other ones just lay their eggs and leave them. Mostly mine are not broody.
DeleteThank you, I did not know this!
DeleteI could have sworn you said no more baby chicks after the chicken killing dog incidents last year. they are cute though.
ReplyDeleteI did. I did. I did, Ellen. But I couldn't help myself.
DeleteI can't wait to watch them all grow up!
ReplyDeleteWell, it doesn't take too long!
Delete