McPeepers

On April 26th, the babies arrived – three dozen of them! The baby chicks were each a fluffy little ball of uncertainty as we embarked on our first animal raising experience. Now, just a couple of weeks later, I think the babies have entered their teenage years. I find myself yelling, “Chicken, get down!” when their newly-feathered wings transport them atop their water container. While wondering why I am attempting to discipline fowl, I also ask myself how thirty-six chickens came into my possession in the first place.

A year ago my husband and I decided we wanted to live on acreage in Iowa. I’m sure at that point my husband began dreaming up all sorts of things we could do on acreage. My mind doesn’t work that way – I focus on details and often miss the forest for the trees – so the comments about acquiring miniature donkeys, fainting goats, or dairy cows amused and stressed me at the same time. Leave it to my sister-in-law to get the livestock ball rolling.

Days before a December blizzard, my husband’s sister sent him an unusual but comical Christmas present: a gift certificate to the Murray McMurray hatchery. Everyone had a good laugh about this; the New Iowans would be raising mail order chickens in the far-away spring. My husband starting researching chickens and frequently perusing the catalog to narrow down his selection by certain criteria. In the end, it was me who got to make the final decision about breed from a choice of four. Knowing nothing other than what was provided in the catalog description and showy picture, I opted for the barred rocks. Little did I know how inexpensive baby chicks were and therefore how many that gift certificate would purchase!

When the snow finally began to melt away, reality struck me: we would be raising chickens with zero experience! My husband began work on renovating the chicken barn, which had been empty for some years but remained outfitted with hog confinements. I started asking for advice from anyone who would listen. There were three responses I received repeatedly: “put electrolytes in the water”; “you’re going to love them”; or “do you have any idea how much work that is?” Luckily some really nice friends gave us most of the supplies and pointers we needed to welcome our McPeepers home!

I don’t know what will happen next, but at least I’ve answered the question of how I ended up with a mudroom full of chirping poultry. I guess I had better start reading about collecting, cleaning, and storing eggs. Wish me luck or call me with advice, as I will surely need both. Either way, I’m not likely to forget this experience any time soon!


Copyright Rachel Burns 2010