After our chick Rose died, I looked at Petunia and Daisy, and the seven ducklings rioting in their brooder, and decided two chicks were not enough. Birds need a flock, and two just didn’t cut it. I thought about ordering more off the internet, but decided it would take too long for them to arrive. Back to the animal swap.
That Saturday was one of the first warm sunny days we’d had since the summer before, and the animal swap was packed. There were lines of cars and trucks, their trunks open, and all kinds of rabbits and chickens waiting for new homes. We wondered around, looking at the baby animals, and saw a lady who had a baby sheep, and chicks in a card board box. I’ll admit, I eyeballed the baby sheep for a second or two. An animal that eats your grass so you don’t have to mow, with the added benefit of wool in the future. I quickly snapped out of my daydream with the realization one sheep would be a lot of work, and I know nothing about sheering sheep. Best stick to chicken and ducks.
Having done a bit more homework this time, we asked the lady what kind of chickens they were. She said they were cochin hybdrids (everything at the animal swap is a hybrid), and one of them was a turkey. We looked them over, and decided to buy four of the chicks, and leave the turkey Not being chicken experts, and unable to sex them, we hoped for hens, and named them after flowers – Poppy, Pansy, and Lilly. The fourth was Dave’s favorite, and he named it Centuria, after a purple flower I have growing in my flower bed that has been impossible to eradicate.
When we introduced the new chicks to Petunia and Daisy we bribed everyone with corn and lettuce to help ensure good behavior. It was one of the easiest introductions we ever had.
