First Animals Arrive!

Wild Type Ranch is officially a livestock farm! We have our first batches of chicks in; 30 laying pullets arrived on the farm March 18 and 70 meat birds came in April 1 (no fooling). We’ll get another batch of 30 layers May 28, which will be a mix of colored egg layers; who can resist the rainbow of blues, greens, and rose colored eggs?

Due to bird flu and the rising price of eggs, laying breeds are in high demand. We had to settle for what was available the first batch, so got a mix of 18 Golden Lace Wyandottes and Delawares. Both breeds are classified as “dual purpose“, meaning they are a bit stouter than the straight laying breed we had planned to raise. The meat birds are the standard Cornish Cross.

First day home for our 30 laying hens. 18 Golden Lace Wyandotte (brown) and 12 Delaware (yellow)

On arrival, Justin gently lifted each peeper out of their cardboard box, and dipped their beaks in water twice, to make sure they got a drink. They’re getting an enriched electrolyte and are under heat lamps, with careful monitoring to keep the ambient temperature about 90 degrees initially. Now that they’re getting real feathers, we’re gradually decreasing the temperature. The chicks will live in a brooder box for about 4 weeks, until they are big enough to go out to the pasture in  their chicken tractor. They’ll be free to forage inside electric netting, and their roosting box will be moved each day.

Karl and Justin sharing some chick love

The guys went to great lengths to care for this first batch—doing 2 am checks on the temperature in the brooder during the cold March nights the first week. There were also daily “sticky butt” checks, gently cleaning any blocked vents with warm water and a soft toothbrush. Knowing these will be pastured birds, they’ve been “training” them to forage by enriching their environment as they grow. The guys added a piece of log and some bark after the first couple days; the chicks really got into pecking on the inner bark right away. A bit of kitchen greens, fresh grass and a few lady beetles are expanding their dietary repertoire. Most recently, Karl brought them some small pieces of earthworm. One adventurous little Delaware finally figured out they were edible and took off running with it; the rest of the tiny fluffs in hot pursuit.

As the chicks grow, we add items to the brooder to get them ready to forage and thrive on pasture.

Justin is officially the WTR chicken guru, but it turns out Karl is something of a chicken whisperer. Apparently, the chicks already know the sound of his voice, and the sound of their peeping changes when he calls to them when it’s his turn to check on them. The laying hens will be long-term residents on the farm, staying with us through multiple years of their laying lifetime. The meat birds are no less cherished, although their tenure will be shorter. Honoring the life and contribution of all of our livestock is central to our approach to stewardship.

Newly hatched Cornish Cross chicks making themselves at home

It’s been nearly 10 years since WTR had chickens. I look forward to watching them grow, and even more to harvesting their first eggs in early fall!