The Post Mistress found a chirping box on her counter when she got to work this morning. She called me straight away and I zoomed down in my little cooking oil car to collect them. I could hear the strident chirping the minute I opened the Post Office door. 
Forty Seven chicks survived their journey. And they were noisy and vigorous. Receiving chicks in the mail is such a joy. We must not lose our little Post Office’s. They are essential to rural life.
I brought them home and carefully picked each one up and dunked his beak in the water then stood him next to it for another drink on his own. Some people give the chickens electrolytes at this juncture, but after homing many packs of chicks I find the best way is to introduce each little fella to the water until he raises his head and swallows.
Once they had slaked their thirst they toddled over to their food tray and began to eat and eat and eat.
They were despatched on Wednesday and arrived Friday morning and they were ready for a good feed.
Don’t forget to have grit on their floor from the beginning. And speaking of floors make sure you have an Uneven surface for their little feet. Their feet want to curl over the floor, a flat surface like paper or cardboard will increase the possibility of deformed feet. I find trampled clean straw is the best.
I just scoop old straw and hay off the barn floor corridors where no animals have been and pop that down. They peck at it, and scratch in it and eat little goodies. Every day I throw a little more down and they pack themselves a nice clean floor.
When I began to raise chicks I worried about the temperature staying at 90 degrees. I used to have a thermometer. But now I just watch the chicks and regulate the height of the heating lamp to suit. If they are sleeping in a huddle risking suffocation then it is too cold, so I lower the lamp, if they are all sleeping as far away from the lamp as possible then it is too hot.
Sleeping together but with little gaps between them is what you are after. A bit like the picture above.
Make sure they are draft free and have plenty of space. I have pieces of drift wood that I will put in there after a few days for them to climb on.
Good morning. Yesterday I put another round of corn in the freezer and made more jars of sweetcorn pickle and sweet gherkins. In fact I worked until my feet ached. I did not get to the apples and basil. That I will pick this morning. But Daisy and Queenie are in a fresh field and Charlotte is at last on her own. She spent the evening barking and protesting but TonTon never left her side. Poor fellow was so worried. But her piglets just spread out and relaxed all over their pen. They appeared to be a little relieved not to have to dodge their mother with her restless feet of knives.
I put Charlotte right down the back in the rat house paddock (she followed me without any trouble) but then in the night a storm slammed straight into the farmy. So I got out of bed put my full length sailors oilskin over my nightie, and with my cowboy hat jammed on my head to keep the rain off my face and my bare feet in gumboots, I went out into this heavy deluge of a tropical storm complete with thunder and lightening and deck sweeping winds and brought her back into the west side of the barn. She was more than happy to follow me through the rain to a dryer space. Her little roof out the back was out of its depth. We got an inch and a half of rain very fast. So in a minute I will go out and lead her back to her own yard out of earshot. I hope she has not broken through in the night. Earshot is a funny word isn’t it?!
The day has risen fine and clear. All the new sky water is sparkling in dawn splashed puddles. I hope you all have a lovely day.
your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
47 responses to “How to settle your 47 chicks in on their first day.”
Those chicks are so cute! 🙂
How amazing to get chickens by post! Are these all male? Have they been sexed? We’re not allowed to keep roosters in the suburbs, only hens…
They are absolutely adorable, Celi, it’s too bad they turn into those ugly chickens! I can’t believe they come to you in the mail, that is outlandish and outstanding.
Wonderful post, happy news. Your description of the process is fascinating, and the pictures are enchanting. But the mental picture of you in your nightie, wellies, cowboy hat and full length waterproof is hilarious.
One of my favorite memories is of baby chicks and ducks coming in the mail. They are so stinkin cute!
Have been scrolling up and down for the last five minutes: your little ones look beautiful: I just cannot believe the poor darlings were ‘locked up’ for two days in rattling transport and then had the natural instincts for food and water immediately. And I refuse to think about their later fate at the moment – let them have a happy life on a sunlight soon autumnal farmy for awhile!! About that storm: wonder how much ripe corn was still left in the field and hope none of the unpicked vegetable crop was too damaged! . . . and methinks I will just have to share this with a few . . .
Cute little chickadees!
How cute are they? Good idea about the uneven flooring; the same is true for caged birds. Lucy’s perches are different sizes to stretch and exercise her feet. I’ve never seen baby chicks grow to maturity so these next few weeks will be interesting something to see.
I love your description of the chirping package. But I’m confused, by you calling them ‘he’. Are these little rooster chicks? I thought they would grow into laying hens but maybe they are for something else?
I loved this post with it’s visual and sound images, as well as the photos of those little ‘furry’ bundles.
The little chicks are gorgeous. I’m so glad they have arrived safe and sound and seem to be enjoying their new home xx
This is a lovely post Celi. The chicks look so cute and I had no idea they could be mailed. Your posts are always so interesting.
So simple but so complex in their needs – a contradictory clutch of cuteness 🙂
I wish you well in your chook production endeavours, as I’m just so over reading all the BS about food labelling and growing conditions which are ‘massaged’ to meet the needs of commercial producers and marketers, such as “free to range” chickens who in reality had an the equivalent of an A4 size sheet of paper as their space…
I’m hoping someday to raise chickens! Although, I was hoping for a huge organic garden this year and that didn’t happen either. Ha! Evidently, you have to have 5 acres to raise chickens around here and we only have one acre…can you imagine? Chickens need nowhere near that much space! They are “discussing” the matter in town, we’ll see how that goes. They’re adorable, I think if it’s allowed, I’ll just have enough for fresh eggs…don’t think I have it in me to eat some of the chickens! ~ April
Surely you can have two or three for eggs, they don’t need Five acres. that is just silly, mine only come out to roam in the evening anyway.. what are they talking about.. One acre is piles! hope they change that ordinance.. c