Of Chicks and Men...

"The best laid schemes of mice and men, often go awry." - John Steinbeck
And so it seems my carefully laid out plans for our poultry flock have been tossed out the window.  But, I am not upset.  It might be for the best.



My original plan was to get 5 Brahamas, 5 Buff Orpingtons and 5 assorted brown egg layer chicks from a mail order catalog.  I would schedule them to arrive at the end of May or the beginning of June. I would order them as straight run (unsexed) to save some money. Hopefully we would end up with 6-7 hens and the rest would be butchered saved for one rooster we would keep for breeding. I selected these breeds because brown egg layers have a tendency to be larger and more dual purpose than white egg layers. Brahamas are one of the largest chicken breeds out there are Orpingtons are no slouches when it comes to size either.  Both are pretty good layers too.  Both are suited to cold climates and tend to be good winter layers as well.  I did my research.  I did LOTS of research.  I spent a lot of time and took great care in selecting what I wanted and why.

What actually happened: Parker stopped by Tractor Supply to pick up a tiller on the way home from work yesterday and saw they had chicks and ducklings.  I had to go there today to pick up some horse supplies so I said I would look at them.  He told me about how they had little cardboard boxes for the chicks that look like Happy Meal boxes and it was so hilarious to see little cheeping Happy Meals.
So, I went.  TSC didn't have their chicks divided by breed though.  They had pullets (baby females), red pullets, and straight run.  They also had straight run ducklings and straight run bantam chicks (bantams are like regular chickens but mini).  I didn't care about the ducks or the banties.
The sales lady couldn't really tell me the difference between the red pullets and the other pullets.  The red pullet sign listed a few possible breeds.  None of the breeds listed were on my top ten list.  They'd be okay but it wasn't like the bin was full of Orpingtons and Brahamas.  It was Red Stars, Rhode Islands and one other one.  Basically, chickens that would grow up to be red.  The other assorted pullet bin would be more of a gamble.  They could be white egg layers they could be brown egg layers.  There was a good chance at least a few might be Orpingtons. The Buff Orpington is TSC Chicken breed of the week and they're a very popular choice for backyard chicken fanciers.  I am about 99% certain there was not a single Brahama in the store. Brahamas have feathered feet so you can tell right away.
In the end I came home with 7 pullets and 8 straight run chicks.  Who knows what they will grow up to be.

I'm really looking forward to watching them grow and guessing what breeds they are.  We should have 7 hens for sure and at least a few roosters.  Getting them now will also be beneficial because by the time the ducklings come the chicks should be living outside and out of the brooder.  We learned last year that ducklings can be a bit messy for chicks.