So, there are still a few days left of spring, the time when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to… chicks! You know, the kind that come from hens (we’re talking flock expansion here).
We have been anxiously awaiting the call from Longhorn since last week’s false alarm, when the anticipated arrival date (June 11th) came and went with no new babies! The due date was revised; the new date set was June 16th.
The new date came, and this time the chicks have indeed arrived! We got the call at 9:04AM. My husband headed over with his wish list of preferred types of chicks to add to our flock.
Decisions have been made after much research online, in books, in conversation with other people (who either currently raise chickens or did at one time)…now he will try to match up our list with what they actually are offering. Room is always left to add an interesting surprise or two; following your gut instinct is important in chick-choosing.
Today the gut points to a Bantam chick that my husband describes as “interesting”. Bantams are roughly half (or less) the size of “regular” sized chickens, which can be a boon for you if you are raising chickens in a small space. Of course, their eggs are smaller (and cuter!) too, but hey, sometimes you only need a little egg for your cooking project (like when you are breading cutlets, or making an egg wash for a pie or stromboli). It can be a bigger risk that you may end up with a boy instead of girl when you choose a bantam, but some of the Bantams are just so “interesting” that it’s a chance you willingly take. Well, we take the chance more often than not.
The new chicks are now happily ensconced in their own little coop, where they will stay until they are ready for assimilation into the main coop.
Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker 
Your little bantam reminded me of the time when I was a teenager, and my mom, very much into organic gardening, decided to get some bantams for the backyard to eat the bugs. That was all fine and well, until the one she named Brutus grew up and took ownership of the yard. He would get into the fruit trees and attack me whenever I went there. Needless to say I didn’t step foot in the backyard for more than a year. My mom was the only one he tolerated!
while the vast majority of our chickens are docile, tame, and friendly there can always be one bad apple who can possibly be tamed with a plastic garden rake, or he can be your first choice for “freezer camp”…all chickens have their own personalities. brutus’ personality resonated with your mother (?) but not with you (of course! he was targeting you!).
this is so ironic that i had to let you know: one of our roosters suddenly decided that i was a threat the other day when i was collecting the eggs and flew at me to peck at my legs. unfortunately, i was wearing shorts so i have some (minor) wounds to show for my encounter (i won’t make that mistake again!).