Hot Chicks on the Farm

Okay, now that I have your attention...

This week, Carmel Lavender increases our population by 50. Look at these little cuties, aren't they absolutely adorable? Life on Tassajara has ceased while everyone sits mesmerized by these fluffy additions to our family.

It all started this Sunday at 7:30am. I was to be a guest on a local radio show, and so I was sitting in the quiet morning, reviewing my notes and thinking about what I was going to say. The show is Tomorrow Matters, hosted by Deborah and Spencer Lindsay. And I was to talk about the dangers of genetically modified foods (GMO, click here to listen to the show).

Then the phone rang. "Salinas post office here, your baby chicks have arrived!" Today? I thought they wouldn't be here until Monday? I made my appearance on the show, then Daniella and I headed out to Salinas to pick them up, making one stop at the local feed shop to pick up some 100% natural chick feed.

When we got to the post office, they were waiting for us on the loading dock. Here you can see the 50+ little ladies (and a few guys) in the shipping crate. And yes! They were peeping their little hearts out. We went straight home and took them out.

I thought we had another day, so we weren't 100% prepared. The feeders, water founts, and heat lamps we were borrowing from our neighbors. So we took the little chicks out to give them some water before going to fetch the equipment. Within 10 minutes of putting a little water bowl in their pen, we had our first scare. They all climbed in the bowl and were bathing, just like a bird bath. We couldn't stop them from doing that. Literally within minutes they began getting hypothermia. Daniella bolted to the neighbors to get the appropriate feeders and heat lamps while I kept them alive with my daughter's hair dryer. What a scare we all had!

After that, we kept them close to the house for a couple of nights to watch them closely. I was finishing up a new little house for them. Today I finally finished it. Here you can see them all happy in their new pen.

When we first put them in, they began to play. Running from one side of the pen to the other. A few of them entertained us with their funny behaviour. They would run directly at another chick, stopping within inches where they would stare each other down. Shortly, they settled down and had a nice little nap.


Water is very important for the baby chicks. When we first set up the water founts (after the scare with the bowl that is) we gently held their beaks in the water so they would learn to drink. Very quickly they would start drinking. Here in the photo to the right, you can see a few of them socializing around the water cooler. Just like 10am at the office. They actually consume quite a bit of food. You can see one of the feeders in the photo. They go through 6+ jars of feed a day! It's tough keeping up with them. So we added the 2foot feeder you see in the pen photo above. That way they have more food available and don't have to fight to get space at the table.


It has been a magical few days. Life truly is a miracle. Sadly, we have lost a few. Life is also very fragile. Every few hours we check on them to make sure they are still well, and do what we can if we see a chick in distress. Whether it's helping them take a drink, or wiping their little bottoms, or changing the papers (which must be done quite frequently).

Every day is an adventure. But fresh natural eggs are well worth it. If you're interested in eggs, let me know (click here to contact us). It will be a while before they start laying, but I'll put you on the list and let you know when they're ready!