Our foster chicks are only a few weeks old, but they are already getting so many of their new feathers in! I have already raised their heating plate up one level, and they are just about ready to have it raised to the final level before they no longer need it. Exciting stuff! We have one chickie that has fluffy feathers on her legs…this is so cool! All four of the foster chicks are “barnyard mixes.” This means that least one of their parents is of unknown and/or mixed breed. 
The story goes that on the farm where they were laid, these chickies have a mama and a dad. The mama hens on the farm are all of the breed called New Hampshire Red. They are a beautiful, fluffy, and you guessed it…have reddish brown feathers. The dad of these chickies, however, is a different story! He is not originally a resident of this farm, and does not seem to be one single breed. In fact, it is unknown where he came from! One day, he just appeared on the farm as if out of thin air. What really probably happened is that some irresponsible owner threw him over the fence when they realized he was a rooster.
Anyways, their loss is our gain because now we all get to watch as these cute little chickies feather out and we discover what they will look like! It’s like buying one of those “mystery prize packs” and feeling the anticipation before you get to find out what’s actually inside. But with our cutie feathered babies, it takes weeks! You can see in these pictures that they have lots more “grown up” feathers than downy baby feathers anymore, but still not enough to go outside. They sure are curious and adventurous though! 
Everyday, they practice their fluttering…good thing I have a grate on top of their tub! They like to perch on top of the food and water containers, and on top of the heat plate. They already flock together, too. Wherever one goes, the rest follow. It’s adorable! They are also still making their cute “peep, peep” noises as if they’re having conversations with each other…and maybe they are! Their days are consumed by learning to scratch in the wood shavings to find food crumbles that have fallen to the bottom, stretching their little bird legs and stretching their wings out to display their new feathers. I have yet to catch this stretching on film because it happens so fast, but I’ll keep trying! That’s it for now! Enjoy these cute photos…more to come! 