Checking in on the Pullets

 A pullet is a young (hen) female chicken.  I recently ordered 30 pullets of three different varieties to replenish our flock that was declining due to old-age and predation.  In the past, each year I would add 25 pullets to the flock, but our flock grew to over 100 birds.  We want to keep the number somewhere around 50 birds, so over the past 3 or 4 years we've not added to the number.

This year we decided to bring some "new blood" in.  From Ideal Poultry in Cameron, Texas, I ordered 10 Barred Rocks and 10 Rhode Island Reds.  Those are both brown egg layers.  I also ordered 10 Easter Eggers.  Those lay green, blue and pink eggs.  I paid $2.15 per chick.  They are shipped at one day old and we receive them via USPS.  Tricia will get a call from the Post Office telling her that she has a package and that "It's alive!"

Here are the birds 3 weeks later.  They have certainly grown.  They are currently in chicken tractor, but eventually, they'll be set free to roam on 3 acres of grass where they'll be able to eat insects, clover, and worms.  They'll be happy.  In return, they'll lay healthy eggs that we'll enjoy.  I can still remember the excitement our kids had many years ago when we first got in the chicken business when our chickens laid the first egg!

The pullets are healthy and wild!  I chased this one around the pen until I caught it.  This was really my first interaction with the little birds.  Tricia has nurtured these babies with not much help from me due to the hurricane work schedule.  (Believe me, I've caught an earful from my dear wife because of this!)

There was a little trouble with the 30 pullets.  Upon opening the box, 9 of the 30 baby chicks were dead.  We attribute it to the heat during shipping.  It happens, and it is expected.  The hatchery guarantees live shipment.  Normally, they'll throw a few extra chicks in the box to make up for any fatalities, but not this time.  I contacted the hatchery and let them know about the dead chicks.  

They asked if I wanted money back or 9 new chicks mailed.   I opted for the latter.  The chicks were supposed to ship out a day or two after the hurricane and we had no power.  I emailed the hatchery and asked if they could delay re-shipment for a couple of weeks, and they obliged.  We received the next shipment of 9 replacement pullets a couple of days after the power came back on.

So now we have babies at two different stages of growth.  We have the tiny babies in a brooder within the larger brooder, as we had a concern about the older chicks bullying the younger.  The older chicks can fly up to the top of the brooder and plop down with the babies.  They don't really bother them.

As they continue to grow, we'll watch the calendar.  They'll begin laying somewhere between 16-24 weeks and will lay around 280 eggs per year.  That'll be enough to keep our egg collecting basket full again.