I should have realized, after hearing stories about seeds flying off the shelves in this poor economy, that the same would apply to small livestock.
But we found mystery chicks from the Cullman Tractor Supply store.
I think we have Leghorns, a Rhode Island Red, and Dominiques. Maybe.
They are cute, at any rate, although I suspect that a high percentage may be cockerels.
Fuzzy.
Wuzzy.
We put them in a pen outside one sunny day, to soak in sun and eat bugs and scratch around, but mostly they acted like it was just another ploy to try to kill them.
The female Muscovy was verrrry interested. Poor thing wants to be a mama so bad, but is too dumb to figure out how to sit on eggs correctly. Maybe we should have brought her some ducklings.
This is how much they grew in just a week:
That one on the far left and one other black chick have tails already, which says "male" to me, but I pray I'm wrong.
Look Ma, real feathers!
To buy the chicks, we had to sign a paper: name, address, phone, driver's license number! I considered yelling "No NAIS!" and running out the door, but I didn't. I hadn't felt Big Brother peering over my shoulder like that since we tried to drive up to view the local dam, and had our plates and license numbers recorded.
Lord knows what sort of watch list I'll be put on for buying chicks, visiting a dam, and buying Sudafed.
"I'll be watching you."
14 comments:
cute chicks. we have had our order in for our chicks for several weeks. i wonder if buying them will be any different then in years past. we usually pay with check so they have an excuse to get all of our information. maybe i should bring cash and see what happens?
Too cute! :) And been there, done that with the dam...
They are so cute! I've been staying out of the feed stores this week, so I won't be tempted.
Love that duck pic. Can't resist a little little growl about you having signing that paper. I wonder if my state has started that, too?
Very cute chicks. I wonder why you were expected to give your information just to buy them. Makes no sense.
We had so far resisted the whole registration/premises ID thing. But new rule this year - if your kid wants to show their pigs at the county fair, you have to have a premises ID :(
uh oh - now you've made me nervous. We are planning on getting some chicks after Easter (didn't want to get them before because we have two weekends of travel and couldn't get them until then). I hope we can find some! (the neighborhood farm store had some indeterminate - but we do NOT want roosters to annoy the neighbors)
Karl, I figure the government has probably already gotten all our info when we've bought by mail in the past! Oh well.
MM, yeah, it's a pain, huh? We'd probably have been back a lot more if we weren't treated like criminals.
Dani, it's hard to find a feed store here that carries them any more.
LauraP, I think it's national. Fun, fun.
RA, I wrote a little more about it in the next post, since I think several people were wondering the same thing.
SCF, yeah they are going to get you one way or another I guess. "Voluntary" my foot!
Karmyn, your best bet may end up being to buy from someone locally. We were going to do that, but hers wouldn't be ready for 3 more weeks.
Love the chicks. I want some. Sudafed yeh they got your number. HaHa
I adore your pics and storytelling.
BTW: In Israel, government snooping is partly appreciated as safeguarding our lives... (along w security agents searching bags at most supermarkets, malls, coffee houses, schools, etc.)... Privacy issues here are, uh, not such issues...
Becca, they are a lot of fun!
Tamar, thanks. I know what you mean. I think I would appreciate it a lot more in Israel!
When I bought my chicks several years ago, that's when I first hear of NAIS. Craziness just plain out craziness...
That last pic of the duck is hilarious! I wish the gov't would just cut the crap and realize they don't have to track every. single. creature. Just pay attention to the way they're raised and more importantly-how the meat is handled the zillion times before it makes it to your plate! I bet there have been NO problems with home-raised and consumed livestock.
Hmm--we bought 6 chicks from our local Tractor Supply store in the beginning of April too--no info necessary. Just the phone number that the store wants for every sale..animal or not. Must not be a national thing! Perhaps it's your state?
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