Baby Chicks

Well, the baby chicks arrived the other day and when you think everything is ready to go with baby chicks, you have just fooled yourself.  The night before we had to set up the new big brooder area in the barn that we had been talking about.  We thought we had a few more days, but we got an email late in the evening that the Pioneer chicks had shipped. So, after some late night work, we were good to go! ;) I picked up the chicks from the Post Office the next day and when we got home the adventure started. Brooder was ready, water, food, everything... Dipped the chicks' beaks in the water and off they went in their brooder. Then... It became a chick party everywhere in the barn stall and out from under the stall into the barn...  We used thin spaced heavy gauge hog panels to build the brooder. We even put chicken wire on top and the high sides... The bottom third had even thinner openings, so we didn't put chicken wire there. BIG MISTAKE! The chicks were just small enough, tough enough, and challenged enough to fight through the opening and off they went.  Chasing chickens around, trying to put chicken wire around all the low sides, and making sure all were accounted for proved to be a great adventure! In the end, all was well and the baby chicks are doing great! -RJ