Our new Baby Chicks

This morning (1/31/05) I got a call from the post office telling me my baby chickens were here, and to come and pick them up. I just love the sound of chickens clucking along as they rome around the backyard eating all the bugs....what a great thing. So off I went and picked up my little songbirds. I purchased a group of 50 assorted birds. It was the special and I have never raised baby birds befor and thought this would be good to start out with befor I get into the more expensive birds. I purchased my birds from the McMurray Hatchery about 2 weeks ago and have been waiting for them to come in. We went to the feed store and picked up the baby chick starter feed, and waters and feeders. We are working on the chicken coop right now...Taylor is busy pulling out old fence and putting up cattle pannels that we will then line with chicken wire. We have dogs and stray dogs that come around and I dont' want to loose any of them to that situation. We are hoping that our birds will be able to be "free range" birds during the day and go into the coop at night, that way they will serve as good organic "bug control" and I will not have to spray or put out chemicals. They also just sound amazing to me. I have rigged up one of my whelping boxes for the babies until they can go outside. I have read that they have to be kept very warm (80) to stay alive. So I have two shop lamps with 100 watt light bulbs in and the heater going strong. they are very happy, I am very hot. lol... I will update pictures of our birds and let you know what we got when we figure it out....HOW FUN.