My baby chicks aren’t babies anymore…that makes me happy and sad.  I don’t need to check them hourly…I don’t need to worry about them as much.  They don’t need special feed and they have even been integrated with the old hens.  That’s all good news.  Sad news…we lost one chick…and I am afraid we are going to loose another.  See this gal.
Notice the foot on the chick in the upper left.  It’s all gnarled.  Both of her feet are deformed and don’t work right.  She gets along quite well despite the deformity and amazingly the other hens don’t single her out and pick on her.  I just don’t know if things will stay that way.  I am watching her diligently to make sure the other chickens don’t start picking on her.  I just wish there was more we could do, but there is not.  I hate to loose her, she’s my future green egg layer and that breed really lays lots of eggs.
I ordered my chicks through McMurray Hatchery. Whenever anyone orders from there, they send a free chick with the order. Â I got a mixed batch of chicks…a couple of this breed and a couple of that breed. Â I was suspicious from the start that a little white chick was the free chick. Â It’s so hard to know though because chicks often start out as one color and turn a completely different color. Â See…that little white chick has become this….(the real ugly one with feathers not all developed and black/brown wings)
The other ones around it are much larger, in fact all of the other chicks are much larger.  I am starting to suspect that it is a bantam (miniature breed).
All of the other chicks already have all their feathers and I can identify their breeds…this one, I can’t and that makes me believe it’s the free one.
It has a little comb so it’s making me wonder if it will be rooster too. Â Time will tell. Â I am enjoying the chicks. Â It’s fun to watch them grow. Â The only thing not fun is paying the feed bill.
The life of a farmers wife.
Some day when you have time. i would like to know more of your. life. I know you all rent your housse. What about the farm. Does your husband own it or what. i have met a couple farmers wifes from your area . but reall don’t We don’t have farmers down here. I am sure their are some but don’t know where. We have a farmers makt. here but don’t goe the for the traffic here in Dallas is way to bad. And it is located right on the edge of the big city.should make some interesting reading for us City girls.
Thanks Marie
Aww, you just have to love the little fella, though. Maybe he’ll turn out to be your very favorite! Except for the egg laying part.
I just talked to Teenage Girl, who does most of the chicken stuff around here, and confirmed that at least two of our chickens have feet that are gnarled like your chicken’s. We’re not sure if those two are chickens that a friend gave us, or from eggs (given to us by that same friend) that we hatched. Either way, they’re both at least a couple of years old and free range around our yard with the rest of our chickens. They don’t seem to have any problems, beyond walking a bit differently.
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I would bet that it is a little roo. Seems like when they put in freebies or extra chicks for warmth they are roosters.