True, it isn't the most financially rewarding when you really think about the cost of a carton of eggs these days, but it's also about the joys of seeing them run. Like the funny slogan stuck on the salt shakers back in Fiji, 'see them run'. I never did understand why someone would pour salt on a chicken's tail feathers to see them run. But I'm digressing..
Flitter and Sam were purchased from the Victoria Market on a Friday in October. They were tiny day old chicks and were a bargain. Flitter, being the female, cost about $4 while Sam, the male, only cost $2.
Being a purely impulse purchase, I was not equipped to raise them and had to view quite a few websites to see what they would require.
- chick feed - Check
- fresh water - Check
- cardboard box - Check
- 150 watt light bulb - uh...we have a problem
So what would I do for heat? I had the genius idea to put them inside my bedroom and close to the heater for warmth at night. During the day I would ensure their pen was half in the sun.
Sharing my bedroom with chicks was certainly an interesting experience. Thankfully chicks don't stink, but they do have an interesting (good kind of interesting) smell. They hated being put to bed and eventually I would have to cover their pen with a thick cloth so that they'd get the idea.
This roomshare lasted for about 2months, which is the maximum that my parents could tolerate.
Deciding it was time they moved into permanent accommodation, my brother kindly purchased them a little dog house (for which I still owe him money, but shhh...). This was put outside in the yard and the entrance covered with a thick cloth at night.
The separation anxiety was quite bad. For me. I would worry about it being too cold for them without my heater, so I resorted to giving them a hot water bottle at night. That I would refill every 6hrs. Yes, that meant I had to set my alarm at some crazy hour just to refill it. Such was the extent of my devotion. My little sister helped out. I would do the 11pm refill and she would do the 5am one since she would still be awake watching tv.
They were old enough to be let out of their pen so during the day I would let them run around the backyard where they could scratch at the dirt to their hearts content.
