New Chicks

21 01, 2022

New Chicks

By |2022-01-17T17:18:57-06:00January 21st, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara


The preschool class at my school hatched chicks before Christmas. Usually, they do this in the Spring, but I no longer question anything. The classroom teacher took them home the first weekend, but her dogs were much too interested in them for her comfort.

So, the next weekend I volunteered to take them home. After all, there are only six dogs in our house and our grandson was coming to visit. We could use some excitement on Miller Farm.

I wore my Chicken Whisperer shirt the day I picked them up. The students were most concerned as I gathered them up. I explained I had many other chickens at my house and could take good care of them.

I promised to bring pictures as they grew. I also said I would bring eggs when they started to lay.

The following Monday, when I saw the preschool class, one of them asked if I had brought eggs. Preschoolers have no concept of time.

After the past two years, I’m not sure I do either.

27 02, 2015

Operettas and New Chicks

By |2015-02-27T06:00:23-06:00February 27th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

The private school where I teach music does a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each year and has for the past 37 years.  When I took the job I specified that I could not help with the operetta.  Our children were still in elementary school and I knew the time commitment of a performance would be beyond my ability.  This was fine as I was teaching only the elementary grades.

Our enrollment has declined over the past few years so I am now the only music teacher which means I am helping with the operetta.

This year the Gala performance was last Friday evening. We had rehearsals all day every day last week. My Tuesday/Thursday teaching job became a Monday through Friday job.  Brian asked me Wednesday evening if I would have time on Thursday to pick up 25 chicks he had ordered.

I took a deep breath and said “Sure, I can go during lunch.”

Now picking up chicks sounds pretty simple but, remember, they have bird brains.  Each chick must have their beak dipped in the water trough so they know where to get water.  Knowing the limited amount of time I had for lunch, I decided to enlist some help. I couldn’t afford to miss any rehearsal time.

One of the students in the operetta is an experienced chick handler so I took her with me. She knew exactly what to do.

I explained to the directors where I was going and what I was doing.  They had no idea how much was involved with picking up the chicks.  I felt more like an animal science teacher than a music director.

chicks in brooderNow we have chicks in the brooder in the garage once again.

We can hear them cheeping happily as we eat breakfast every morning.  I check them regularly to make sure they have food and water along with the quail, big chickens, bantam chickens, dogs and humans.

Helping with the operetta doesn’t seem like so much work any more.

8 08, 2014

New Chicks – Miller Farm Friday

By |2014-08-08T06:00:15-05:00August 8th, 2014|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We hatched more chicks last week.new chicks

Twenty-one of them hatched all on their own. There was one, however, who just couldn’t seem to get out of his shell.

The normal process is for the chicks to “pip” or poke a hole in the shell then they “zip” a line all the way around the shell. Once the line is complete, they can “pop” off the top of the shell and make their entrance into the world.

This chick had pipped and partially zipped. We waited 24 hours and there was still no progress.

We could hear him cheeping so we knew he was still alive. Rachel gently removed the egg and carefully helped the chick out.  He was in the shell upside down so he couldn’t finish zipping and push his way out.

We let him dry and put him with the other chicks in the brooder. He was a little uncoordinated. The other chicks were not particularly welcoming and he protested loudly in his new home. After a few hours, he was accepted and now it is hard to tell which one he is.

I named him Leo after the lion in the book Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego.

I enjoy watching the chicks. They sleep with their heads down on the wire.  It makes me a little nervous because they look dead.

So I hit the top of the brooder and wake them up. They are not happy.I apologize and tell them I’m just “chicken” on them.

I want to introduce them to the Miller sense of humor while they are still young.

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