Now, With 50% More Chickens

I was reading message board posts over the New Year's holiday weekend and found someone locally who hatched some chicks that she wasn't expecting.  Apparently, the person she bought her eggs from mixed up two different flavors in the batch.  She ended up getting some Australorp chicks to hatch that she didn't want.  She ended up having four chicks that were hatched on 12/27-28 - so they were roughly the same age as my chicks. 

I sent her a private message and told her I would take them off her hands if she didn't want to keep them. After trading a few messages, we agreed to meet (roughly) half way between where we lived - in Pine Island, MN at the Kwik Trip on Monday since I had taken an extra day off for the holiday.

I underestimated how long it would take me to get there and was 5 minutes late.  She was cool about it, and was waiting there with her daughter. 

We exchanged pleasantries in the parking lot and she handed me a chirping shoe box.  I opened the lid to see the four chicks just kinda hanging out.  They seemed content and looked healthy.

After our exchange, we said good bye to each other and I told her if she gets any more Australorp chicks with her next batch of eggs, I may want to take them from her. 

Now, Pine Island is a small town.  I think there was one stop sign in the city that I noticed.  Looking at the map, I wasn't exactly sure how to get out of town - I didn't think the exit off the highway that I took to get to town had a return going back north.  But there was a definite exit another 1/2 mile down the road.  I was going to take that out of town. 

The lady I got the chicks from pulled out of the parking lot first.  Then I pulled out going in the same direction (south) instead of heading back north.  I figured since they were from east of Rochester, I would follow them back to the highway.  Short of that, I would look for the sign that would point me back to the highway. 

They were driving down Main Street, and I saw a sign for county road 11 - which I thought was the exit from the highway.  And was the street the Kwik Trip was on. But they continued on down the road.  I drove through the downtown area of Pine Island - very cute little town - following the lady.   After about a mile, and the road curved away from the highway, and I'm sure she thought I was now a stalker and was going to follow her back to her home. To avoid police intervention, I realized I had to turn around and go back the way I came. 

So after a five minute detour, I was on my way back home.  No police in the rear view on the way home.  Just snow and fog.

I got home and introduced the chicks to my existing flock. 

All 12 huddled in a corner

After a few minutes of the Rhode Island Red pecking at a couple of them, the new chicks were accepted and have fully integrated with the others.  I now have 12 chickens brooding in the basement.