I can't keep them all :(

[Isadora]

I've got it bad lol

It comes with the territory.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Well we've done a lot of talking and considering various possibilities, and I think we're finally settled on a plan.

I am only keeping three. The two wyandottes and Marshmallow. She is just so sweet, lets me hold her and carry her around. I might like that in a chicken, one who may actually sit on my lap, and right now, both Ivy and Marshmallow are very want to come hop on my lap completely unprompted, so I think that's nice.

We will bring the other six started pullets to my brother when we take a trip up to his house and help him get the existing, abandoned coop set up in his backyard. So he'll get the three Bielefelders and three SGEs, which hopefully won't look ridiculous with the whole big chicken / little chicken thing! Lol

So anyway, now I can start to picture my flock and start bringing them out for look but don't touch time and integrate them sooner, vs. the rest of the chicks will stay indoors longer, and farther away from the run during outside time. Not exactly looking forward to probably having six gigantic 8-week pullets in my basement till mid-June, but that's probably when the transfer will happen. Fx maybe sooner?

Ughh, I can't resist a good cuddle pile though! So now the plan is to keep the top three yellow, black, black chicks in the picture, and the bottom two yellow chicks will go to my brother. :/ Sigh.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

After days and days of rain, I finally got to take the three "keepers" out for some look but don't touch time with the flock.

Bianca, my broody WH hen took interest right away!

That's Marshmallow looking very cockerel-ish!

And Sylvia looking quite pullet-ish

I know it's too early, but man, would that be some kind of plot twist there if she turned out not to be a she! Lol. @Isadora @Overo Mare

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Arggg!! They're so cute I especially like Carmella

I am thinking Carmella may actually be an ISA Brown... How would I be able to tell the difference between now and when she laid though?

And Marshmallow may be an Amberlink cockerel? This just keeps getting more and more confusing.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

So Marshmallow is definitely a cockerel. I have my eye on Sylvia and Ruby. So I pulled Ruby out of the other brooder and in with my chicks, so it's four and five now, the five being the 3 Bieles + 2 SGEs(?) I'm at least fairly confident are all females at this point.

So it remains to be seen how this all shakes out.

Pullets for my brother, Carmella, Peep, and the three German girls lol

Ruby on the left, Sylvia bottom left, Ivy in the center, and Marshmallow on the right.

And just like that, it was almost impossible to get them all in the same frame in my brooder pics! Lol. 3 weeks today / tomorrow.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I had been keeping the Bieles at least in a separate brooder, after all the cockerel shenanigans started to fly around. I finally sucked it up and threw them all in together, because why the heck not.

What kind of monster breaks up this whole adorable love fest cuddle pile!???

DH is suggesting we keep the two Wyandottes (possible breeding pair) and Ruby (likely RIR) and give the suspected SGEs to my brother with the Bieles... Except that one of them is definitely a cockerel, and I don't actually know if he *wants* to have a cockerel. So... I think for now I have to stop kidding myself and just love on 'em all the best I can.

I started doing look but don't touch time with my existing flock, which has been going great, they all were together in the run for a bit this morning! I can totally picture keeping them all, I just need to expand the run space with electric netting, which is 100% doable. But anyway, we shall see. Nothing is set in stone, and I only time will tell how certain things shake out.

I would like to integrate my keepers ASAP though, so I might try to start with those three anyway, and see how it goes...

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

After days and days of rain, I finally got to take the three "keepers" out for some look but don't touch time with the flock.
View attachment 3497812
Bianca, my broody WH hen took interest right away!
View attachment 3497818
That's Marshmallow looking very cockerel-ish!
View attachment 3497819View attachment 3497820
And Sylvia looking quite pullet-ish
I know it's too early, but man, would that be some kind of plot twist there if she turned out not to be a she! Lol

In retrospect this is funny to me, because now what I see is Sylvia, the young cockerel? checking out the big hen, and taking a submissive posture to her, but in other pictures with just the three chicks, Sylvia and Marshmallow are both standing quite tall, looking out.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Sigh. This has been a journey.

By way of an update, I had basically been set that I would give my brother the 3 Bieles, while keeping the cockerel Marshmallow, 2 Wyandottes, and 3 supposed Starlight Green Eggers.

However, the problem with keeping six is that still leaves us really with too many birds in the run for the day, without changing our current setup. I have been stressing over how to adjust our accommodations to make everyone fit, getting a bigger run, getting mini coops to break out subflocks, etc etc etc. All the while, still renting, so feeling like we can't totally do whatever we want, and would have to run anything major by the landlord first etc. Just not something I really want to get into.

Ultimately, DH insisted that we could only keep three chicks without having to change much of anything. So I have finally settled on keeping the two Wyandottes and the one blonde Starlight Green Egger pullet, Peep.

They even spent their first night in the coop last night with the big girls, and so far it's going great!

They will be spending a little extra time in there over the next several days, to coop train as it were, and be carried into the run until they start to get to know the routine.

It's hard because I really do like the other green eggers for temperament, so it was not an easy call to make. I'm also trying to leave a pair of the red colored ones to go with the Bielefelders (or at least two of his kind to go with Marshmallow, depending on whether one person takes all six, or if they get broken up three and three.)

So for the time being, I still have six 7.5 week old "basement chickens," that hopefully can be moved into their new / forever home(s) (and out of my basement!!!) Very Soon!

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Bumping up because I'm bummed every time I have to walk past the chicks I'm not keeping, I feel weak, and I need some encouragement that I've made a good decision and it will be okay. @fluffycrow @Party_Chicken @3KillerBs @TheDawg @BastyPutt