Chicks

Dear Ella,

For Christmas this year, Dad wanted to get you some little goats since you fell in love with them at the petting Zoo.  Sadly, no one was selling goats at this time of year, so he decided to get you baby chicks instead.  We started with just three little fuzzy chicks [one white cochin and two brown cochins: Henny (the larger brown one), Penny (the smaller brown one), and Ming Ming (the white one)].

You were so cute with them.  You tried to get them to walk through your legs while you shouted, “TUNNEL!”

  Every few days thereafter, Dad would come home and say, “Look Ella, the chickens had babies!”  And there would be a couple more baby chicks in the box.  We ended up with seven total chicks over the next two weeks.  (These pics were taken about a month after we got the chicks.  Blame Lily for not having pictures of the other chicks when they were babies.)

Chloe (black and white), Linny & Tuck (brown and black speckled which you named), and Henny.

 

 

 

 

Chloe and Zoey

 

 

 

Ming Ming one month later

 

 

 

Dad got to work on building a chicken coop out in the backyard, and it turned o ut beautiful.  I can’t wait for us to have fresh eggs in about six months.

Everyday you’ll turn to Dad and exclaim, “Dad, I go hold chicks!”  He takes you out into the backyard, rounds up a chicken for you, and you get to hold it.  It’s pretty much the best part of your day.  Charlie is still too little to hold the chickens softly.  We like to call him Lenny (reference Of Mice and Men) because he gets so excited to hold the chicks that he squeezes their poor little necks.  It’s a good thing the chickens are fast.

   Oh Lenny

As much as I dislike having chicken poop all over the place, I love seeing you chase them around and watching your eyes light up when you get to hold one.  You even have cute little conversations with them through the chicken wire.  I’m glad Dad makes me step out of my comfort zone every now and then because the payoff is totally worth it.

 

Love,

Mom