Hoodwinked at the Feed Store

Here are the facts. We went to the feed store on Friday.  I had a list of what we needed: 

-Timothy/Orchard Grass Hay

-C.O.B w/Molasses

-Salt blocks

-Mineral blocks

-Layer Pellets

-Scratch

-Dog Food

These were NOT on my list!!!

 I went in with the list...I came out with two baby chicks.  Bottom line....I was suckered. Three children really start to wear on their mother when their dad is away elk hunting for two weeks.  They used the tag-team approach, high pressure sales tactics, and gimmicks.  I think I heard someone say something about 0% interest and low monthly payments...wait...what?!


Actually, my girls will need a chicken for one of their 4-H projects, and our hens are old and ugly.  These new arrivals are the final batch of the year. I didn't want to order the 25 chick minimum  to receive them by mail, so I gave in to my childrens'  incessant begging, and whining, and cries of, "Their so fluffy I'm gonna die!"

and now we're the owner of two new- borns.

Moral of the story...Always stick to your list!

It became apparent to me that I really didn't think this whole purchase out very well when we drove home with the chicks.  They have to be kept under a heat lamp at a constant 90-95 degrees for the first week, and then the temperature is lowered each week until they feather out.   It's getting cool on our mountain.

Where was I going to put them? 

My dad's puppy is sleeping in the laundry room.

The cat lives in the garage.

The hen house is occupied by...hens.

Then I had a brilliant idea!

I decided to keep them in the bathtub of the guest bathroom.  We could close the door to keep the cat from eating them, the dogs wouldn't mess with them, and it was a draft-free small space.  It was my only viable option.

The chicks' new temporary home was working out swell until my in-laws came for a visit.  When one of them needed to use the restroom, I started my rapid-fire explaining:

"Well...um...you see....we have these baby chicks......in the bath tub. There are also heat lamps, power cords across the toilet, shavings, and other hazards on the floor.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that it's 92 degrees in there.  Other than that...feel free to use it...if you don't mind the chirping."

I'm pretty sure they were thinking, "So this is how Red Necks live...interesting."

(I can't believe I'm putting these pics on the internet. My BFF, Dawn, always looks out for me on my blog.  She tells me if I've got some photographic craziness on there that I will regret.  She's like my "trailer trash" picture filter.  But she's got more important things to do right now. She's in Ethiopia so she can bring home her newly adopted son.  That means that she isn't here to tell me not to have these up on the internet.  Come back soon, Dawn, or who knows what other crazy stuff I'm capable of putting on here!)

If my husband comes home and complains, I'll just tell him that it could have been worse.

Next time, the kids might come home with a new horse.