05/01/2026
We got 6 new chicks from Rural King a few days ago. They're Midnight Majesty Marans. Female. Apparently they're sexlinks which makes it easy to tell male (white dot on head) from female (no white dot on head) as the store associate, love his heart, flipped each chick on it's back to see if it tucked it's legs (female) or stretched a leg out (male). Personally, I looked at the wing feathers as I was giving thanks they had wing feathers (I don't like adopting newly hatched chicks). We have been there and done that in keeping new chicks (I can them peeps) inside our house. Our new very old farmhouse is way too small. So I put new peeps out in the goat/chicken shed (previous life it was a wood shed). We created a Fort Clucks out of a large dog crate and vinyl mesh. This chick brooder is in a small stall. Well we do have rats (I really want a Cattle Rat which is cattle dog mixed with rat terrier). Last night one chewed through the vinyl mesh to get at their food. Tonight I repaired the hole and reinforced with thin plywood on that side. Peeps sleep under the brooder heat plate so they may have not been bothered but I'm still scared sh*tless some ole rat is gonna hurt my preciouses. Anyone ever had peeps killed by rats? We already have 4 dogs but I'm really ready to have that rat destroyer Cattle Rat (or Rat Herder?). By the way, we have 5 cats in our house that feel the farm rats are beneath them 🫤
