Here is a weird story. When I picked up my chicks at the farm store....they had a bunch in a glass brooding box.....one was obviously not going to make it and a bunch of ladies were ooohing and awing as the poor chick got trampled. They knew I was picking up chickens and they asked me to take the poor thing and see what I could do. For the unintiated, baby chicks come in boxes like fruit, only, not as well packed...They can get injured. This one looked injured.
I agreed provided the chick was in her own box and, not with my chickens (disease you know?) And that she was free.... Anyway, I took her home in my jacket and and then placed her under the heat lamp, but she didn't make it.
I had placed an order for 5 female plymouth barred rocks (nice dispositions), 5 female ameraucanas (blue egg layers), 5 rhode island reds (winter hardy, all round good layers) and ONE plymouth barred rock rooster chick.....That was what I had. Two of my ameraucana chicks are white, 3 are a mixed brown color.
My 16 chickens are all fine and going on 10 days old.....yesterday, I kept looking and counting and could only count 16...but I kept adding up the colors and the colors came out to 17, not 16 like I paid for..... There were 6 rhode island reds! I pestered my husband to do the math, and he said 17....I said there can not be.
I swear to God, there were only 16.....yesterday, I counted 6 rhode island reds, and I swear I had only 5 to start with. The one that died was a rhode island red, but she wasn't in my count, she was extra....this is down right creepy.
I even painted the 16 names on the coop! Now I need another name for my mystery chicken.....this is too weird. There are 17! Today, I counted all of them by placing them in a new box.....17.