They are so cute at that age! (Both chicks & Ben!) I got cured of wanting chicks when I was about 14 & some Easter chicks in a basement had gotten "too big" & needed to be removed to outside pen. Well, we put on surgical masks(her dad was a surgeon)douched them with her mom's perfume& that wasn't enough so stuffed the masks with tissues & poured out some clothes soap on the floor(nice drain in floor) & pulled garden hose in through a window. Well, we made quite a mess & had bubbles to spare, fell down a few times even with tennis shoes they had back then, after the smell was gone we had a great time tho. Found a couple of new rag mops & had a duel until her dad got home & bellowed for us to get it cleaned up & get in the shower! When I met my DH 1 of 1st jobs he had (1 week after he got out of army) was to clean out a chicken coop. 1 was enough to cure him of that job. I think his mom gave him a 46 oz can of tomato juice to pour over himself! I could still smell it a little on our date that night but maybe it was from previous experience,only chickens I want around my yard are plaster or cement!! Ben is still such a cute kid, love it when they are so excited about life! Jan

Looks like "ducks," Kirk! LOL! Ben is such a cutie & kudos to you for remembering & sharing what is important! LOVE the pic!

Here's a baby chicks pic for Ben that I took in our chicken house many, many yrs ago! (now it's my garden shed):

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Glad your conferences are over for awhile ... hugs to you & Carol & kids! Jeanne S.

Oh, it was such a memory. Our little guy's still talking about it. Yes, Jeanne, they had ducklings, chicks, and goslings... We plan on going back this week! They also had really nice fruit and shade trees for $19.99...gotta buy some! :o) Bear Hugs! Kirk

Love your story, Jan! :o)

I know just how Ben feels. When I was about 11, I had a crippled chick for a pet on my aunt and uncle's farm. He got his leg caught in some chicken wire and broke it. He walked with a limp. His mother ignored him so I befriended him. He followed me around everywhere. It was so cute when he hit puberty and started crowing his little screechy cockadoodledoo. They are smart and fun. I would have acted just like Ben at his age! That is an experience he will still remember half a century later.

Such a great picture of Ben (and the ducklings). Little people are delightful to watch around baby animals....we enjoyed our chickies for about ten years. We got our DH a "flock" of chicks for her eleventh birthday and we raised them to adults. They were spoiled rotten and were great yard and garden buddies...except they LOVED my hostas! They would devour them. Enjoy your next trip too!

Great prices on the fruit trees, kirk! Oh, Ben will LOVE seeing those babies again! That pic is precious! He looks like a RL "farm boy!" Love it! Jeanne S.

SPRING BABIES!!!! They arouse such precious memories of our children. With Easter just around the corner and spring in the air, I LOVE IT!! Your little son makes such a darling picture. Should be on a farm calendar!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!

so when will you be making that chicken tractor,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yep! those are ducklings. Adorable but oh so messy! I have 8 (now adults) and I have never had anything so messy. They soon got sent to the garage! They are up the hill with the adult chickens but need to move them to their own pen.

Currently have 23 baby chicks, 12 have gone to the barn up the hill and will be joined by 10 more this weekend (if they are fully feathered) my one last one is blind and he (T.G. aka Tough Guy) will stay on the porch until we feel he can fend for himself. Even then he will have his own pen and maybe one or two hens. We also have a 1 year old hen (Hoppy) with a twisted leg and she has her own separate pen and is just a big pet. She loves to be held or let out onto the lawn to peck. She will follow me all around the yard.

So Kirk ....when are you going to build a chicken tractor??? :)