Our live baby chicks are shipped to us overnight from a hatchery where they are born. When we first got them, we were certainly surprised to receive a perfectly safe chirping box from the mailman! We were also very surprised at how fast they grew-- after three days, they were significantly bigger than they were before. When we extended the shoot times, the chicks grew so quickly, we needed to get a new batch of chicks every week.
Our chicks work in “shifts” at the studio. Often, the look of excitement on a childs face when they see them is priceless. If he or she is reacting well, we try perching a little chick on their head or place a chick in their hands. We have special baskets for the little ones who can’t stand up yet, so we can adopt our chick shoots for any age. Older kids get to hold the chicks or have them perch on their heads.
After the chicks get old, they retire at Kim’s mom’s farm in Pennsylvania with lots of other big chickens, and a playhouse all of their own. These chickens live long happy lives--and of course, we only eat the eggs! Every year, we ask for small donations to go towards supporting these chickens and keeping them fed and healthy. After three years of live baby chick shoots, we have quite a lot of chickens. Luckily, we have a lot of space for many more years of chicks to come.
