Well it was a rough day without Queen Elizabeth. Last night I kept having dreams of rescuing baby chicks in peril. Needless to say it was not a very restful night. My husband wanted to try to get a new chicken today. I was not so sure... for one, it seemed too soon after losing Queen Elizabeth. Also, the chicks in stock were freshly hatched and I was concerned about the safety of a little one with our much larger flock. But, alas, we went to the feed store, and left with another little chick. She hatched on Monday - 4 days old today. She is a Sicilian Buttercup and is amazingly tiny! I am not sure, however, if we will keep her. The girl at the feed store convinced us that they were good egg layers, but upon doing more research at home, I found out she is an ornamental breed, with pretty minimal egg laying potential. So far the others are not too fond of her. I think they miss their Queen! I, however, think she is adorable.

We did find out today that chickens should always be in pairs, as it keeps them from fighting. This makes sense given their behavior last night and this morning without Queen Elizabeth. This new chick has helped to bring unity, but it's more like the three of them band together now and ignore this one :( We'll see how it all plays out.