In the episode “Lucy Raises Chickens,” Lucy and Ricky, new residents of Westport, Connecticut, find life in the country to be pricier than they expect. Their electric bill is $18.75, ‘splain that if you can! But this is 1957 when fresh eggs are going for 75 cents a dozen, so the Ricardos decide to raise chickens to defray costs. Fred is hired as the chicken tender and all seems perfectly normal. Then silly Lucy impulsively orders 500 chicks before the coop is ready, and hilarity ensues.

Actually, according to this wiki fan page, one chick was killed when crushed by a camera and a second chick was crushed by a box. All in front of a live studio audience. I don’t think that would “fly” in this day and age!

I really want to watch the episode, not just to see the chicks but to marvel at the set which, I swear, looks remarkably like my in-law’s den. That tube tv, the encyclopedias, the drawback curtains and the Staffordshire figurine. Even the barometer on the wall. (Can you tell me why people in the 1950s and 60s required instant barometric pressure data?)

But my days of winter leisure are over. Good-bye Youtube, hello baby chicks! We’ve got twenty little balls of down winging their way to Laurentide and we still need to set up our new brooder, install new roosts for the twenty-eight dowager hens, and get up to speed on ways to keep our fluffy charges from drowning, freezing, or being eaten.

Our chicks will arrive via the Merton Mill, a wonderful local establishment where even the newest fifteen-year-old employee knows triple what we do. The chicks are coming through the U.S. mail, but the order is backed up, due to the two weeks of deep freeze in February when the post office suspended the shipments of any live animals. We selected a variety of breeds based on attractive plumage, gentle disposition, interesting egg color, and cold hardiness. The new arrivals are supposed to be females but it’s not guaranteed. We may end up with a rooster or two. (Crossing that bridge when we come to it.)

We hope to train our new little cluckers to tolerate being held. They need to co-exist with the older ladies and the cats. Most importantly, they better learn how to ham for our cameras.

It’s all so exciting! We’ve got a couple of handbooks at the ready. Plus, there’s the folks at Merton Feed, Heather’s aunt, and best of all, Dona up the road. Together we’ll figure out how to keep these little chickers alive and well.

Lucy and Ricky though? No more frivolous Youtubing for me until November. But maybe you have time? If so, here’s a clip from the sequel “Lucy Does the Tango.” In it, Lucy has slipped three dozen eggs into her blouse and more eggs down Ethel’s slacks in an attempt to save them from Ricky, who has had enough of this chicken scheme. Ricky is fooled but then insists on practicing the tango. Again, this is filmed before a live studio audience, and Lucille Ball deliberately chose not to rehearse the stunt in advance. She wanted the audience to see her authentic response. And they loved it. They laughed for a minute straight — a record for the show.