Awful pic of the chicks in their new digsI've been sick the last couple of days; I got whatever the kid had. So sick that I finally went outside (other than morning chores) around 4 yesterday and--shocking--realized it was about 70*. (We were of course huddling in the house with the heat on.) And it was scheduled to be warm again today so I thought: hey. The littlest chick, the Rhode Island Red we call Verloe, just got her first feathers over the weekend, so it is time to move the chicks out to the interim coop.
These chicks are nowhere near as friendly as the last bunch. They definitely display herd (flock?) mentality. If one bird gets the hooky spooks, it catches on. The last batch of birds (3 Ameraucanas, 3 Isa Browns) did not display this characteristic, mainly because the Isa Browns are just such calm things. They ate out of our hands the second day we had them. This crew? Haven't had any luck with that.
Of the five new chicks, the Barred Rock (Letha) and little Verloe seem the friendliest, and the most willing to explore new things. Pauline, the Leghorn, is definitely the chief Chicken chicken. I didn't want her but the kid thought she looked like Maudie, our favorite bird (an Ameraucana), so of course I caved.
When I was making up the temporary coop for the chicks, the big chickens met them for a bit when I put the little things in their outdoor pen. There was a bit of noise, with the two Isa Browns protesting (at a safe distance), but they all seem to recognize each other as Not Foe. It will be another month or two before we'll have all eight together all the time.
3 comments:
70? It isn't 70 degrees here? We might get close today though. I even have on springy shoes with NO SOCKS! Woohoo! My barred rocks are very friendly. They are my digging buddies, always looking for bugs. My buffs are friendly too, but only after they see the rocks being all lovey dovey. Chickens are so cool.
Nice when the chicks aren't in the house anymore isn't it? They are SO very dusty.
About that comment you made on the floor---I have heard of people that build it deep in the coop specifically so the worms/compost bugs will build up and then the chickens have some "fresh" food during the winter. If I didn't have a slope right where my coop is---I might have done it that way. Easy compost too--meaning YOU don't have to turn it since they do it for you. Kind of Joel Salatin "esq" but with chickens :-)
P.S---yes it covers all sins but trim and caulk can be a pain in the a## sometimes.
Monica
Meredith, oh how I will LOVE spring shoes, once things dry out. Rather embarrassing to show up anywhere in a pair of wee flats with mud squishing around. It's chilly again so the cute shoes must wait.
Dang, Monica, but am I ever happy the chicks are out. Dusty little buggers. I put them on the front porch this time but STILL the mess! They are quite toasty in their new home and hey, I don't care how big a mess they make; it's just my potting shed.
I am curious to see how these new chicks are, friendliness-wise, as they won't be manhandled (childhandled) nearly as much as the last set, who free-ranged everywhere.
And I think a concrete pad in my potting shed is more important than one in the coop, but we'll see. There are always other priorities than what I may *wish* to see (which is why I cook in a crappy dark ill-equipped nasty kitchen...ooh do I sound bitter).
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