They
are feathering out nicely and seem to be happy, healthy and eating a lot more
now. They are getting pretty big too. We have been giving them bits of bread and
produce as treats and they really seem to love it, especially the homemade
bread.
They
spend most of the day in the coop running around, chasing each other, dusting
and scratching. Because of the heat we
round them up in the early afternoon and return them to their brooder in the
garage. We have a fan set up in there to
circulate the air and make sure they have plenty of cold water to drink at all
times. I have a thermometer hanging up
in the garage and it has stayed relatively cool in there for them while
remaining warm enough at night.
The
chicks get plenty of “lap time” and human interaction each day too. To say they are loved is an understatement. Spoiled?
Absolutely! To most people these
are farm animals but to us they are our pets.
We went into this adventure knowing that.
Even
when we raised hens by the dozens we considered them more as pets than egg
layers. We mourned their deaths and were
thrilled when we had hatchlings. There
is a chicken graveyard on my parent’s property.
We had
a black lab, trained as a bird dog no less, that became a self appointed
chicken herder and egg gatherer. She was
amazing. When a few of our hens decided
to nest their eggs out in the woods she stood guard over them to make sure they
were safe until the chicks hatched. Then
she herded them home to the coop. We had
no idea she was doing this until we saw her bring the first group home and then
we followed her back into the woods.
Smart dog!
I am
glad my girls are going to get this experience with their own chickens. I really love how they have taken to the task
of caring for them and the concern they show as they check on them throughout
the day. They delight at their new
accomplishments like using the new roost, their new feathers, eating lettuce
for the first time, etc. It is every bit
as fun for me to watch my girls as it is to watch my chicks.
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