Our chicks are of an age where they can go outside for a couple of hours at a time, and they are enjoying their adventure! We leave them in the playpen with water and a shade spot, and let them run about and tire themselves out. Then back inside to the nursery for a long nap, and back outside in the early evening. Then back inside for a night's rest. A chick has a busy life . . . .
They do get along well. They are now trying to find out who is dominant. Whoever she is, she won't be when we blend the young flock with the older ladies. Who is top in the pecking order gets settled fast! Our older ladies don't tolerate upstarts. We think that the chicks didn't sign up to come live with us, so we owe them the best life we can provide. I'm just an old softie, but I want anything that lives here at Red Gate Farm (except grasshoppers) to have the best environment possible.
Those chicks can look forward to long and happy lives with you Jane. I hope you've ordered extra armchairs and another television for them.
Eileen, they are picking out the colors for their chairs--we already decided on drapes and carpeting. Sjoerd, if any of the chicks turn out to be little guys, they are going to another farm. I have prospective homes lined up for roosters. I have enough trouble keeping the hens out of trouble without dealing with a rooster! And the chicks are a lot of fun, but then I'm easily amused.
Hahaha...Well, I hope that you won't have too many roosters. Tell me though--if one keeps hens for taking eggs, does one have to have a rooster to keep them laying regularly?
A lovely group of new chicks,..fingers crossed for you that there are not too many Roosters in that group,..do you keep one Rooster on the farm? to have a broody hen sitting on fertile eggs?.
Sjoerd and Philip, a rooster is not needed--hens lay eggs no matter what. Roosters fertilize hens and broody hens will hatch fertilized eggs, but I really don't want to go down that road. EJ, I've seen places here in Texas that raise quail. Although they are pretty, I don't think I'll expand our fowls!
Some friends and others whom i used to supply eggs to didn't like the fact i had eggs that were fertilized,..i must admit that having a Rooster did protect the flock,.. but on one occasion i didn't know i had a hen laying out,..she had over a dozen eggs and was sitting on them until they hatched,..i presumed she was gone missing until one day i discovered i had 14 chicks following behind her,..alas many were Roosters lol.
Philip, I've only had one rooster--from the first batch of chicks we got from a poultry supplier. I named him Cyrus, but should have named him Beelzebub! I could not get him to calm down, stop chasing me, and trying to peck and scratch me. He finally went down the road to a far, far better place.
Ah yes i forgot about that hazard which surprises me as i always had to keep my eye on my Rooster,..fierce fellow always strutting about guarding his ladies and i did get quite a few pecks,..in the end i took on a quieter Rooster,..who realized i was at the top of the pecking order,..i ate the fierce one,..boiled in case he was as tough meat wise
