StarlynMarie
In the Brooder
Hi there. My name is Star and I currently own four chicks (and two ducks - Cas and Misha). There are two Rhode Island Reds [Mabel &Charlotte] and two Black Australorps [Gertrude & Petunia] in our little flock. We'll have had them two weeks tomorrow (6-19-15), the ducks only a week yesterday. So far the chicks are great; a little loud at times, but they're just babies. They all seem to be getting along really well except for when Mabel decides to assert her dominance among the girls (at least we're still hoping they're all girls. 95% chance they are, but still 5% that they aren't). They're about three weeks old, give or take; three of them are already starting to get their tail feathers in. Save for the messes they are constantly making in their box, we love having them and can't wait to put them in their coop.
Yes they can get quite messy and certainly like to scratch about everywhere. Giving them as much room as you possibly can really helps and something for them to stand on also helps keep them occupied. A small branch to roost on helps. At three weeks they will have sorted a pecking order out and seems that Mabel maybe in charge. 
