So much going on yesterday!
The broodys had their first outing with the 4 one week old babies.
They did fantastic.
Bootsie was pacing at the dog yard fence a lot so I decided to open it.
She went right over to the dust bathing area by the fence.
Itsy and the chicks followed and they both had a much needed dust bath.
It was really funny because these chicks like to jump up on their backs and sit there.
They kept trying to do that while the mommas were dust bathing and the chicks were bouncing around everywhere.
It was too funny!
I actually got some video of that and I’ll try to post it at some point.
Here you have one NN chick and the two black chicks in the foreground. The second NN chick is on Itsy’s back.
We decided to move them all to the coop I had the 7 LF chicks in since their current coop isn’t really enough room for them all plus it doesn’t have a secure run.
The LF chicks were moved to the much bigger bantam coop with the bantam chicks.
Before we did all this we put the bantam chicks into the smaller prefab with the LF chicks to see how they’d behave with each other and so they could get some sun and grass.
Surprisingly each group just stared at the others.
Some very slight pecking out of curiosity but each group pretty much ignores the other.
It was quite the process transferring 14 chicks to the bigger prefab but everyone was finally in and exploring.
The LF chicks really enjoy the outside roosts in the run.
Moving the mommas and babies would’ve been best at night but it was going to rain last night and I didn’t want to wait.
Good thing I didn’t because the rain started right after we got them in there.
You can read about the move in my post “Gargoyle Terminator Broodys”
I also decided to try a new type of bedding in the smaller prefab.
It’s a pellet type of bedding made from sawdust and zeolite.
The pellets are too big for the birds to eat.
The mommas won’t go up the ramp though. I think it’s because the babies can’t do it yet.
This coop has a covered run.
They slept on the ground with the babies under them last night.
Everyone was fine.
Our overnight temps are in the 40s right now.
My next plan is to move Mitzi (my newest broody) to the tiny coop with a few fertilized eggs tonight.
The LF chicks are only going to be in with the bantams for a couple of weeks until the youngest (the black sex links) ones are more feathered out and big enough not to go through the chain link fencing holes.
That’s our main issue with chicks. The chain link fencing. They go right through it.
That’s what I’m waiting for with the bantams also. The youngest ones need to be more feathered out and big enough to stay inside the chain link.
They don’t need heat at night anymore either.
I tried to put both heat plates in the coop with them but for some reason all 14 chicks were trying to fit themselves under one heat plate!
The older chicks are fully feathered and have no need to be under there.
I figured they’d all cuddle and the bigger ones would warm the smaller ones so much took the heat plates out.
After a while I went out with a flashlight to check them and each group of chicks was cuddled together on opposite ends of the nest box area.
Perfect!
The broodys had their first outing with the 4 one week old babies.
They did fantastic.
Bootsie was pacing at the dog yard fence a lot so I decided to open it.
She went right over to the dust bathing area by the fence.
Itsy and the chicks followed and they both had a much needed dust bath.
It was really funny because these chicks like to jump up on their backs and sit there.
They kept trying to do that while the mommas were dust bathing and the chicks were bouncing around everywhere.
It was too funny!
I actually got some video of that and I’ll try to post it at some point.
Here you have one NN chick and the two black chicks in the foreground. The second NN chick is on Itsy’s back.
We decided to move them all to the coop I had the 7 LF chicks in since their current coop isn’t really enough room for them all plus it doesn’t have a secure run.
The LF chicks were moved to the much bigger bantam coop with the bantam chicks.
Before we did all this we put the bantam chicks into the smaller prefab with the LF chicks to see how they’d behave with each other and so they could get some sun and grass.
Surprisingly each group just stared at the others.
Some very slight pecking out of curiosity but each group pretty much ignores the other.
It was quite the process transferring 14 chicks to the bigger prefab but everyone was finally in and exploring.
The LF chicks really enjoy the outside roosts in the run.
Moving the mommas and babies would’ve been best at night but it was going to rain last night and I didn’t want to wait.
Good thing I didn’t because the rain started right after we got them in there.
You can read about the move in my post “Gargoyle Terminator Broodys”
I also decided to try a new type of bedding in the smaller prefab.
It’s a pellet type of bedding made from sawdust and zeolite.
The pellets are too big for the birds to eat.
The mommas won’t go up the ramp though. I think it’s because the babies can’t do it yet.
This coop has a covered run.
They slept on the ground with the babies under them last night.
Everyone was fine.
Our overnight temps are in the 40s right now.
My next plan is to move Mitzi (my newest broody) to the tiny coop with a few fertilized eggs tonight.
The LF chicks are only going to be in with the bantams for a couple of weeks until the youngest (the black sex links) ones are more feathered out and big enough not to go through the chain link fencing holes.
That’s our main issue with chicks. The chain link fencing. They go right through it.
That’s what I’m waiting for with the bantams also. The youngest ones need to be more feathered out and big enough to stay inside the chain link.
They don’t need heat at night anymore either.
I tried to put both heat plates in the coop with them but for some reason all 14 chicks were trying to fit themselves under one heat plate!
The older chicks are fully feathered and have no need to be under there.
I figured they’d all cuddle and the bigger ones would warm the smaller ones so much took the heat plates out.
After a while I went out with a flashlight to check them and each group of chicks was cuddled together on opposite ends of the nest box area.
Perfect!
