sprucehaven
Hatching
- Mar 28, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 7
We have been out of the chicken raising game for a few years and have decided to get back in this year. We started out with some sex link layers and a few turkeys for the freezer. We were told the turkeys are better with a few chickens to show them the ropes. We're not sure who showed whom the ropes. At 6 weeks, they had outgrown the stock tank we were brooding them in and the turkeys had started trying to fly out the top. So, we clipped the turkeys wings to keep them in and got a yard tractor made for temporary housing until their deluxe tractor/coop is completed. The basic yard tractor was intended for the Cornish/meat birds, but the girls needed it first.
So, today, I am out getting them their fermented feed, their dry mash, and some scratch grain, when one of the girls shoots past me to freedom. The hens having been eyeing the door with great curiosity, so I knew it would be just a matter of time before one of them shot past me to freedom. Even with that knowledge, it was still a surprise. The girls are normally very affectionate. They will come to me and feed from my hand or try to take my glasses or just take a little petting. However, once speedy made it to freedom, there was no way she was coming to me or allowing me to catch her. She went around the pen trying desperately to get back in. She really wanted out, but than didn't want to be the only one out there. A quick grab with the net and she was able to rejoin her friends. I'm sure you all have similar memories of you girls and can laugh about them now.
One of our neighbors took out a bathtub to put in a shower. We grabbed that tub to use for a brooder for our Cornish chicks. When the wing feathers started coming in at a week old, they started eying the top of that tub. Some of them even stretch way out while standing on top of the baby chick feeders and launch themselves trying to reach the top of the tub. Fortunately, with the way they grow, when their wings get full enough where they would have a change to get out, their body has gotten so large that there is no way they are getting off of the ground. It is still funny to stand in front of them and know what they are thinking. With such a big space, they were really active the first week. No matter what they were doing, they had to run to get there. Run, run, run, eat. Run, run, run, drink. Run, run, run, sleep. They would literally go from running as fast as they could to head down asleep. Sometimes they fell asleep so quickly, I didn't think they would stop running soon enough and would tip over. The last funny thing to share for today is when the chicks were younger, smaller and running everywhere, it did not matter if the rest of the flock was piled up sleeping in between where they were and where they wanted to be. They would just take off running and body surf over the rest. As they got bigger, it went from body surfing to bowling. When they run into each other, the others would go flying like bowling pins.
Anyone else have some humorous observations from the minds of their chickens???
So, today, I am out getting them their fermented feed, their dry mash, and some scratch grain, when one of the girls shoots past me to freedom. The hens having been eyeing the door with great curiosity, so I knew it would be just a matter of time before one of them shot past me to freedom. Even with that knowledge, it was still a surprise. The girls are normally very affectionate. They will come to me and feed from my hand or try to take my glasses or just take a little petting. However, once speedy made it to freedom, there was no way she was coming to me or allowing me to catch her. She went around the pen trying desperately to get back in. She really wanted out, but than didn't want to be the only one out there. A quick grab with the net and she was able to rejoin her friends. I'm sure you all have similar memories of you girls and can laugh about them now.
One of our neighbors took out a bathtub to put in a shower. We grabbed that tub to use for a brooder for our Cornish chicks. When the wing feathers started coming in at a week old, they started eying the top of that tub. Some of them even stretch way out while standing on top of the baby chick feeders and launch themselves trying to reach the top of the tub. Fortunately, with the way they grow, when their wings get full enough where they would have a change to get out, their body has gotten so large that there is no way they are getting off of the ground. It is still funny to stand in front of them and know what they are thinking. With such a big space, they were really active the first week. No matter what they were doing, they had to run to get there. Run, run, run, eat. Run, run, run, drink. Run, run, run, sleep. They would literally go from running as fast as they could to head down asleep. Sometimes they fell asleep so quickly, I didn't think they would stop running soon enough and would tip over. The last funny thing to share for today is when the chicks were younger, smaller and running everywhere, it did not matter if the rest of the flock was piled up sleeping in between where they were and where they wanted to be. They would just take off running and body surf over the rest. As they got bigger, it went from body surfing to bowling. When they run into each other, the others would go flying like bowling pins.
Anyone else have some humorous observations from the minds of their chickens???
