First night outside....

[arlee453]

Thanks Ruth and everyone else for the encouragement.

The chickens are very happy and even have figured out how to go to bed on their own tonight. I have the light on again as it is supposed to be a bit cooler tonight, but more because we had a killer storm come through this afternoon and it's a bit damp in their run.

I am very happy to report that their coop (the ChickNBarn) is bone dry after the sideways torrential downpour we had, and their weather-resistant feeder I modified kept the feed dry too!

 

[Chelly]

Great news arlee!

Ruth, that cheese trick is FUNNY!! I took a pinch of shredded cheese in to the spare room, I swear they could smell it the minute I opened the FRIDGE - they went NUTS - it was so much fun, I called the kids in, and they also got to feed the delighted chicks!

 

[ruth]

Hi Chelly - yes, like I said "chicken crack". I've been feeding it to mine since day one. I buy the big bag of shredded cheese - there's two types of cheeses in it - one white, one orange - they go for all of the orange pieces first and then the white but gobble all down immediately - not one shred left uneaten. Like I said - it's high in protein and calcium and they love it. I can walk outside with a bag and shake it and they will come in from free ranging, wherever they are. The big girls will actually jump up and grab the bottom of the bag if I'm not careful - I guess cause I'm not tossing it on the ground fast enough.

For another great chick show - buy a tube of live crickets from the bait shop. I just did and it was the best show in town. Not much of a show with older girls they just grabbed them as soon as they hit the ground and swallowed them whole. But the week old babies made a game of football out of it. One would grab a cricket and the others would chase, fumble, steal, trip, fall, fly. It was hilarious. At one point each chick had a cricket in its mouth but was still chasing the other chicks. When it could stop running long enough it would swallow the cricket whole. Again a good, natural, high protein snack that provides exercise at the same time. Give it a try. Have the kids ready and a video camera. I've never laughed so hard.

 

[Chelly]

We have grasshopper chasing - myself and the kids catch em and put them in the tractor and then watch the fun and games.
One of the chicks, Peep - will grab and run around weaving all over even if nobody is chasing her!

I actually used two nets this morning, one in each had and caught a total of 11 hoppers in one walk through the yard!
My 3 year old daughter has even learned how to catch grasshoppers and how to squeeze them through the wire into the tractor!
Then the kids start yelling "Go Peep, Go Peep - then someone else gets it and its Go Ruby Go Ruby...

Then I came in and got another pinch of Cheese - just for fun! its HILLARIOUS, they were climbing all over each other to get at it! I wonder what they would do with a big thick slice of cheese!

 

[ruth]

Wow - with all those grasshoppers in your yard your girls will love it when start letting them free range. We don't have grasshoppers here or least I've never seen any. I think we have too many birds for a grasshopper to last any time. Do the grasshoppers destroy your garden?