First time out of their "brooder".

[aricpelt]

My chicks are 18 days old and for the most part have always been in their indoor brooder/pen. About the only times they've been out is when I was inspecting them for injuries/pasty butt etc... I decided today to take them outside for a few minutes to give them new areas to explore.

Now, for the past 18 days every time I come close to their area, they start chirping and running as far away from me as much as they can. Today was no different.

I finally got them all outside and sat down to watch them explore for their first time.

Strangely enough, they had no interest and chirped louder than I have ever heard them do before. They all huddled around my feet looking up.

I began to walk around and as I looked back, they were waddling right behind! My first thought was, so this is what a Momma duck feels like! I reached down towards them and three flew up onto my shoulder and started peeping directly in my ear. I'm no "chicken whisperer", but I'm pretty sure they were saying, TAKE ME BACK INSIDE!

Obviously 15 minutes out of their comfort zone was strenuous for them. Maybe I waited to late to get them acclimated to the outdoors.

Guess I'll be doing it more often now (weather permitting) considering that they will be outside permanently in a couple weeks.

 

[theoldchick]

Bless their little hearts. They'll get used to the outdoors-eventually.

 

[Sldierswife]

I kill flies and feed it to them in the brooder......then they all run to me when I out my hand in there lol now the older ones do the same when I go in thier pen....running to me to see what I've got for them. So cute

 

[aricpelt]

I've got my older Cochins trained to the sound of shaking a bag of Mealworms... They come flying across the yard when they hear it!