Meet and Greet
Had the chicks outside in the puppy pen again today, in the front of the house, in view of the Buckeye's run, and I let the ladies out. No one was terribly interested. Popcorn was the first to notice them peeping and she came over and bokked a warning sound I associate with seeing something new. She eyed them carefully then walked away. Butters saw them and seemed to not care. I gave her a piece of a corn on the cob near the pen. That's something she'll eat, and she and Popcorn were busy with that for awhile. Hazel noticed last because she was back in the run and didn't come out for a bit. I saw her approach cautiously, and then not do anything. She did get closer, DH said there was a small beak-off pointing at each other, a chick being still looking up at her and Hazel being still looking down, and that was that. The chicks explored the pen area and the hens foraged and went for the cob.
Two hours later I brought down the real chick feeder because they kept stepping on and tipping over a little plastic hummus container for the crumbles. I opened the pen and then the feeder top to grab some crumbles and top up the little slots and show it to them, and a chick jumped up onto the doorway jamb and hopped out right by me.
I shifted back without moving my feet to track and better help the chick if needed. Nobody cared. A second chick hopped out. Popcorn, ignoring the chicks, saw their old feeder and her opportunity to hop into the pen and go for the crumbles and she did, sticking her head right down into the open top (isn't that Aurora's or Hattie's thing?). I finally got my phone and took some pictures.
She had a good feed then took a stroll around the pen, looked at the Brinsea plate, ate some more, had some of their water, then hopped out.
I moved the water dish outside out of the way and eventually helped the third chick out as she was desperate to join her sisters and wasn't figuring out the hopping up and over. They didn't go far, they really wanted to explore more of the deep vegetation (aka out of control garden spot) that the pen was next to. I don't know why but so far their presence is no big deal to the Buckeyes. Maybe because they aren't competing for the same spaces and resources yet?
After that it was chicks in and out, adults in and out. Popcorn did a real peck once but mostly scared a chick who screamed and ran. The chick had been interested and pecking around at her and annoyed her. Popcorn didn't pursue.
Butters also did a very slight peck after tolerating a whole lot of chick pecks to her beak and her side feathers, when one pecked her cheek she turned and pecked back. The chicks didn't go far away though and Butters seemed to tolerate them pretty well, she's always been pretty mellow. I saw her raise up a little and lean at a chick a couple of times but that's it. Here's Butters and the chicks drinking. The door happened to be between them.
And here's two chicks going for the water drops from her beak. She let them, she stayed very still for them.
So I put away the pen for today....
Had the chicks outside in the puppy pen again today, in the front of the house, in view of the Buckeye's run, and I let the ladies out. No one was terribly interested. Popcorn was the first to notice them peeping and she came over and bokked a warning sound I associate with seeing something new. She eyed them carefully then walked away. Butters saw them and seemed to not care. I gave her a piece of a corn on the cob near the pen. That's something she'll eat, and she and Popcorn were busy with that for awhile. Hazel noticed last because she was back in the run and didn't come out for a bit. I saw her approach cautiously, and then not do anything. She did get closer, DH said there was a small beak-off pointing at each other, a chick being still looking up at her and Hazel being still looking down, and that was that. The chicks explored the pen area and the hens foraged and went for the cob.
Two hours later I brought down the real chick feeder because they kept stepping on and tipping over a little plastic hummus container for the crumbles. I opened the pen and then the feeder top to grab some crumbles and top up the little slots and show it to them, and a chick jumped up onto the doorway jamb and hopped out right by me.
I shifted back without moving my feet to track and better help the chick if needed. Nobody cared. A second chick hopped out. Popcorn, ignoring the chicks, saw their old feeder and her opportunity to hop into the pen and go for the crumbles and she did, sticking her head right down into the open top (isn't that Aurora's or Hattie's thing?). I finally got my phone and took some pictures.
She had a good feed then took a stroll around the pen, looked at the Brinsea plate, ate some more, had some of their water, then hopped out.
I moved the water dish outside out of the way and eventually helped the third chick out as she was desperate to join her sisters and wasn't figuring out the hopping up and over. They didn't go far, they really wanted to explore more of the deep vegetation (aka out of control garden spot) that the pen was next to. I don't know why but so far their presence is no big deal to the Buckeyes. Maybe because they aren't competing for the same spaces and resources yet?
After that it was chicks in and out, adults in and out. Popcorn did a real peck once but mostly scared a chick who screamed and ran. The chick had been interested and pecking around at her and annoyed her. Popcorn didn't pursue.
Butters also did a very slight peck after tolerating a whole lot of chick pecks to her beak and her side feathers, when one pecked her cheek she turned and pecked back. The chicks didn't go far away though and Butters seemed to tolerate them pretty well, she's always been pretty mellow. I saw her raise up a little and lean at a chick a couple of times but that's it. Here's Butters and the chicks drinking. The door happened to be between them.
And here's two chicks going for the water drops from her beak. She let them, she stayed very still for them.
So I put away the pen for today....
Must be a leghorn thing-?
