Thank You!
I have 3 Buff Orpingtons (2 girls, 1 boy) 2 Barred Rocks (girls) and 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes (girls). The biggest thing I have had to learn is not to "obsess" over every little thing. I set up the brooder in their coop since these are the first ones I ever had. It was just more or less cardboard fencing. I worried over their heat, etc. The first night I got them in the mail they were chasing and eating moths that wiggled their way into the coop (its about 8'x12'). By day 5 I gave them a small tub of dirt in the brooder-they inspected it...said "oh yeah!" and commenced to having a dirt bath. At the 2 week mark, we had temps still in the 90s, I took out the box corral (they were flying out of it anyway), opened the pop door and out they went into their run(supervised). They have had greens, weeds and veggies (free choice grit too) ever since. They absolutely love to have a tub of dirt from the garden dumped in once a week and look forward to their treats of weeds etc, everyday. Now they get up at sunrise, eat, drink and then line up at the pop door to be let into the run every morning. At night they put themselves to bed, sometimes one of the girls lags around and the little boy runs in and out of the coop "fussing" until she comes in (too cute). Once all the girls are in, he gets on the roost. Hopefully being a BO he will be a good rooster, so far so good, but they are still young. It is amazing how they just "know" what and how to do what they need. So for all you "first timers" like me. Relax, observe, Enjoy.
Hopefully pics will come soon.
