- Dec 21, 2009
- 448
- 15
- 121
Tonight I was doing my usual routine of servicing the chicks and the pullets and getting them settled for the night. I have told my soon to be son in law that just because we are raising four chickens in our dining room does not necessarily make us ridge runners, and so far he is convincingly polite in his agreement...
The Black Jersey Giants are 2 weeks old today, and are still living in the rubbermaid brooder tub, while the 2 Golden sex links are five weeks old and are still in the pen only because it has been such miserable weather outside. As soon as it gets nice again, probably by Thursday, they are going into the coop and can work it out with the Rhode Island Reds...
I had the hardware cloth top of the brooder slid back so I could fill the feed tray and change the water, and I left it open for the moments it took to walk to the sink, rinse and fill the water dispenser, and walk back....and there was only one BJG chick in the brooder!
Instant adrenaline rush. I hollered for the Missus, and she came out to help me look, and we spotted the little varmint under the dining room table right away. I was on my hands and knees trying to gently corral her, and the Missus was too, when our pug Gus showed up. He did very well, went face to beak with the chick, and faced her down long enough for my wife to make a well-aimed grab. Lots of complaining and frantic flapping later, the chick was safely back in the brooder and out of trouble.
Those chicks are 2 weeks old today! She flew up out of a tall rubbermaid tub on the dining room table, and then parachuted to the dining room floor and landed on the carpet with what wing feathers she has grown in the last 15 days or so! Pretty impressive, and I need to be a LOT more careful when cleaning and servicing the chicks and watch how long I leave the top open. I think we'll be clipping some primary flight feathers here shortly as well.
As soon as the GSLs go to the coop, the BJGs go into the pen, and I expect them to live there for at least 3 weeks, depending on how much they grow between now and then. At two weeks, all of a sudden they are 3 times as active, standing up and stretching those little necks nice and tall, and are absolute mealworm fiends! I have been making them take mealworms one at a time from my hand, and they have not been at all reluctant to do so at all. I have been offering a little corn grits, but now they look at me like I'm an idiot for not bringing the mealworms.
And I thought Gollum liked it "raw and wriggling"...
All continues well and very routine...
The Black Jersey Giants are 2 weeks old today, and are still living in the rubbermaid brooder tub, while the 2 Golden sex links are five weeks old and are still in the pen only because it has been such miserable weather outside. As soon as it gets nice again, probably by Thursday, they are going into the coop and can work it out with the Rhode Island Reds...
I had the hardware cloth top of the brooder slid back so I could fill the feed tray and change the water, and I left it open for the moments it took to walk to the sink, rinse and fill the water dispenser, and walk back....and there was only one BJG chick in the brooder!
Instant adrenaline rush. I hollered for the Missus, and she came out to help me look, and we spotted the little varmint under the dining room table right away. I was on my hands and knees trying to gently corral her, and the Missus was too, when our pug Gus showed up. He did very well, went face to beak with the chick, and faced her down long enough for my wife to make a well-aimed grab. Lots of complaining and frantic flapping later, the chick was safely back in the brooder and out of trouble.
Those chicks are 2 weeks old today! She flew up out of a tall rubbermaid tub on the dining room table, and then parachuted to the dining room floor and landed on the carpet with what wing feathers she has grown in the last 15 days or so! Pretty impressive, and I need to be a LOT more careful when cleaning and servicing the chicks and watch how long I leave the top open. I think we'll be clipping some primary flight feathers here shortly as well.
As soon as the GSLs go to the coop, the BJGs go into the pen, and I expect them to live there for at least 3 weeks, depending on how much they grow between now and then. At two weeks, all of a sudden they are 3 times as active, standing up and stretching those little necks nice and tall, and are absolute mealworm fiends! I have been making them take mealworms one at a time from my hand, and they have not been at all reluctant to do so at all. I have been offering a little corn grits, but now they look at me like I'm an idiot for not bringing the mealworms.
And I thought Gollum liked it "raw and wriggling"...
All continues well and very routine...
