Today, I opened the grow-out coop in which I've housed 7 youngsters: 5 Olive Eggers, a BJG and LB. The latter two are pullets (from the feed store and yes, they're pullets) and the Olive Eggers are those I hatched myself. My very first incubator hatch.
2 roos, 3 pullets. Well, 5 pullets counting the LB and BJG.
The kids didn't come out right away, which wasn't a surprise. Members of the rest of the flock gathered around and poked their heads into the open door. The kids backed further into the attached pen.
After a while, the others lost interest - after tasting water from the kids' waterer, and checking out the feed in their feeder - and the kids began to venture out of the coop/run.
They had SO much fun! The ground and everything on it was SO much better than the ground they've had inside their little run! And look! a whole pile of dead branches to clamber upon!
They are all larger than the two Silver Sebright roosters (and the two Sebright pullets, one Silver and one Golden) but they were still afraid of them. Probably should be, because the Sebright boys are horn-dogs.
Had a few things to do, inside and outside, today. Got some eggs beginning to hatch in incubators, so I spent a lot of time peering into this or that incubator. On one of my trips out to check on Shirley Welsummer and her four adorable week-old chicks in the Big Coop, two of the OEs followed me. (The Big Coop is all of five feet from the youngsters' grow-out coop.) When I turned around, the little girls were looking at me. Then they followed me down the path almost back to the back porch.
At which time the two Cayuga ducks approached, in that flappy-webby hustle they do, and the OE youngsters turned and dashed back to the safety of their coop.
Everybody went back into their respective coops as the light faded, even the kids. I'm pretty jazzed at the nice, simple day we all enjoyed.
I'll open the pen door again tomorrow, even though I'll be at work all day.
2 roos, 3 pullets. Well, 5 pullets counting the LB and BJG.
The kids didn't come out right away, which wasn't a surprise. Members of the rest of the flock gathered around and poked their heads into the open door. The kids backed further into the attached pen.
After a while, the others lost interest - after tasting water from the kids' waterer, and checking out the feed in their feeder - and the kids began to venture out of the coop/run.
They had SO much fun! The ground and everything on it was SO much better than the ground they've had inside their little run! And look! a whole pile of dead branches to clamber upon!
They are all larger than the two Silver Sebright roosters (and the two Sebright pullets, one Silver and one Golden) but they were still afraid of them. Probably should be, because the Sebright boys are horn-dogs.
Had a few things to do, inside and outside, today. Got some eggs beginning to hatch in incubators, so I spent a lot of time peering into this or that incubator. On one of my trips out to check on Shirley Welsummer and her four adorable week-old chicks in the Big Coop, two of the OEs followed me. (The Big Coop is all of five feet from the youngsters' grow-out coop.) When I turned around, the little girls were looking at me. Then they followed me down the path almost back to the back porch.
At which time the two Cayuga ducks approached, in that flappy-webby hustle they do, and the OE youngsters turned and dashed back to the safety of their coop.
Everybody went back into their respective coops as the light faded, even the kids. I'm pretty jazzed at the nice, simple day we all enjoyed.
I'll open the pen door again tomorrow, even though I'll be at work all day.
