JennysHens
In the Brooder
- Feb 18, 2015
- 57
- 4
- 48
Hey all! Thought I'd post some progress info/pictures 
The chicks are 2 weeks old today and doing great after a bit of a rocky start. I've named them after the main characters in Hocus Pocus! Their personalities line up with their corresponding "aged" sister (I just lump 'oldest' as biggest and 'youngest' as smallest haha) and I figured it would be a fun theme! So we have Winifred (Winnie), Mary, and Sarah. Here's hoping no roosters, or they'll just have girly names! The girls are eating like piggies and quickly out growing their brooder, so it'll be time to improvise a new living situation on my next day off, I'm thinking of making a tunnel and adding an adjoining tote since I have so many I don't use and I have all the materials for it. We shall see.
They're very eager to eat from my hand and the 'youngest,' Sarah, is extremely friendly and inquisitive and will hop on my hand so I pick her up, bring her up against my chest and she snuggles in and pecks my glasses haha. They've all learned to "step up" on my hand when I remove them to clean the brooder, I can just scoop under their bellies and they hop on my hand to move from point A to B. Every evening now before bed I scoop them up one at a time and gently stroke their backs and hold them in my lap for about 5 minutes. The eldest and youngest both fall asleep in my lap and really seem to enjoy me gently petting their backs. Mary, the middle child, is the most nervous and won't completely settle in but she's getting better and better and enjoys being pet.
Now for the best part - pictures! First the 'eldest' Winnie. She has the most white on her face and belly, in addition to being the largest:
Then we have the 'middle' girl, the more nervous Mary. She has one side of her beak that is white, the rest black:
Lastly, the 'youngest' and bravest Sarah who has the least white on her:
Forgive the big ol' preggo belly, it likes to take over any pictures it can hahaha. I finished building the coop today, so it's out in the yard airing out a bit and waiting for them to feather up. I'm hoping the warm weather keeps so I can slowly start introducing them to the outside world in another 2 weeks or so, depending on their feather condition
The chicks are 2 weeks old today and doing great after a bit of a rocky start. I've named them after the main characters in Hocus Pocus! Their personalities line up with their corresponding "aged" sister (I just lump 'oldest' as biggest and 'youngest' as smallest haha) and I figured it would be a fun theme! So we have Winifred (Winnie), Mary, and Sarah. Here's hoping no roosters, or they'll just have girly names! The girls are eating like piggies and quickly out growing their brooder, so it'll be time to improvise a new living situation on my next day off, I'm thinking of making a tunnel and adding an adjoining tote since I have so many I don't use and I have all the materials for it. We shall see.They're very eager to eat from my hand and the 'youngest,' Sarah, is extremely friendly and inquisitive and will hop on my hand so I pick her up, bring her up against my chest and she snuggles in and pecks my glasses haha. They've all learned to "step up" on my hand when I remove them to clean the brooder, I can just scoop under their bellies and they hop on my hand to move from point A to B. Every evening now before bed I scoop them up one at a time and gently stroke their backs and hold them in my lap for about 5 minutes. The eldest and youngest both fall asleep in my lap and really seem to enjoy me gently petting their backs. Mary, the middle child, is the most nervous and won't completely settle in but she's getting better and better and enjoys being pet.
Now for the best part - pictures! First the 'eldest' Winnie. She has the most white on her face and belly, in addition to being the largest:
Then we have the 'middle' girl, the more nervous Mary. She has one side of her beak that is white, the rest black:
Lastly, the 'youngest' and bravest Sarah who has the least white on her:
Forgive the big ol' preggo belly, it likes to take over any pictures it can hahaha. I finished building the coop today, so it's out in the yard airing out a bit and waiting for them to feather up. I'm hoping the warm weather keeps so I can slowly start introducing them to the outside world in another 2 weeks or so, depending on their feather condition
