Outside Time

[felidaet]

It was warm today and so I decided to let my older chicks experience outside for the first time. These chicks are about 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 weeks old. I let them explore the outside of the chicken run. The 1 year old birds were inside the run. At first the one year olds were afraid of the chicks. Eventually some of them got curious. The 1 year old Buff Orpington started making some noises I had never heard before. The other hens and chicks all froze and looked at her. Then the chicks got excited. I suspect they thought is was moma hen. This hen went broody twice during the winter. I thought about letting her out with the chicks but then decided against it. My SLW hen also made a similar noise that got the chicks excited.

 

[gritsar]

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

How cute! My hens are often interested in new babies. I would let the hens get used to seeing the chicks before I let them meet. I have found that letting them see them for a while before introducing them tends to eliminate the hens picking on the new additions.

 

[felidaet]

In about a month I will divide the run in half. The 1 year old hens will use 1/2 and the new additions (26 of them) will use the other 1/2. They will see each other every day for many weeks before they are integrated into one flock.

 

[Want Less]

Very cute! I love the photos of the hens staring at the chicks

 

[Jen71]

WOW! Look how big your hens look in comparison to those tiny chicks.

My girls are still so small (5 weeks old) and I can't believe that in a few months they will be giants like that. Cool!
Thanks for sharing these cute pictures.

 

[fowltemptress]

I'm picturing those hens thinking, "Are they . . . are they food?"