The Big Day

The Big Day 

February 7, 2021


(The chicks free ranging together!)

Last Saturday was "the big day" for the chicks. They were officially 6 weeks old!!! Which means they now have a world of opportunities to unlock! The chicks were introduced to 3 new experiences that revolve around the 6 week point in their lives: free ranging, no heat lamp, and treats! It really was a big day for them!

Free ranging: First thing in the morning, I took the chicks outside of their brooder and into a world of grass and sunlight. They got to free range with the hens and Lafayette! I think the chicks did well around the older girls. They were brave enough to try to eat grass along with Angelica, who is usually known to be the meanest henpecker. A few times, the hens ventured to try a peck at one of the chicks, but Lafayette wouldn't allow any such thing. If he noticed a hen sneaking over toward a chick, he would grab them by the neck and shoo them away from the chick. He was set on making the chicks his newest ladies!

No heat lamp: While the chicks were free ranging with the older flock, I cleaned out their brooder. One of the things I made sure to do was to unplug their heat lamp. Now that they're 6 weeks old, they are fully feathered, and no longer need heat to survive. Still, the chicks were a little confused when they came back to the brooder after free ranging and found that the heat lamp was off!

Treats: Now that the chicks are 6 weeks old, they can digest things other than their chick feed. So, I let them sample tiny apple bits, mealworms, and scratch grains. I think they liked the apple best. While they were free ranging, they also got to eat grass!

As for the chicks' future...we might keep them if we're able to build a bigger coop. If not, then we'll have to sell them. I hope they're enjoying life here. Saturday really was quite "the big day" for the chicks!

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