2 Weeks old

Hard to believe how fast these little guys grow. I got them a nice branch yesterday to climb around a little bit.

As usual, everybody stared at the new item at first. It is really funny, because they all just stand still staring at the item, then usually a few get brave to check it out, and then everybody gets in on the fun.
Today I started to get them to "step up" meaning to step onto my hand. It's quite difficult to work with a group of 10 to teach them stuff, so I hope once they are moved to the outside, I can set up a little training area so I can work with them individually, so each will know their name and a few cues to make husbandry easier. Maybe teach them a few cute tricks too. Chickens are just so much fun and these little babies each have their own personalities.

Tobi started this morning wanting to climb up my arm, she is really eager to get on my hand, today was the first day that I really worked on this and already 5 of them got on my hand, the rest will come up on the branch and take the lettuce from my hand.

12 Days young,

when I checked on my chicks first thing this morning I happened to witness Tobi's first successful flight up to the crate. Looked at her standing there all proud of herself, pooped twice on top of the crate too, before she flew off again. I can't believe these chicks are only 12 days old. Already they are getting pretty big and everybody is practicing flying. Found Tippi, who is the other Barred Leghorn, on top of the feeder this afternoon. The mini-perch is quite popular, but I think they would probably already like a higher one, of course then they would probably use it as a launch pad to fly over the top of their enclosure.

This little Ameraucana has just the prettiest wings, and look at the tail feathers growing.

Today was really a big day, they ate their first lettuce, I offered it from my hand and they nipped off small pieces (from the lettuce) and some of them ate it, some dropped it. The two little Delaware chicks Bianca and Pearl are usually the first ones to investigate, every time I show up at least one of them comes running to see what's going on. As soon as one of them started pecking off pieces of the lettuce the rest joined in. I find it really interesting how these little birds flock together. They really copy behaviors, if one does something the rest wants to do it too, if one runs for the hills, they usually all do.So then the little crew took a sun bath and I noticed that some of them were rolling around and flapping their wings like chickens do when they take a dust bath. So I figured they are letting me know that it's time to provide them with a sandbox, so they could take a dust bath. I had recently scoped out a place in the desert that had some nice sand, so off we went to get a few shovels full of sand for the chicks. I mixed it with diatomacous earth, and then waited to see who would go in first. Everybody checked out the ramp going up, but as usual is was Bianca who came to investigate and when I held my hand into the box she came in to investigate. The sandbox was a favorite all afternoon, and little Sophie couldn't get enough of rolling around in the sand and flapping her wings to load the sand on her back. I am just amazed at all the things they already do, and they aren't even 2 weeks old yet. It also makes me sad to think about all the chickens that grow up in facilities that only care about producing eggs or meat, without concern for the environmental enrichment of these intelligent little birds.

One week pictures,


I had the little chicks for one week now, so here are pictures from yesterday, they were 8 days old, first one is of little Pearl, she is a Delaware,the second picture is Sophie on the left, she is an Ameraucana, on the right is Goldie, she is a Golden Campine
The third picture is Tobi, she is a Barred Leghorn, and I am wondering if it is a little cockerel, I hope not, but she sure has an attitude.

Next picture, Tobi showing off, Pearl to the right, and Goldie with a piece of red lettuce. The orange chick is a Buff Orpington, but I have trouble keeping them apart if I don't see them next to each other.


More red lettuce activity on this picture, I actually gave them all about 6 pieces of lettuce, but if one picks up a piece, she starts shrieking and running and everybody chases after the one who is shrieking, I even observed some "tug-of-war", and the expression on their faces when the piece tore into two pieces was priceless, it was a look of "now what, we each have a piece". In the background is a Buff Orpington, in the foreground from left to right is Tobi - Barred Leghorn, Pearl - Delaware, Tippi - Barred Leghorn, Sophie - Ameraucana and Lucy - Ameraucana.


The last picture is of Sophie and Pearl plotting their escape, they both looked up at the fence and then flew up, luckily they can't fly well enough yet to get over the little fence. It is amazing to watch their feathers grow every day, on some almost all the fuzz on the wings is gone today, and they tail feathers seem to be growing next, the tails are definetely longer today, have to get more pictures of the tails in the next few days. All I can say is these little chicks are just too cute. Well, I guess they have to be, otherwise who would want them, they are pooping all over the place - constantly.

My new Arrivals,

today I got my very first chicks, a total of 10, 2 of each breed, Delawares, Ameraucanas, Buff Orpingtons, Golden Campines and Barred Leghorns. The first picture shows them all, the two Ameraucanas look quite fluffy. I picked them up this morning and they already look like they are bigger and more active, trying to fly around in their box, pecking at the cardboard and generally making a mess.

Oh yes, I have been warned that they are messy. Hopefully they will grow fast so they can move to their new home in the yard where a brand new henhouse is waiting for them, the weeds are growing and probably there will also be a few bugs for them to eat.

The first pictures on these little girls were taken within a couple hours of getting here, 12 hours later they seemed to have grown already and they are getting quite rambuctious, pecking at the walls of their box.

So I threw a little bit of fresh grass in there, which resulted in some mad dashes around the box, there was enough grass for everybody, but it seems like whenever one of them picks up a blade of grass everybody wants it and the one who holds it in its beak runs like mad to hold on to it.

This chick here is a little Barred Leghorn

In the foreground here is a little Ameraucana. This breed lays eggs that are usually green, but can be bluish or even pinkish. We will see what our little girls will produce. My two Ameraucana chicks are the calmest chicks of the bunch, when I pick them up they just lie down in my hand and are content.

the last picture shows Bianca, one of the Delaware chicks. She always comes running as soon as I put my hand in the box, and she doesn't seem to mind much being picked up. The other Delaware chick also comes up when I reach into the box, her name is Pearl.