Tuesday, July 23, 2013

integrated


Well.
No more baby chicks;
they're all just chickens now.

Sunday night 
when the kids and I were putting up the chicks,
(who were becoming increasingly belligerent about the whole 'carry the chicks in and out' part of our daily routine)
they decided they didn't want to stay in their pen.
I felt like they were still so small to integrate
(12 and 13 weeks, I think?)
but I was getting tired of the whole carry the chicks while they fight it part of our routine,
so I figured we could give it a whirl.

Things didn't go real super at first;
the big chickens instantly started pecking on the little ones.
What?! It was night time - they were supposed to be calm.
We had a big ole ruckus going on in the coop for awhile
with chicks trying to get away from hens
and me bopping and scolding said hens
while trying to get the babies in a safe roosting spot
while hens tried to get at the chicks.

Tyler and I ended up 
(okay, so Tyler ended up)
chopping some branches that the UPS drivers knocked out of our oak tree into roosts
and screwed them securely into the coop,
so the little ones could have their own roosting space - away from the big chickens.

I went out at 6:40 yesterday,
a little anxious about what I might find.
But they were all perfectly okay.
:-)

The little ones stuck real close together all day,
and had a little trouble figuring out what to do when it came time for bed,
but I think they're going to be just fine.


2 comments:

  1. ok mamma hen! I know how you feel. let us know how it went or I'll be worried too!
    I'm a mamma hen, too, but I just have kitties to worry about. 2 are missing and one had a limp when last saw it. time will tell.
    love to all!
    mom

    ReplyDelete

You're leaving me a comment?? Oh goody! I love comments :-)