The chickens are happy and healthy. They are loving their new home and run. They are eager to get outside each morning. I have noticed their favorite times to be outside scavenging are in the early morning and evenings. I am getting ready to switch them over to layer feed and have been doing some research on organic feeds.
They are surprisingly quiet. They all seem to be a little skidish at times. Once you sit still for a little while the Plymouth Rocks are the first ones to come check you out. They are all growing very rapidly but the Light Brahmas have taken the lead.
If you click on the picture below to get a closer view you can see that their combs are starting to grow too.
The chickens are happy and healthy. They are loving their new home and run. They are eager to get outside each morning. I have noticed their favorite times to be outside scavenging are in the early morning and evenings. I am getting ready to switch them over to layer feed and have been doing some research on organic feeds. 
They are surprisingly quiet. They all seem to be a little skidish at times. Once you sit still for a little while the Plymouth Rocks are the first ones to come check you out. They are all growing very rapidly but the Light Brahmas have taken the lead. 
If you click on the picture below to get a closer view you can see that their combs are starting to grow too.
So cute! I can't believe it has been 7 weeks already.
ReplyDeleteyour chickens look very clean and healthy! Ive never seen chickens look so good.
ReplyDeleteI wish that was what we were eating when we buy it at the store, but, ya I dont want to think any farther.
I am so interested in this! We just got our chicks today. They are cute little birdies. My son adores them. Are yours layers or meat birds?
ReplyDeleteI love it!!
ReplyDeleteFifth Street Momma,
ReplyDeleteMy chicks are layers. How many did you get? What kinds? Aren't they just adorable when they are so tiny? Little fur balls. Let me know if you blog about them, I would love to follow your journey. It really has been fun for my family...so far!
They look great!!! I just got 20 chicks from craigslist. I had gotten older hens earlier in the spring, but they're not laying well at all, so I'm excited about my chicks! When do you know if they're roosters or hens??
ReplyDeleteHi Sara... I had chickens for several years, and they were free range (during the day). Your first priority is to keep them in the coop with a tightly closed door. Raccoons, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, etc. will all try to eat them! They dig underground, so you need a good floor on the bottom of the house. Raccoons have poseable thumbs and can turn knobs.
ReplyDeleteI had very healthy hens and a rooster... I fed them the chicken meal as a supplemental food, and fed them back their eggshells (they ingest them for the calcium to make new shells). You can also use ground oyster shells, but their own eggshells are much less expensive! I fed them lettuce (lots of lettuce), tomatoes, chicken (I know, I know - but they loved it), any meat, some cheese, and fruit - they LOVE cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, bread (sometimes) and grapes... mostly meat, salad and fruits from the table (scraps). Every day I would take them around my ranch for a 'hunting' expedition (they followed me everywhere!). We hunted escargots (they actually eat the dreaded snails!), and their FAVORITE food - worms! I had 7 horses, and a huge manure compost pile. I brought a pitchfork and when I separated some compost there would be some worms, and they dove for them... The early bird may get the worm, but the smart bird follows me when I have a pitchfork :-)
They also liked cracked corn (Chicken Scratch) which I gave them to munch on too... lots of water and you have the best pets and the best eggs (the more protein they get, e,g, worms, the darker orange their yolks - and are delicious!). Enjoy them - they will give you and your family many hours of enjoyment.
Thanks Mariel I loved reading your comment. The chickens are now about 12 weeks old and we are enjoying them so much! Your comment was very helpful because I have been reading about what kind of table scraps to start feeding them. So far they have been a little picky!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the helpful advise! I am getting ready to post another update on them in the next couple days.