[Click on any pic to enlarge]
“Oooh, look, she opened the door!”
“So that’s a door. Huh. Doesn’t look like much to me.”
Two beaks and a bottom checking out the door/ramp:
“Maybe I’ll give it a shot. I’m brave. What do you guys think?”
Slowly…slowly…
“Hey! This isn’t too bad!”
“Look at me! It’s kinda nice out here…”
“Come on, everyone! This is fun!”
One of the first brave chicks to go all the way down the ramp to the grass:
A gratuitous shot of my favorite little peep:
The chicks (three weeks old now!) are out and about every day now. At any given moment, there are up to eight chicks out there. The smaller ones tend to stay inside, where it’s warm. At least half the flock has never even stepped foot outdoors, and that’s okay. Because we kept them locked in the coop for several days before moving them outside, they know that it’s home, so they’re not likely to go down the ramp and forget to come back up. I figure they’ll go out when they’re ready, and if we don’t force it, they won’t be as likely to get stuck outside.
Today, it’s blustery, cold, and rainy. I hesitated to put the ramp down, because I didn’t want to have to crawl back in the run and fetch a cold, peeping chick out of there. (I had to do that during the first two days.) But they are so happy outside, so I gave in, and immediately, three or four chicks came flying out the door. They always fly out first thing, and jump around happily, fluttering their wings and making happy peepy noises. There are less outside today than usual, which proves to me that they are smart and won’t go out if it’s too cold.
Last night, for the first time, I went out at dusk and they were all inside! I didn’t have to fetch any chicks! Woo hoo! I love our little tractor, but it’s not very human-friendly, if you know what I mean. My back is killing me after a few days of finding lost chicks under the coop. And don’t even ask me about the chick poo on my jeans!
Reading about how eager your chicks are to get outside reminded me that our rooster often “rides” the ramp as it opens in the morning, surboard style. It’s very funny.
We kept our chicken tractor (which looks remarkably similar to yours) next to the back of the house during winter to protect it a little bit from the weather. On Sat. we moved it into the yard and I hoed and raked over the area where the tractor had been sitting. I must say, 2 chickens make a lot of poop. But it should make a great place to grow zucchini this summer.
that will be some awesome zucchini!
isn’t it amazing the way they’re programmed? they need to roost when it’s dark, and they can’t see in the dark…so they know exactly when to get back inside. although your chicks probably aren’t rossting yet? are they all still huddling in the same corner all night long??
they’re getting BIG!!! adorable.
there are a handful who are roosting, and others that try to roost but fall off when they fall asleep and forget to tuck their heads just right. it’s so funny.
most of them all sleep in a couple of piles scattered about. there’s usually about three piles of sleeping chicks, and a few loners, then the roosting ones.
i can’t believe how big they are, already. we have a couple of runts, but they’re hanging in there. now they’re approaching teenagerdom and looking all awkward and gangly.