Re: Chicks' first night out...

From: Ray Drouillard (cosmicNospam_at_comcast.net)
Date: 06/10/04 

Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 00:02:09 -0400

"Ronny 1" <crafti1@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:19983-40C7D78C-120@storefull-3331.bay.webtv.net...
Group: sci.agriculture.poultry Date: Mon, Jun 7, 2004, 10:59pm (CDT+1)
From: cosmicNospam@comcast.net (Ray Drouillard)
We have 54 chicks that are about three weeks old. We have been raising
them in in a couple stock watering tubs, but quarters are starting to
get crowded.
A few days ago, I made a chicken wire enclosure that measures perhaps 15
by 20 feet. The chicken wire is surrounded by three strands of electric
fence to keep marauding predators out.
After I built it, I carted all 54 of the little critters out there. They
immediately started jumping and trying to fly. They bounced all over the
place and seemed to be having a grand time. It was really funny watching
them spar. I hated to bring them back in, but nights were still a bit
chilly and I was worried about rain. There wasn't any shelter out there
at the time.
We did the same thing for a couple days, but nights are now warm, and I
used one of the stock tubs to build a rudimentary shelter for them
(stone, covered by a plastic stock tub). Later in the day, we caught all
of the chicks and put them into the shelter, then left the pen to let
them leave the shelter on their own. They did that, and continued to
peck around and take dust baths (red pine needles make wonderful litter)
and do other chicken things. Later, they all started to complain, then
settled down in a pile in the corner of the pen. After they settled
down, it was easy for my son and I to pick them up and stuff them into
their shelter. They seem to still be there, so all is well now.
Hopefully, they'll figure out where they're supposed to sleep soon.
Ray

Seems they are doing very good. :-)

I wish I could put my larger and smaller guinea keets out on the ground
now;but I worry about the fire ants we have here. I hate those things
and it is past time I put out some more poison for them as I've noticed
several mounds in the yard and outside the yard.

It is good to see any young poultry flapping around and trying out their
wings for the first time! LoL
Ronny

I can sympathize about the fire ants. I'm sure that if we had them, I
would hate them. I hope the guineas will feed on them once they grow
up. Here in Michigan, I hope they eat all the deer ticks in the area.

For the past two nights, the chicks have all gone into their shelter
without help. It looks like they learn quick.

Today, they figured out how to get out of the pen. They were hungry,
and they mobbed me when I approached the gate. They found a little hole
and kept coming out. I have noticed that the barred rocks are
particularly brassy little monsters.

I had my son guard the hole while I grabbed a bunch of chick starter and
chick grit. I also retrieved that cricket that was still chirping away
in the keet brooder (I moved them to the 100 gallon stock feeder and
they are having a grand time). The little white rock that took the
cricket from me knew what to do with it :-)

The chicks followed me to the feeder (It holds something like five or
six pounds, so I didn't expect it to run out so quickly), trampled over
my feet, and generally participated in a feeding frenzy.

By the way, I recall a post by someone who's young chickens flew over a
six foot fence in search of greens. I saw our chicks do exactly that
with the four foot chicken wire fence that we have. They actually ran
up the fence with wings a-flapping. They didn't bother with such
gymnastics after I fed them. That's good, because I would hate to have
to figure out a way to keep them from going over. Maybe a strand of
electric fence wire an inch or two above the fence...

Ray Drouillard

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