They’ve only been here a couple of days yet I’m convinced they’ve grown already. They are certainly more sef-assured and protested vehemently when I put them in a cardboard box while I cleaned their cage. I was warned that even small chicks create a pong but I didn’t know they would use their food and water dispensers as a toilet. They need cleaning several times a day (the dispensers not the chickens) and this results in a certain amount of wasted pellets.
They haven’t really learned what they can or can’t eat and now that the wood chips have been removed they try to eat their droppings and tear up the newspaper as well. I put in some groundsel for them to play with and they do enjoy pecking at it.
There hasn’t been any evidence of bullying so far but some of them are flexing their wings and jumping on top of the heater.
As for the cats, they have been much better than I thought. They are interested but not agressive.
However, I’m not confident enough to leave them unsupervised in the conservatory with the chicks at night.
I could spend ages peering at the chicks and find them fascinating but the rest of the family remain fairly indifferent.
Perhaps they’ll have a change of attitude but for now they are asking, “How much longer do they have to stay indoors?”
May 5, 2010 at 9:35 pm |
Until they’re too big for a hawk or owl to get them, anyway, unless they’ll be in a run that’s completely enclosed. I think the family will be won round though – chicks are adorable but they don’t come across as individual characters in the way that hens do.
May 6, 2010 at 12:52 am |
As the chicks grow everyone will become attached to them, speciallly when they start laying.
You need an outdoor run and cage for them pretty soon. Much easier then, not all that cleaning out the muck.
May 6, 2010 at 7:15 am |
Have you named them yet?
May 6, 2010 at 8:23 am |
Z and Glennis: we have one chickenhouse (with enclosed run) but its only big enough for 3 or 4 birds. I have ordered a bigger one with run (8-12 birds) which should arrive within a week. At the moment it’s really cold outside and even in the conservatory with the heating on the chicks spend quite alot of time huddled under their warmer.
Helen: I can’t name them until I know whether they are boys or girls – and I have to admit that it’s not easy to tell them apart at all except that four are a bit smaller than the others but they are changing almost on a daily basis.
May 10, 2010 at 9:55 am |
That cat looks mighty curious. Too curious. I wonder what he’s thinking.
May 13, 2010 at 1:18 pm |
Breakfast!