Chicken check-in
A week after their arrival, the chickens at three weeks old are doing fine. They settled in no problem, eat like maniacs, drink a lot, and I guess they’re too young to fight, ’cause they’re all getting along. I’ve been cycling through music—a radio is always on in the chickenhouse, to scare off PREDATORS—started with a couple of days of country, then a stretch of classical (they go a little crazy during big, building crescendoes), and now it’s rock (”’80s, ’90s and whatever”…a weird-format local FM station). So far, behavior seems pretty much the same no matter what’s playing—the experiment continues, maybe they want custom mix tapes. And they’re growing. They started off about the same size, but there are definitely some big guys now amongst the White Rock Cornish X, and the Frey’s Special are all at the smaller end, faster-feathering, too (there’s one on top of the waterer). They’re all getting along, but Bob noticed a red pecking spot on one of the White Rocks, so I’m gonna be watching the blending of the breeds: I read that sometimes the WRs get pecked (attacked?) because they’re slower to feather than others… The gang (the posse, the flock!) does keep busy, exploring corners and cracks, piling up and napping in sunlit patches, zipping around, drinking a lot, and of course, eating…
Definitely a lot of eating…
Shades of plump and juicy?
Doing stuff…
Portrait of a pensive chicken…
CHICKENS!!!
Somewhat related posts: • Catalog shopping: chickens on order! • Chickens arrive! • Welcome to the chickenhouse… • Chicken catalogs • Chickenhouse inspection
Meg said,
April 26, 2008 @ 7:34 am
Damn, those are some big chickens! I’m used to seeing dainty little egg layers, I think.
They are gonna make you some gooood sandwiches in a few months …
Dee said,
April 26, 2008 @ 9:39 am
I miss raising chickens. They are always so cute at this stage.
Rick said,
April 26, 2008 @ 11:19 am
The chicken house looks great. Lots of room for them to roam and be chickens. I found that as they age you can raise the feeders and waterer’s up on patio tiles and concrete blocks to keep the chicks from kicking litter in them as they scratch.
Rick
Katie said,
April 26, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Great chicken pictures. Spring is definitely here!
Heather said,
April 26, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
Hey Mike, what are you feeding your chickens, if you don’t mind me asking? I have 8 one-week old gals, and I am trying to figure out how to feed them more (all?) organically… Bags of organic feed are crazy expensive…!
Dagny McKinley said,
April 26, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Is this your first batch of chickens? I love the music experiment. There was a book written on how sound energies affect the living world around them including animals, land and water. I wonder if your chicks fall asleep with a certain song playing over and over in their heads, or if that is reserved for humans only.
Dagny McKinley
http://www.onnotextiles.com
organic apparel
rhonda jean said,
April 26, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
We keep a small flock of variety types of pure breed chickens and I have noticed over the years that colour types generally stick together. They don’t have to be the same breed, but if they’re the same colour, they usually don’t fight or peck each other.
Your chickens are delightful. It’s wonderful to see them grow.
Melissa said,
April 26, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
Wow! I envy how you have jumped right into this. Have you read “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. Have I mentioned this before? I think that you might like it.
alec said,
April 26, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
those chicks… they are unfathomably large and yet so endearing and cute! morbidly spoken, you will enjoy eating the plump munchkins(in due time, of course). -alec
Michel said,
April 27, 2008 @ 5:59 pm
may I suggest that you set up you hanging feeder asap( I saw one in your chickenhouse pic ).you will save feed, time and work. set and maintain the feeder height so that the smallest chicks have to tip-toe to get at the food. this will stop them from sweeping the food ( with their head ) on the bedding
still there doing that
christy oneal said,
April 27, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
I love chickens so much! I can’t wait to get some.
Susan said,
April 27, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
Great pictures! Looking forward to more stories:)