TheCoop

Even with plenty of room the ladies are getting restless and are looking for distractions. A few of them have begun jumping up to the top of the brooder and looking around whenever the opportunity presents itself. We'll have to take them outside in the next few days so that they can do some proper exploration.

The first minute of today's video is through the acrylic front of the brooder and at eye level for the ladies. It's amazing how many more will approach us after just feeding them treats by hand. We also appear to have a bully of sorts. Mothra, one of the Brahmas, has been pecking at the others the last few days. She's the center of attention at 0:10 and 2:20 in the timeline. She can be seen pecking Libby in the latter segment. Although most of the others hold their own against her there is a Lavender Orpington and a Barnevelder that are looking a bit bare in spots. :-(

The ladies really enjoy their BSF larvae.

The ladies were introduced to grit today. They aren't quite sure what it's all about yet but Beatrice and one of the Lavender Orpingtons have given it a try. They also had their first taste of black soldier fly larvae today which was a crazy huge hit. Every single one of them tolerated being pet while eating from our hands. We'll post a video of that soon.

The ladies enjoy a quiet early evening

The new brooder has been built and the ladies have moved in. They sound so much happier! They spent about an hour checking out their new digs and settled in for a nap. Fun fact, the sides already aren't high enough.

It's hard to believe but the ladies are fourteen days old today. There are bits of fluff in the air every time someone fly-hops and they seem to need more room to do some of the things that they want to. Thankfully, their new brooder is finished and they will be moving tomorrow!

Beatrice escaped today and we retrieved her from the rim of the brooder. It was quite an exciting experience for everyone involved including Cinnamon who was certain that she was going to get her first taste of live chicken. 😮

The ladies started using a nipple waterer today. They took to it immediately and it took zero real transition time. We left the old waterer in for a couple of hours but no one was using it so we took it out. It will be nice not to have to empty shavings out of the water tray multiple times a day and the extra room will be good for them. It's definitely time to build the new brooder.

The ladies made quick work of their first layer of bedding so more had to be added. They are much happier with fresh shavings to scratch. Beatrice made it to the top of the brooder this morning and is actively trying to find opportunities to explore the outside world.

Friday morning and the ladies were up and at 'em early.

The ladies have enjoyed a raucous morning, some food, and human interaction. Time for a well deserved nap.

They've been with us for a week today and all of them have easily doubled in size. Beatrice attempted to escape several times with impressive results so it's time for the top. They are really getting good at using their wings to fly-hop around.

Only six days old and their wing feathers are getting long. The Buckeyes are starting to show a lot of white at their shoulders and tips and the Barnevelders have a hint of their black lacing.

The chicks are four days old today and transitioned from paper towels to pine shaving bedding. They love it!