My, How They've Grown
Apr. 20th, 2012 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocusSo today was exciting for the new poultry flock. They moved from the old bathtub in the garage that was under the brooder and into the chicken coop. It will be much easier to keep them clean now. They can turn pine shavings into sludge in a matter of 12 hours and in the hen house you can open the back and just rake the gunge out and easily replace it. That was a lot harder to do in the tub.
The old flock was very curious as to what the commotion was about.
The reddish brown one is Queen, the gold, brown and black one is Kyri, the black and white one is Patricia, and the white one is Navi.
First we filled the bottom of a container with shavings and transferred the chicks.
Then we transferred the ducks.
This is their new home. Mom and T were putting in a new red light so they youngsters will be warm enough.
And here they all are (save the four grown ups, who are out roaming) inside the coop. That's nine chicks and four ducks. I think a couple of them scooted forward into the nesting boxes.
You can't see it but there is a mesh screen separating 1/3 of the coop for the older chickens so they can still go in and out down the ramp and so they don't pick on the youngsters. It gives them a chance to get used to each other without allowing the old ones to peck the young ones.
The youngsters all seem very happy about having more space. Plus they were flying up to roost on the perches. There are three levels of perches so there is plenty of room for everyone.
I can't wait until they get big enough to start laying eggs. Right now we get between 2 and 3 eggs a day from the four and that's not enough for everyone. When these girls start laying we'll be giving them away again.
I will be glad when the ducks can go out more. We are teaching them to swim on the warm days. Being able to get them in water helps them not to look so ratty. But their feathers are still coming in so that is part of why they look that way, too. Most days have been too cold to have them in the water. The chicks are almost completely feathered so they don't look ratty, just like awkward adolescents.
The old flock was very curious as to what the commotion was about.
The reddish brown one is Queen, the gold, brown and black one is Kyri, the black and white one is Patricia, and the white one is Navi.
First we filled the bottom of a container with shavings and transferred the chicks.
Then we transferred the ducks.
This is their new home. Mom and T were putting in a new red light so they youngsters will be warm enough.
And here they all are (save the four grown ups, who are out roaming) inside the coop. That's nine chicks and four ducks. I think a couple of them scooted forward into the nesting boxes.
You can't see it but there is a mesh screen separating 1/3 of the coop for the older chickens so they can still go in and out down the ramp and so they don't pick on the youngsters. It gives them a chance to get used to each other without allowing the old ones to peck the young ones.
The youngsters all seem very happy about having more space. Plus they were flying up to roost on the perches. There are three levels of perches so there is plenty of room for everyone.
I can't wait until they get big enough to start laying eggs. Right now we get between 2 and 3 eggs a day from the four and that's not enough for everyone. When these girls start laying we'll be giving them away again.
I will be glad when the ducks can go out more. We are teaching them to swim on the warm days. Being able to get them in water helps them not to look so ratty. But their feathers are still coming in so that is part of why they look that way, too. Most days have been too cold to have them in the water. The chicks are almost completely feathered so they don't look ratty, just like awkward adolescents.
