Chicks

[Mugwump]

...great pics !....they're getting big fast.....how long to maturity 

[LizStreithorst]

They start laying at around 6 months.  They're just 2 1/2 months right now.

[LizStreithorst]

The chicks, they won't be chickens until they start to lay, have been enjoying all the rain we've had.  When it's raining they stay inside the chicken house with well balanced commercial food free choice.  When it quits raining they go out and snag the red wigglers that come to the surface if the soil so they can breath.  I've watched them hunt for worms.  The big ones are better at it that the smaller ones because they know how to find the best food.  At least that's what I think.  Then the young tender grass crickets hatch out.  I've never caught them catching a cricket but I'm sure they do.  I bet they catch all kinds of weird stuff that I don't even know about.  Life is good now for them.

The chick that I thought was a rooster is a hen.  She's my best looking hen.  I like her conformation.  She stands tall and has almost no back like a show chicken of her breed.  I spotted the rooster when he started growing wattles.  So far I consider him to be average in conformation.  He is still quite young.  He might change but I won't count on it.  If one of my hens goes broody I know whose eggs I will stick under her.

[wsantia1]

The chicks, they won't be chickens until they start to lay, have been enjoying all the rain we've had.  When it's raining they stay inside the chicken house with well balanced commercial food free choice.  When it quits raining they go out and snag the red wigglers that come to the surface if the soil so they can breath.  I've watched them hunt for worms.  The big ones are better at it that the smaller ones because they know how to find the best food.  At least that's what I think.  Then the young tender grass crickets hatch out.  I've never caught them catching a cricket but I'm sure they do.  I bet they catch all kinds of weird stuff that I don't even know about.  Life is good now for them.

The chick that I thought was a rooster is a hen.  She's my best looking hen.  I like her conformation.  She stands tall and has almost no back like a show chicken of her breed.  I spotted the rooster when he started growing wattles.  So far I consider him to be average in conformation.  He is still quite young.  He might change but I won't count on it.  If one of my hens goes broody I know whose eggs I will stick under her.

Those nice looking chicks are really getting nice and big, Liz. Great job.

[Mugwump]

.....soon you'll have delicious fresh eggs.....MMMMmmmmm....

[LizStreithorst]

I got a nice shot of Mr. Pecker this afternoon.

[Mugwump]

...very nice.....

[LizStreithorst]

The dang chickens have me trained.  Just before the 4th of July weekend I went to the feed store and got 50 lbs of dog, 50 lbs. of horse, and 50 lbs. of chick starter.  When I opened the chick starter it was "scratch".  I looked for the tag and there was no tag.  Pissed me off because I know that scratch has little nutritional value and I wouldn't be going back to town for 4 days!  I had no choice, I filled their feeder with it.

They Adore that stuff!!!!!!  These are free range chicks with good quality commercial food free choice but they couldn't get enough of that crappy scratch.  12 chicks ate 2 1/2 gallons of it in 4 days!

My next work day I went to the feed store, told them what happened, and asked to get a bag of chick starter for the price of scratch.  No big deal.  The big deal is that I started throwing the chicks several handfuls of scratch after work every day.  They love it so much that they will eat it out of my hand!  Chickens are afraid of everything.  They are easy targets for predators.  Mine have the free range of as many acres as they want to explore but I the only open space I ever see them in is in my front yard.  I'm happy that they have good instincts but the scratch will help them be unafraid of me.  I just wish that when they didn't get their scratch as soon as I get home they wouldn't come to the front door begging for it!

chickens are a hoot.

[Tony44]

Well at least you won't have to chase them just scatter some and they will keep following u lol

[Mugwump]

...I'd love to watch you feed your full crew...I'll bet it's a hoot...

[LizStreithorst]

It's fun for a country bumpkin like me.  Don't think that city folk would find it interesting.