Time to grow up

"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
The chicks featured in the previous post have been promoted to the great outdoors. It was time. The brooder tanks were getting quite crowded and they were starting to fly.

Moving them outside serves several purposes. The most obvious being that it gives them more room to roam. It also puts meaning to their scratching in hopes they will find creepy, crawly things in the dirt. Their feed trays have been put away and food is spread on the ground morning and evening. After they eat, they spend the remainder of their time scratching & searching. (Incidentally, the rich, dark yellow yolk is a by-product of those creepy/crawly things.) In the meantime, they are introduced to the big guys (see, hear, and get used to each other without actually being together).

The brooder room remains open all day with a heat lamp glowing constantly. Those who are not sporting enough feathers can still find warmth. Eventually, they will learn the routine of being out and about during the day and in the henhouse at night. That, however, is still a lesson in progress. At first, none of them knew they should go in at night. One would think they would remember the heat lamp, but not so. We had to literally carry each one into the brooder room and place them under the lamp. More and more find their way each night, but there are still a few that need assistance.

In three to four weeks, they should be completely feathered and ready to make the big move to the henhouse.