In the world of raising chickens from hatchlings, there are many changes that happen in any given week. But this was a week of dramatic change and, dare I say it, adventure!
Let’s start with last Sunday. In New Hampshire, the weather was very nice last Sunday, so I made the decision to take the bin of chicks outside, so they could start to get familiar with their eventual home and life in the great outdoors. I was working in the yard and doing odd chores, so I left the bin in the front of the house and went about my work. A few hours later, the weather had turned, which meant that the chicks’ outside adventure was done.
On Monday I decided it was time to split up the chicks. They had increased by about 300% in size and weight, making their one bin too crowded for 18 of our avian babies. I took another bin and moved nine of them (mixing the breeds up in each new community). Using some burlap that I had I made a cover that I thought would be secure enough to keep them in place. (Though certain other people in the house raised an eyebrow to this idea.)
On Tuesday, I went into the office in the morning after feeding and watering the chicks. An hour after being at work, I received a call from Michele at home asking if one of the chicks had died, and had I just kept it a secret not to upset the kids. With my definitive “no”, the alarm went out that we had an escapee. Michele and my daughter, Sam, thoroughly searched the house, and it became apparent that the chick was not inside and had escaped while I had them outside. Two days for a chick outside at this stage does not lend itself for much chance of survival, but a half hour later Michele called to let me know that she had found our newly named “Miracle Girl” outside, hiding under a large hosta. Miracle Girl was safe, healthy, and reunited with her feathered friends.
Through Wednesday morning it appeared that my split of the tribe into two sects had gone well. Both groups liked their new homes and actually seemed happier with the increased space. However, upon my return from work on Wednesday, I was greeted by nine chicks roaming the living room! Looking like a scene from the Great Escape, the chicks had busted through the burlap, which apparently was not so secure! I returned our chicks to their home and cleaned up the prodigious mess they had made. This time I decided to secure the top of the bin with a plastic cover with 1 inch holes drilled in it for air. Like the commandant at Stalag 17 , I proclaimed, “There will be no more escapes!”
The adventure has been exciting this week for us and the chickens. Photos of the post-jail break bin, “Miracle Girl”, and others follow.
Photos From the Week:
Blondie Around Town:
Post Jail Break Home:
Miracle Girl:
The Flock:
Blondie in the Mix:
