Moving day

 We have never gotten chicks so early, but the local feed store had these tiny, fluff balls up for sale in early March. We were pretty happy with ourselves, thinking that they would be of egg laying age by the middle of Summer, (versus sometime in late Sept./early Oct.) and since our old hens weren’t gifting us with many eggs lately, we were excited at the prospect of not having to hoard. What we hadn’t bargained for, was the cold, wet Spring which necessitated us keeping them in the garage, under a heat lamp for MUCH longer than we’d ever kept chicks before. 

 (Easter is on top, and Bunny is the soft, yellow chick)

 (Left to right, Monkey, Blue Blue Bert, Easter, and Bunny. Wylie helped us name them 😂)

So, they’d gotten BIG! They’d outgrown their special chick pen and took to perching on the sides of the thing, or roosting on Bruce’s Mustang. EEK!  They were SO messy, the entire garage was COVERED in dander and fine feathers. Their water container had to be filled twice a day, and they preferred eating off the floor over the chick feeder. 

This morning, Bruce and I looked at each other, and knew. Today was moving day. We had to transfer them to the barn. We had to get our garage back!

Bruce went down to the barn to hook up a heat lamp, and make sure the enclosure in the chicken coop was secure. We always keep the babies separated for a few weeks, at least, so the other hens can get used to them slowly. Meanwhile, I put our chicks in the wire cage, and walked them down to their new home. 

It was a lovely day today, sunny, warm with a blue sky, so our flock was enjoying being out of the coop. They didn’t seem very interested in the newcomers. 

 (This is Quito- our rooster)

(Quito with Henny and Penny)

(Our 4 Barred Rocks- Aggie, Bella, Henny and Penny) 

(Kate and Henny)

(Penny, Jennie, and Aggie)

With Aggie supervising, we got the chicks all snug in their enclosure. Aggie is short for Aggressive. She’s actually not that nice of a hen, and true to her nature, she immediately tried biting and pecking the chicks through the netting. 

So, it wasn’t surprising that they were a bit overwhelmed in the beginning.  Very soon, however, they realized they were safe, and settled in nicely, taking dust baths, and scratching up the dirt floor. When we put all the hens, and Quito back into the coop with the chicks, they put up quite the ruckus! Clucking, and calling- obviously gossiping with each other about the new arrivals... Quito running around, checking on his ladies and crowing loudly. The chicks huddled in a corner, and watched intently. But when I went back down a half hour ago, everyone had calmed down. I think they’ll be much happier in their roomy enclosure- and between you and me.... the barn is such a soothing, comforting place to live. Sometimes I just go down and sit on a hay bale and soak in the calm... the kittens come sit next to me, purring- the horses stand in their stalls, and munch hay- the chickens murmur and cluck softly. It’s a good place to be.