Moving the Chicks out to Pasture

We've had the 24 chicks that we hatched out of our incubator in a chicken coop in the garage for a little over a month now.  They are really growing quickly.  They are no longer the cute little puff balls that they once were, but have put on feathers.  I still can't tell which are pullets and which are cockerels, but we'll continue to watch their comb development.  When we open the little door to feed and water them each day, several fall out on the ground and we have to pick them up and put them back inside.

Gathering by the edge of the cage

As you might imagine, 24 chicks in our garage creates a very... aromatic environment.  Even though we aren't people who keep our vehicles spotless and shiny, my commuting car has been sitting outside in the weather as its spot has been occupied by the Chick Mobile.  It was past time to move these little guys and gals out onto the grass in the pasture.  As I completed repair on the chicken tractor the other day, yesterday proved to be an opportune time for the move.

Making a big mess int the garage

Our Chick Mobile is simply a little chicken coop or rabbit hutch that was given to me whose legs had fallen off.  I simply placed it on top of our utility wagon and that enables us to pull it out of the garage, if we wanted to, or at least to the edge of the garage so the birds could get fresh air and sunshine.

Having the coop on wheels made it easy to transport the chicks out to their new home on the pasture. I pulled them out of the garage, over the bridge, around the garden, and to the chicken tractor.  The chicken tractor will serve as their home for the next 20 weeks until they lay their first eggs.  Then I'll open the doors and they'll free range.  The hens, that is.  We'll butcher the roosters and eat them.

The Multi-purpose Chick Mobile

These 24 birds we hatched out of our incubator and we have several breeds of chickens currently on our little farm.  That means many of our chicks are cross bred, although some may be pure bred.  It is a little hard to tell.  The one in my right hand below appears to have a lot of Aracauna in her/him. The one in my left hand appears to be a Black Star.

Moving into a more spacious home

Two by two I moved them out of the Chick Mobile and into the Chicken Tractor.  I think they liked the way the grass felt on their feet.  They ran around and checked out their new home.

In you go

Before long I had all 24 in the tractor and very quickly they started piling up on one another in the corner sort of behind the hanging feed trough a friend made for me with some leftover sheet metal. You really have to watch the chicks when they start piling up, because they'll trample and suffocate each other. They'll do this if they are cold or they'll do this if they are nervous or stressed.  It is around 90 degrees still, so they're not cold!

Piling Up

The reason they are stressed is because there were already some occupants in the chicken tractor. Yep, the Momma Hen and her 3 little biddies that she hatched out have been in the tractor since I put them there a few days ago after the chicks were getting into the garden.  The Momma Hen saw all the new chicks as a threat to her chicks or as a threat to the food for her chicks.  She started clucking loudly and becoming a little aggressive, pecking at the incubator chicks.  This caused them to pile up. We can't have that.  I got my net and scooped up Momma Hen and put her outside the tractor.  She took off to the barn.  Maybe she was ready for a break from her kids!

A Protective Mother

It soon got dark on me and after checking on the chicks, they were still piled up on one another.  I went and got the heat lamp, hung it from the roof of the tractor and ran an extension cord and plugged it in.  I wish you could've seen what happened next.

The chicks immediately dispersed.  Bugs and moths of all type began being attracted to the light and the chicks instinctively began chasing, capturing and devouring them.  It was neat to watch them eat the unfortunate bugs.  Many insects met their demise last night due to the new occupants of the chicken tractor. 

The All You Can Eat Insect Cafe

Have you ever gone to a party or event where you don't know anybody?  You might feel a little awkward and out of place?  While you want to be social, part of you feels self conscious and so you retreat to a corner, the back of the room, or some other "safe" place?

Well, that's apparently how the three chicks that were already in the chicken tractor when the 'incubator chicks' arrived.  You can see how they've flown up to the roosting bar and are sitting up there out of the way acting shy while all the other chicks interact with one another.  

On the Roost

In a few days they'll make friends and will mix with they others.  Before you know it, they'll be in the insect buffet line with the rest of the flock.  Well, now it's time to go clean up the garage.  There's a lot of chick fertilizer in there that can be scattered in the garden.  And I've got a car looking to reclaim its spot!