This week marked another first for the Rudd Rangers; they experienced freedom!
It was brief, it was supervised, but it was freedom! It was really hilarious to see them running and FLYING out of the tractor door! They were very excited!
However, the possibility of losing one to a predator scares me to death, so I usually end up corralling them back inside after an hour or two Since they have grown up in the chicken tractor, they do not stray to far from it When the sun is gets
My lovely assortment of chicks have officially made it to the one month mark! At about 3 weeks old, they graduated to the handy-dandy chicken tractor to receive some much needed fresh air and more space They also are now eating pellets, instead of crumble It is important to always keep youngsters away from older hens If you put them together too soon, you’ll quickly see nature’s “pecking order” in full swing It is best to keep your babies separate until they are almost equal in size to full grown hens (about 4 months of age)
The past few weeks have flown by with my colorful, rainbow batch of chicks!
They have been relatively low maintenance up until this point When you have chicks during hotter months, it is important to make sure they don’t get overheated during the daytime
Their wing and tail feathers have grown in Usually feathers on the head come in very last There have been 3 pleasant days where we have let them outside during the day We put them in our handy, now empty, chicken tractor Ideally, the tractor would have rabbit wire, but it only has chicken wire Luckily, the chicks have grown in size and cannot fit through the holes
Their first time in a bigger house was super exciting!
They ran around and flew off the grass, like little baby pigeons! Picking grass, taking a dust bath, and practicing perching Like a proud parent, I loved seeing all their firsts! My toddler loves sitting in the tractor with them and she will have them tame in no time!
Unlike the Rangers, these chicks all look very different! So, naturally, we have favorites There’s Stormy the black and white mystery girl, Lemongrab, the one we can’t decide will be white or gray, and Sunny
Sunny is very “special” Ever since taking her out of the box, I noticed something was off about this dark gray, almost blue, cutie She doesn’t have splay leg, but has trouble getting around She acts dizzy I have tried different things to help her, but nothing has changed It must be a neurological tick She is still eating, drinking, and longs to be with the others
Some of the chicks did develop mild cases of “pasty butt,” or as my toddler lovingly calls it, “tasty butt” Pasty butt happens when chicks have a little ball of poop on the outside of their little bottoms It is fairly common in chicks that have been shipped, and thankfully, easy to fix By carefully picking off the hard bits with a warm, wet paper towel, it is cured
Other than that, they are a lively, vivid little bouquet of chicks!
Our colorful mix of chicks have made it to be almost 2 months old!
They have been living in the outdoor chicken tractor permanently, with some supervised freedom They love scratching around in the tall grass and under the muscadine vines Like the Rudd Rangers, they see the tractor as their home and never stray too far from it!
Fully feathered, they are sporting their adult colors, but are only about 1/3 the size of a full grown hen
The little black chick, who had a white face, white belly, and specks on her
Our 15 Rudd Rangers arrived safely this morning!
The post office gave me a call first thing Thursday morning and we picked them up It’ a good idea to call your local post office as soon as you get your shipping confirmation email from Hoover’s Give them your name and number and tell them you are expecting chicks to arrive in 1-2 days Once you get to the post office, immediately peek inside your box and make sure all the chicks are alive It is rare, but it does occasionally happen that some
This week, the Rudd Rangers are officially 2 months old!
They have made it about 2/3 of the way through their time here on our farm It seems like a lifetime ago that they were fluffy chicks in a delivery box!
Big storms were due to roll in Sunday night, so we decided to move the Rangers into a more secure coop The chicken tractor is fine for rainy days, but it is very lightweight With the threat of strong winds and possible tornadoes, we decided to move all 13
Having your own laying hens can be super rewarding, and it can be extra exciting getting eggs from your flock!
This week I received a box of happiness from Hoover’s- an assortment of egg layers!
Upon opening the box, I was struck by how beautiful they all were! It was like opening a treasure box for a crazy chicken lady! They looked like tiny gemstones; each one different from the other! As soon as I opened the box to inspect them all, I saw one of the dark grey chicks was acting very weak It had
The chicks are now 6 weeks old and moving their tractor everyday has become a part of my daily routine It is hard to believe that not too long ago, they were little fluff balls arriving in the mail! They are still the most friendly birds we have ever had! It is the highlight of my daughter’s day to go see them She even has a pony, but poor Sebastian cannot hold a candle to the love she has for her chickens!
Our Rudd Ranger chicks are turning from babies into teenagers right before our eyes!
They are growing more “real” feathers, and just like true teenagers, love to act silly and play rough with each other One of their favorite things to do is run as fast as they can into another chick and at the last second, fly over its head! I gave them a couple branches in the brooder for entertainment I can see how they would easily get bored in the brooder, but it is still the safest place for them
This week the Rudd Rangers are turning 7 weeks old, with about 5 weeks left until processing day This week they have seemed to have made a leap in growth That is one thing I have learned about meat birds; they will appear to have a “lull” in growth for a couple of weeks, then you turn around, and almost overnight they have made huge leaps in size! They are still drinking about 2 gallons of water per day, but this week have increased their feed intake to a full feeder each day! Last week, they
