My girls are 8 weeks old today. I think Poppy might be 9 weeks old. But I'm tired of separating her from the others, so they are all the same age starting now.
I even removed the brooder from the garage on Sunday. I had left it up thinking they would be too young to know to stay out of the rain and that I might need to bring them in for a dry-off and warm-up. But I checked on them several times over our wet weekend, and they were just fine. I even found them inside their house during one down pour. I thought it was unheard of that chickens would go into their house in the middle of the day. But they were in there playing and scratching and just having a grand old time. I think I put in waaayyyyy too many pine shavings. I made it about 6 inches deep knowing they'd probably sleep in it the first few night, which they did.
Mike sprinkled just a touch of feed at the entrance a week or so ago trying to get them to go in on their own. So now they find that little bit of food and think there must be more in other corners so they just get busy digging in the shavings, kicking them everywhere. Someone even emptied one of the nest boxes of shaving, looking for treats there. Might be switching to straw sooner than anticipated.
Last night, I didn't go outside until 6:30pm when it was totally dark and had been for sometime. The girls were still out. The glow from the holiday lights gives them enough light to see. And they are probably still used to being up till 9pm. I told them that it was time to go in and Ginger quickly made her way and I helped her the rest of the way into the house. I snagged Coco next and put her in. Poppy went and stood under the house, defiantly. Mike went around one side and shooed her out the other. The funny thing is, she tried to get away from me by sneaking in between one of the support posts and the garage wall. She used to fit through that small opening, but not anymore. So she was an easy snag and we put her into the house as well.
I said to Mike, chase Pumpkin out next. To which he replied, she's not under the house. WHAT?!?
I scanned the run and didn't see her. I panicked because the gate latch doesn't catch unless you manually catch it. I fear that they will get out of their run and this was going through my head. I looked into the house and didn't see her and then bent way over to look up at the roosting bar and there she was. Looking down at me with this look like, "I DON'T like being picked up! I'll put myself to bed, Thank You!"
Alrighty then. I went out two hours later and all 4 of them were up on the roosting bar snuggled together. I gave each of them a tummy tickle. They all like that except Pumpkin, of course, who let out a big squawk.
I'll try to get a photo to post of them roosting. They are so, so cute.
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