Out of the Brooder!

The Chicks were one week old on Saturday.  Their wings have feathered out nicely which means they can get by with a little less body heat from Mama Hen. They are much more active and were running all over the brooder/nursery on their one week birthday. This must be the reason she decided to move them out of it and back into the coop and with the flock. She did this yesterday evening at some point because when we went to put them up for the night she was in the coop with the rest of the flock and she had her babies snuggled under her.

Hello World. 

Proud Mama

 I've been waiting for them to be able to be out of that brooder and into this warm sunshine, anyway. And they really do seem to enjoy it. At one week they are sun bathing and dust bathing and scratching for grains. And their little fluffy butts are clean, which is a real issue with chicks. A case of 'pasty butt' can kill them. And they preen, just like Mama and just like little girl chicks do.

'The girls'

"Ooooh, boy does that sun ever feel good."

 You might notice I use the feminine a lot when I talk about the chicks. Truth is I have no idea of the sex of either of them but we like to think positively. The last time we hatched our own eggs in an incubator we got 7 hatches and 5 were boys.

"Right here, girls! Here's a tasty one."

"Yeah, um... we're staying in the big house
 now.  Make a note of it."

We talked about moving her back to the brooder until they were at least another week older but if that's where she wants them that's where she will move them every day. I worry about the older hens hurting or killing them and definitely worry about the rooster.  This morning, though, it was business as usual letting them out of the coop and the babies were running around the coop floor while Mama Hen scratched around showing them what to eat. The other adults completely ignored them. All they were focused on was getting out of there to start their day.

Feathered wings will help her stay warm and less dependent
on Mom's body heat.

Attentive Mama

So now, Mama Hen is scratching around the pen area and taking them around the yard but staying very close to the coop where they can run for cover if they need to. PeeWee, the rooster, came around a few times today and she does her best to run him off. The chicks duck under the coop and Mama Hen puffs herself up and  warns him not to come any closer. It's amazing to watch and nerve wracking all at the same time. I keep thinking they are so little it wouldn't take much for that rooster to kill one if he got ahold of it.  But this is nature. And deciding to let nature take it's course allows for all sorts of things to happen.  From what we've seen so far, she has been a pretty good Mother and there shouldn't be much to worry about. Actually, after the way I've seen her act when any of the other chickens come around, especially PeeWee, I feel honored that she doesn't seem to mind me coming over to visit and get my camera all up in her business. But it must be because of all the peanuts and meal worms I've given her.  There you go, PeeWee... wine and dine her with peanuts.

Here is a video of Mama Hen "persuading" PeeWee to think twice.