Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Idle birds are the devil's playthings. When chickens are bored, they may peck at
each other, so in addition to tossing in our table scraps, we hang greens from their
cage as a diversion.
WEEK 6
New Digs
At six weeks of age, they're still technically pullets - and will be until they're a year old
- but these kids are chickens. Lean back, take a long breath, and smile. You've raised
these birds from two-day-old balls of flu# into the strutting hens they've become. And
now it's time to introduce the girls to their coop.
MOVING DAY
If you live in a warm climate, or the June sun is beating down on your New England
grass, moving the girls permanently outside can be a once-and-done event. Carry them
out to their new home, and let them spend their first night in the great outdoors - so
long as the night will be warm (at least in the 50s F [10s C]). Assuming their coop and
pen will withstand predation, wind, and weather, you're finally in the home stretch. Ob-
viously, if it's still subfreezing and snowing out, hold off until mild weather, but you'll
likely be raising these girls in the spring, and a night in the 50s will be fine. Your birds
are ready to meet the demands of cooler nights, roost life, and natural food scavenging,
and they'll quickly learn to love their new digs.
If you're hesitant to make the big move, it's justified. You don't want one cold night to
be the end of the lovely chickens you call by name. So continue to harden them off in
steps. When nights are chilly, leave them in their pen all day, and bring them indoors to
a temperate brooder to sleep. Replace the old 250-watt heat lamp with a 75-watt bulb,
and let them learn about cooler nights in stages.
When a warm night comes around the bend, put them into the coop to roost. Check on
them with a flashlight if you must, but chances are they'll be happily sleeping side by
side. Having them reach independence has been the focus of all your e#orts to this point.
Your girls will get to work eating grass and insects right away
.
