Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
I place my gang out in a big rabbit hutch in a sunny part of the yard. The wire floor
is wide enough to let them eat grass and learn what dirt tastes like yet keeps them safe
from neighborhood cats and dogs or the occasional fly-by hawk. (If your budget allows,
the space-age-looking Eglu is an ideal habitat, being coop and enclosed run all in one.)
CHIRPING SEEDLINGS
If you're a gardener, think of this time in the sun as the chick version of hardening off
seedlings. Just as you can't take a delicate tomato seedling growing under a heat lamp in
the basement and instantly plant it in your spring garden without its su#ering irreparable
shock, chicks need to be eased into the real world. Going from that 70-degree brooder to
a 39-degree night in the coop (from 21°C to 4°C) could be more than they can endure.
So make these initial field trips simple and short - an hour or two in the sun in a safe
place.
Use your observations of the chicks during their outdoor recesses to regulate the brooder
temperature when they're back indoors. Are they having a blast outside, or are they
huddled together shaking in a corner? If it's too soon or too cold, you'll know by their
behavior. Trust your gut - and their body language.
Don't be surprised if your birds get frightened and fly onto your shoulder for protec-
tion. They know you better than they do the outdoors right now!
