Skip to main content

Growing Fast

Growing Fast

or, Life Can Be Hard

We have had some storming rain the past two days, Hilo Airport reported 9+ inches for just yesterday. We have been worrying about the chicks getting back into the coop which means we have been doing a nightly chick check, well, yesterday we went to the movies and had dinner out, got back after dark but with the rain, we thought we'd check them again. We pulled out back in the Jeep (we didn't want to get wet) and used the headlights to see that there were no hens out. There is usually one roosting on the roof gutter, but not this night. Because we didn't have a flashlight, making sure everyone was inside was a bit tougher. 

Well, we must have missed a couple, perhaps hiding under the ramps, but this morning JoAnn found one chick very wet and dead and another one that was shivering but alive. 

She brought the live one in and found a box for her, towel dried the feathers while I set up a light to warm her by. JoAnn had a class to get to so I took over and folded the box flaps loosely and went in to start the sewing projects I had for the day. I heard the peeps and figured that the chick was feeling better so I came in to take a look. I adjusted the feed and water and re -closed the lid then headed back to sew. 

A few minutes later I heard the peeping again this time it was louder and definitely sounded closer. I looked around and the chick had gotten out of the box and was looking around the house. I picked her up and took her back to the box, but after three escapes, I gave up for a bit and  laid down on the floor to watch tv. The chick came over and sat down next to my hand and fluffed up, peeped a bit then fell asleep.  

I know that a day in the life of a chick can mean some magical advances in their growth, learning and awareness, but it doesn't all come at once. Like, since they are getting their flight feathers and can flap their way down from the ramp off the coop, it doesn't mean they know where they need to go to get back up into the coop for the night. Some how they haven't linked the ramp=down in the day with ramp= up for sleep.

 The one thing they grasped fast were the meally worms! Since they are fast, they usually get to the treats first when JoAnn throws them out. 

As for the dead chick, we plan on making a pyre the cremating the little one.
That is the circle of life, and not every day will be a good. one. 

Next post: Moving on  



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Update

Update Chickens are growing Big news, right? Well, it has been a while since I posted here and a lot has happened. Yes, the chickens have been getting bigger; the Cornish Cross are insanely huge and the Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rock hens are now officially old enough to be called pullets.  Their Foster Moms have abandoned them, meaning they are no longer protective of them and instead are making sure they (the hens) are getting the pullets inducted into the flock's 'Pecking order'. The pullets are basically on their own, though chickens really don't need to be taught much. The pullets are finding a pecking order of their own, fussing at and with each other as it should be in the natural order of chickens. The Cornish Cross are amazing. We purchased them three weeks after the pullets and they caught up in size in just two weeks. At three weeks old, the Cross chicks were taller than the Pullets at 5 weeks. Tomorrow they will be 7 weeks old, and they are...
2 comments
Read more

Coop Build Part Three

Installation Time Or, the real business of Construction Okay, the garage build was prep time for making panels, now is the time I consider that the real building got started.  I didn't take a lot of Photos so it looks like a lot happened, which it did. Making each wall a panel allowed for fast assembly. This photo shows the piers in place and the floor set on them. It was sturdy, but a bit too wobbly for me knowing I had a few more feet of building going up soon. So I then cut (2) 2x4 braces for each pier and screwed them in using 3" gold screws, not real gold, but they are called that. Not sure why other than their color. We then attached the linoleum.  Sure we risked it getting damaged from adding this early, but by placing it under the bottom plates of all the walls, we figured less water penetration into the floor this way. So far so good- no big gouges yet. These walls went up in less than 20 minutes and I was working alone this day. By allowing an overhang...
2 comments
Read more
  Sheep or Goat Feeder We do more than Chickens here and this project is all about our goats and sheep.  This build takes basic woodworking and basic metalworking skills. If you know how to weld and use a saw, you can do this. I have a table saw, miter saw, metal cut off saw, pneumatic tools, drills, sanders etc., but this can be made with a hand saw, hammer, nails, and a drill.   Design: I started with an image of a shed type of feeder that I found on Google and modified it based on what I felt I wanted for my animals. 1.        Less waste. More feed in the animal is better, right? 2.        Covered area. We like to eat in the shade, why not them? 3.        Raised tray. Eating up off the ground means less chance of parasites. 4.        Holds a full bale. Less feeding time means more for other things. 5.      ...
Post a Comment
Read more