Growing Up

The baby chicks are feathering out and growing up. Their lives are very different from those of the chicks I raised in a brooder last September; for one thing, the outdoor temperatures fluctuate wildly, the babies are often in the elements (wind and on one or two occasions, rain) - yet they seem to be doing fine, at least so far. Their mothers have taught them to eat their food from the ground, so while they have chick feeders, and age-appropriate food, they also spend a great deal of time scratching and foraging for food that hasn't been manufactured, bagged and sold in a store.

The babies hatched by Belle (the Buff Orpington) are now two weeks and two days old. The chicks belonging to Sarah (the Australorp) will be two weeks old on Sunday. They are all so similar. The black chicks have brown eyes and black legs, the "patchy" chicks have black legs and orange toes! I have never had to wait to find out if I have a cockerel in the bunch, so I'm kind of anxious and trying to guess which one(s), if any, may be baby boy chicks.

Because these little ones haven't been handled much, they are wild, and very quick! It is extremely difficult to even take photos of them now, but I managed to snap a few today.  Belle's babies:

Sarah's two babies, who will be two weeks old this coming Sunday:

We also have six new Guinea keets (Pearl Guineas, and they're a straight run, so I have no idea how many are females and how many are males):

Things are getting lively!