All the chicks are now in pasture pens enjoying grass, bugs, trace minerals in the soil and lots of sunshine. Greg finished construction on the new pen - and subsequently learned that he needs to build two more - and we were able to get all the chicks on pasture. Now that the brooder is empty, we'll be refilling it with Golden Comet pullets scheduled to arrive on Monday.
 |
| Finished pasture pen. Sides and roof made from recycled vinyl house siding |
 |
Free range Buff Orpington rooster from our laying flock
checking out the Buff Orpingtons in the pasture pen. |
We now have two pasture pens filled with chicks. However, one chick with a lame leg is in the barn in a small cage to limit his movement while he heals. Once he's better, I need to decide whether to return him to the pasture pen or not. Introducing a single "new" chicken into a large, established flock can prove to be detrimental to the lone chicken. He probably will not be accepted by the flock and will be pecked to death, bullied and not allowed access to food. And if his leg never heals, he definitely won't be accepted by the other chickens. For now, I'll keep an eye on his healing and make a decision later.
No comments:
Post a Comment