Baby Chicks

Buff Orpington Chicks-3 Weeks Old

Our baby chicks are now 3 weeks old and have turned into awkward teenagers. They love being outside and have figured out how to go into the coop at night without assistance. Yesterday, I fed them a few table scraps-strawberries and whole wheat bread. They looked at it kind of funny and then a few brave ones pecked at it to see what it was all about. At this age, I only feed them little bits of table scraps. I do this mostly to get them used to them. They need lots of protein at this stage to grow so I do not want to supplement their feed much at this time.

The most fun thing to watch in the last week is them learning how to perch. When we put the run up, we added a few 1/2" diameter dowel type rods in several places in the run. Last week, a few brave ones would jump on it and then immediately fall off. By the end of the week, we noticed several of them could jump on them and stay briefly. This week the perches are the hit play toy. They are spatting with each other about who gets the perches. At any given time now you can look out the window and see several of them huddled together on the perch. We do this so it is an easier transition when we get them into the coop. The egg laying chickens we want to sleep on the perch at night versus in the nests. This keeps the nests clean for the eggs they lay.

It is fun watching them grow up. They are so big and have changed so much in the few short weeks that we have had them. It will not be long before they are off the patio and in the back part of the yard.