Chickies' Day Out

Today was the first day that the little chickies could leave the coop. But before we could let them out into their designated chickie yard, we had some fortification to do.

First, I dug a shallow trench around the inside perimeter of the smaller chicken run. Then I took gopher netting (which is like chicken wire, but with stronger wire and much smaller holes) and put it around the bottom two feet of the run. Then the Pirate took some scalloped edging bricks and put them around the inside, just in the trench, then tamped the soil down around them. It sounds like something that would take about half an hour, except that it took more like three and a half hours.

Then it was time to let the baby chicks out for the first time.


Note that they're having none of it. I'm just on the other side of that wall, grabbing the chicks and placing them at the door, but they're NOT going out. After snapping a couple of pictures, the Pirate took pity on me and just reached his hand in and started grabbing the chicks and putting them on the ground. When he grabbed the first one, I don't know who was more startled - me or the chick!


Once they had all been put outside, they were less than impressed. They all sort of huddled just outside the coop door, wondering what they'd done to deserve being snatched from the comfy warmth of their nice coop and put outside in the mud. I'm sure all the peeping they did was the chicken equivalent of "jerks." There was one tiny little araucana who made a break for it - she grabbed hold of the gopher wire with her claws, and by flapping her little wings, climbed up the fence until she got to the chicken wire, whose holes are larger than her entire body. She was halfway through, trying to push her way free by the time I came out of the coop.


And we weren't the only ones enjoying the show. One of the silver-laced wyandottes kept pacing back and forth and looking into the yard. It was weird - like watching someone visiting their kids at a playground. Or maybe in prison.


The silver lace wasn't the only one displaying curiosity. Finally the whole crowd gathered around to see the chicks. They didn't display any hostility, just curiosity. I can't say that I blame them - they've been living in the house, separated by nothing but a sheet of plywood, for two weeks now. It's like hearing your neighbors making weird noises upstairs for weeks and weeks and then finally seeing them in the flesh.

Before they know it, they won't just be neighbors, they'll be roommates.