17 Weeks

It has been a while since I posted about the chicks and they are doing fine. They have all grown like crazy and loving free ranging.

Some times I have a little left over from selling on the weekend or I wish to give them a treat and found out they like. Apples, plums, peaches, cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries, corn, squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli and red beet greens.

I don’t give all the above to them a lot maybe once or twice a week as a treat. When I was selling produce at the farm they would come over and search for food. Well they would also steal any of the above if I would let them or if I was distracted by one of there buddies. They saw it as an all you can eat buffet and that was not going to happen. Now that I don’t sell at the farm they have to rely on me to give them some treats. And they look for them from time to time.

After I pick Ed up from work in the morning we head up to the farm so we can let the chickens out. They love to hop on to my back or shoulder (when they do that they're a pirate chicken). Some will let me hold them while others run. They all follow me around and it’s really cool to turn around and have a flock of chickens following you. To also see them in the yard or bushes is cool too.

They still aren’t old enough to lay egg’s and my hope is that they will start to lay this year. If not we will have to wait until spring for the eggs. The time for them to start laying is 20 to 24 weeks which is the end of the month to end of next month. My thing is are they even going to start this late in the season. I don’t have an answer for that and will have to wait and see.

 

 

Below you will find the current pictures of the once now not so little chick’s. They are technquely still chicks and will be that way until they are mature at the 24 week mark. Then they will be pullets and cockerels respectively. Then when they reach there first birthday that’s when they become a hen or rooster. I hope you enjoy the the pics.