Growing Chicks

It has been over two weeks since the chicks hatched and they have been growing fast.  The first feathers appeared on their wings, followed by the ones on their tails.  I am excited to see what colors these little babies turn out to be since they are my own backyard mix.  No two are exactly alike.  I think that more than half of them will be roosters which is fine since I was planning on butchering them for the freezer eventually anyway.  The hens will be added to my laying flock and will hopefully give me eggs when my older hens go to molt.  In only a few short weeks they will be going outside into my little mobile chicken tractor.  There they will be put to work keeping my yard and garden free of insect pests and weeds.  I hope to be better about moving them around this year than I was last year.  Ideally I should be moving the tractor every day to fresh fodder.  I also hope that the pasture grass and chicken treat seed that I planted last year fills in well and provides lots of fresh food for my growing flock.

Every time I raise chicks I am amazed by how quickly they grow.  They are only tiny fluff balls for a few short days before they start to feather out.  In a few more weeks, they will be fully feathered in their "teenage" phase, then they will be mini chickens for several more weeks as they grow into adulthood.  They won't be added into my laying flock until they are the same size as those chickens because I want them to be able to fend for themselves.  Chicken society can be vicious and I would rather wait until they are on equal footing as far as size goes.  Until then, I get to enjoy the baby phase for awhile longer yet