At a month old my chicks think they are ready to get outside. One reason is the chunk of chickweed I put in each morning. My chicks love greens.
New Chicks
February is not a great month to have baby chicks. Cackle Hatchery does have warming pads in with them so they arrive safely. But it’s too cold to put them outside at my house.
That means I have chicks in the house. Since the heat lamp is on all day and all night, it’s hard to sleep. The one good thing was how quiet this tiny flock of twenty-one chicks was.
My two cats ignore them. Mira is jealous of the attention they get. Besides, they are invaders in her house.
Moving Out
The weather improved. The chicks started getting feathers and spreading dust all over. I set up the outside house and they moved out.
The chick house is by my garden. There is one big patch of weeds right by the gate. It’s mixed, but mostly chickweed. Each morning I dug up a big handful and set it in with the chicks.
What Is This?
The first day the chicks retired to the far walls of their place. Only one or two were brave enough to check out this strange lump.
The second day more chicks came over. A few even took a few pecks at the leaves.
By the third day, this lump of chickweed was popular. Chicks love greens and they now knew this was what they loved.
New World
In front of the chick house is a small yard. Every year I try to get grass to grow in it. Every spring some grass and lots of chickweed do come up getting thick and lush.
A nice day arrives, warm and dry. I open the door to the chick house. Chicks line up to look out at this new world.
It might take a day or two, but chicks love greens and that yard is full of greens. They come out and attack.
After the chicks leave this baby yard behind, I will start spreading grass seeds in the bare dirt. Next spring will bring another batch of chicks and grass needs time to grow.
