That time of the year has arrived! We’ve been a little too excited about all of the chicks available on our regular trips to the farm store.
After losing so many of our first-year flock, Aaron’s been on a mission to add to those that are left and grow our headcount once again.
That means we have a surplus of feathery little friends taking over our garage.
True to form, our annual bird acquisition means we’ve also dragged a large stock tank out of the barn and moved it into the warm-er shelter of the garage attached to the house. The tank has pine wood shavings as bedding – this gives the chicks something to scratch through, nest in and keeps it easy for us to sweep things out and clean the tank. This time around, Aaron also added a couple of 2×4 planks to create platforms for the water and feeder. Now, the areas where the chicks drink and eat stay clean. It also gives them a little riser to hop around on.
The chicks will stay in the garage for a few weeks – greeting us every time we come and go from the house. Once they reach a good size, we’ll integrate them into the larger, more established flock. Around that same time, they’ll also start free-ranging.
The process goes surprisingly fast. These little things will grow in a flash!