My Babies Are Growing Up!

The chicks are doing great......thanks to all who offered their advice! I think I got an especially healthy batch here, and God willing, we won't have any losses. Here are some recent pictures. (Excuse me if I sound like a proud momma!)

Look at them.....roosting like the big girls! I put a stick in the bin a couple inches off the floor the other day and they hopped right up there. I've even caught them sleeping on it. It amazes me to witness their God-given instincts.

Nobody told me how fast baby chicks grow. They are only a week old and they can FLY to the top of the bin! I had to put a gate on top or they'd be all over the dining room. A week ago they just had this little nub peeking out from the fuzz and now look at that wingspan. And tailfeathers, too!

Nobody told me what a sheep mentality baby chicks have. If someone does something, they all have to do it. One pecks on the side of the bin, they all come trotting over and peck. One starts chirping, they all have to chirp. One tries to fly, they all have to try. One goes to eat, they all have to eat. And so on and so on.

They get so excited when I come into the room.....first the peeps increase, then they start running around, then one of them flaps her wings, and of course everyone has to get into the act and pretty soon there's a riot going on. If I put my hand down inside the bin, there's a shoving match to see who can get up my arm the fastest. These little buggers are feisty!

Most hilarious of all is what happens when we dangle a worm overhead. One of the more aggresive chicks will grab it and take off around the perimeter of the bin with the rest of the brood in hot pursuit, cheeping frantically. Honestly, it looks like a football game the way they block and tackle as they scramble around. One will steal the worm and they'll have a tug of war over it. Or - even funnier - one (usually a cockerel for some reason) will snatch up a piece of the litter and start the "I've got something, come get me" cheeping, and start racing around until he has the whole gang after him, then he'll suddenly drop the litter and stand there innocently while everyone else is milling around wondering what happened. I knew I'd have lots of dumb chick stories but that sounds pretty smart to me! Is that how they get the ladies to chase them?

My other little chickie is growing up fast, too. She's lost her first two teeth within the last month. Next thing you know she'll have a family of her own. In between those two milestones, I hope to enjoy her every precious moment she's around!