Yesterday was a big day for the chicks. They moved into new quarters! They still fit fine in the two converted rabbit cages they were living in, but because they were drinking and eating so much more we decided to go ahead and move them to a larger brooder. We needed to bring out the big guns and put the super duper gallon waterers in place and it was a bit crowded in the smaller brooders. So we took the two existing brooders and connected them with plywood, creating an extended "yard" for them to move about more freely in.
This is what it looked like on one end before we removed the cardboard blocking the entry way.
We then removed the middle wire grid, set out two feeders and two gallon waterers in the middle yard, and let the chickens loose. As you can see from the first picture, they were a bit hesitant to venture out, but once they did they each discovered that there were 36 more birds coming out of another cage on the opposite end. No one seemed to like that too much at first and there was a macho display of chest bumping and pecking. After a while, though, they settled down and got down to the business of eating, drinking and going to the bathroom.
The only one who isn't happy with the new arrangement is Sadie. She had enjoyed going in with me to feed them but now with the wooden sides up , she can't see in to the cages and it is driving her crazy. It was a tough day. Here she is, falling asleep in front of one of the cages while we were in the midst of renovation. It gets fairly warm in the brooder area ...
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