08 July 2010

Light and dark, feathers and fluff


We've taken a chance and put the two-week-old chicks in with the ones that hatched this week (and their mama). So far, so good. The broody and her young are keeping to one corner of the stall, while the twelve older chicks skitter about in the opposite corner, reminding me of the tiny but deadly dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Two weeks makes a huge difference in chick development terms: it felt a bit like putting a crowd of toddlers into the same room as a newborn baby. Having the broody in the mix seems to be keeping the peace.

5 comments:

quinn said...

If the hen adopts the other chicks, you've got it made! If she doesn't, I'd be concerned that she'll injure or even kill them.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Cute! Best wishes with this little family. Also, I have to add: the lighting in the top picture is gorgeous. :-)

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

Look at the little chicks, as they get slightly older, they don't want to crowd around too close. They begin to value and demand some privacy on their life and space.. ~bangchik

Sarah said...

Hi Amanda - don't know if you can get it out in Canada - but you might be interested in a BBC programme I'm watching right now - The Private Life of Chickens - see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t3tl1 They're clever old things!

Amanda said...

Hi Sarah!

That does sound good. 'Not available in my area', sadly - although I did see a couple of clips. I liked the fact that chickens are the closest living relatives to Tyrannosaurus Rex. No wonder they remind me of dinosaurs!