Chick update

Okay, I’m back. I was off the grid up north last week. Before I tell you about my vacation, I have a few updates on the chicks and the farm.

Hilda found a black swallowtail caterpillar on the parsley. We were not concerned because the parsley is growing luxuriantly this summer, and we can spare some for a beautiful butterfly. We have a different opinion about the ground squirrels eating the tomatoes.

Black swallowtail caterpillar on the parsley

The lilies are blooming prolifically.

Lilies

We put up the chick fence on July 12. Because we’d had so little rain, the ground was like cement. I got a good workout pounding in the posts. In the end, however, we were pleased with how tight we got the fence.

Coop 2 inside the chick fence (it looks a little droopy because the gate is open)

With the fence done, we took the barrier down on the chick’s coop and put a screen over the front until the chicks got used to looking outside.

Turkey poults longing for freedom

When we took the screen away and put up the ramp, the chicks cowered in the far back corner of the coop. We put the food on the ground at the end of the ramp and progressively moved it up to try to get them interested in coming out. This video shows that only the poults had the courage to venture out, and even then, they were exceedingly cautious. If you look carefully, you can observe several chicken fights in the coop. (I muted the sound on the video because it was very windy when I made it, and that static-like noise was all there was.)

The next day, however, more of the chicks ventured out. Here are the Barred Rock (black and white), two of the Americauna (the dark brown one is standing next to a Barred Rock), and the poults.

And now we can’t get them back in. Who wants to be cooped up when it’s so hot?

Next up: Bev and Jane’s Annual Trip to the Boundary waters.