Play Time

Each day The Three Amigos got braver and more curious. Although Pigeon Toady, (grey chickie) seemed to be extra curious, I could tell they were ready to have more fun in their crate. Some birds like perches or stands in their crate. Chickens do too! Perches are place where a bird can sit, rest, or observe from. I decided I was going to use my D.I.Y skills to invent some sort of perch or hammock. I reused some plastic mini rolls and some string I found from a old gift basket. After looping together 12 mini rolls, I attached it by tying it to inside of their home. I call it a "swing perch." For 2 days they seemed curious, but also scared to try to use it. Nag Chompa (the black chickie), who had developed a habit of sleeping inside the food dish was the first to attempt and succeed in sitting on the perch. The following day, all three of them were using the perch and playing around it. Success! They had accepted and loved their new "perch swing." I felt so happy that I was able to stay at home and use recycled items to create a gift for my new friends. Although, now I had to figure out why Nag Chompa had chosen the food dish as a bed. Below is a picture of Nag Chompa Resting on the "perch swing"

Learning how to trust

The Three Amigos are settled into their new crate. They feel safe enough to eat, drink and even play. With any new pet joining a new home, it can feel very scary, and trust is something that's built over time. How do I start showing these chickies that I am trustworthy? Hmmm, well some baby steps and a lot of patience is all you need. I started by visiting the chickies when they were not napping, and sitting by their crate talking in a calm voice. They too can be grouchy if they are woken from their nap or are not allowed to be alone to rest. Once they seemed relaxed with me in the same room as them, I would open the crate door, but still allow some distance. The next step after that, I tried to introduce my hand as a safe place. Of course it took awhile for them to not run away every time they saw my hand entering their space. So how do put my hand in? I make sure I don't put my hand in a position that makes me look like I'm about t grab them. Your hand can look scary like a claw, and came make the chickies scared. I used my finger to peck around on the floor, to show that I can peck around just like them. Great idea is it dip once finger into their water dish and then dip your finger into their food bowl. I lightly place my finger on the bottom of their crate and wait patiently. Eventually The grey chickies, who has been name Pigeon Toady was brave enough to come and eat the food off my finger. Yay what a great big step into building TRUST!!! With that wonderful accomplishment I continue to attempt to do that at least once each day. After a week, they no longer run away when I refill their food or water. They also allow me to put my hand in with running away. After two weeks They felt safe enough to stand in our hands. In the picture below is Pigeon Toady standing on Kevin's hand. Yay! Go Kevin for building his trust with the chickies. Now that trust is being built more and more each day, the chickies are getting curious.......

Home Sweet Home!

Of course before bringing them home I had already gathered everything they would need during their first month with us. Chickies are very sensitive and fragile during the first few weeks after hatching. You can see in the pic that it's really RED. That is because chicks need their body temp to stay at 95 degrees ALL the time. I hung a 230 watt red heating lamp and angled it above their crate. I used a small dog crate as their beginning home. It's important to angle the heat lamp so it doesn't get too hot. on a able allow parts of the crate to stay cool. So if the chicks feel over heated they have the freedom to find a space to cool off. Why did I choose a red bulb? Because the red color allows them to fall asleep better and is less harsh on their tiny eyes. Just like us, the chickies need a ton of food. The chickies grow fast and need plenty of food and clean water available to them at ALL times.You might be wondering what they eat, well chicks eat ground up corn, usually a medicated brand. This helps them fight off any germs they come in contact with while they are young. The corn is ground up because their little bellies aren't ready for anything bigger. I lined the bottom of their home with hay. You can use hay or shredded wood chips, just no cedar chips. Cedar wood is poisonous to chickens and can make them really sick. I check their food and water level several times a day to make sure it's clean and full. The water has to be really warm, this helps with digestions. Warm/Hot water also helps humans with stomach aches and to flush out toxins from certain foods and liquids we might drink. The chickies love their new home and enjoy scratching the hay and pecking around.