The second week

WOW - this has been a busy week for the baby chicks. They are now 14 days old and are about the size of a normal Robin you would find in your yard. I can't believe how big they are getting so quickly!!

They have almost all feathers on their wings now (just a very little bit of that baby fuzz left on the wings) They still have lots of baby fuzz on their body & head. So, they are still very chick-ish, just bigger!

The chicks have been learning about treats this week. They LOVE corn on the cob. We cut about a 1/4 of the cob with the kernals on, then run a knife blade down the center of the kernals (they seem to like to eat the insides of the kernals - but have trouble getting through just yet on their own). Then we tie the cob to a string and to a support bar over the top of the brooder - making a type of corn-cob pinata. They all gather around and happily peck at the cob chirping and enjoying the insides of the kernals. Every once in a while one chick will get a whole kernal off the cob - then go running around the coop loudly (as if to say "I've got one! I've got one!"). This causes the other 2 to start chase to try to get the kernal. Too funny to watch!! It's a toy and a treat for them!

All three chicks have also tried fresh Strawberries - which peck loves... and fresh Zucchini seems to be a hit as well for all. I think the jury is still out on raspberries - they don't seem to go crazy for them yet, Peck will have some - but it's not the same as when she has a strawberry piece. (small pieces of all of course!)

They had their first adventure outside this past Sunday. I created a good sized fenced in area for them to stretch their wings and get some sunshine - the first time on grass was a little tentative for them - They were not too sure what I just set them on at first, but they adjusted quickly. They loved rolling in the grass, pecking in it, taking a little nap all stretched out in the sunshine, and then a few games of chase and a weird fly-hopping over eachother game that kind of resembled leap-frog! They even ate some of their first bugs out there! They had a good 2 hours ourside, then when I brought them in they were cashed out for a good nap shortly thereafter!

I found a vet here in the city of Rochester that sees Chickens. They have a well-chick visit on Wednesday evening to be sure they are starting off on a good path and to discuss which (if any) vaccines they may need since we are close to the woods - with a high liklihood of exposure to other wild birds. Prevention is the best course, rather than waiting and wishing we had taken preventive measures AFTER they get exposed to something. So, we'll see what is recommended (if anything) and go from there.

As it stands now - I seem to have some very happy birds here at the house! The chicks have some very happy owners too - they are so much fun! I'm really glad we got them!