4 days old

The chicks seem to be getting used to their new home. They are moving to all areas of their brooder box today (instead of just hovering near the food and water dishes). They have been comfortable with napping a little longer (5-20 minutes) than just the 2 minute 1/2 naps they were doing yesterday.

Cluck (rir) is starting to show a lot more feathers (vs fuzz) on her wings already.

Cluck also seems to be backing off on the intense eyeball poking of her other two little friends. (Though she still seems to be the leader.) They have started to stand up to her a bit when it comes to her packing them repeatedly. Still overall a good amount of pecking going on between them - which it sounds like this will be happening for quite some time as they sort out their pecking order.

They have also taken to occasionally pecking the box and making mad dashes from one side of the box to the other when they want food or want to back into the main area for playing - which is kind of funny! No one has tried the roost yet (about 4 1/2 inches up). I tried to show them about it yesterday, but their little feet don't seem to be strong enough to hold them up on a roost yet. Cluck has made a couple of attempts to either get onto the roost or jump over it today. (Not sure which she's trying to do, eitherway she hasn't been successful yet.)

Cluck seems to be interested in pecking the hanging thermometer in the middle of the brooder too. She seems to be studying how it moves after she hits it.

Peck and Scratch seem to be little buddies - not too much pecking between those two.

I've been changing their water about 3-4 times a day now to freshen it up (it gets a little warm since it's in the brooder with them and a 95 degree heat lamp!) This way I'm able to cool it off for them. I'm putting about 1/2 cup of food into their dish in the morning and that seems to hold them all day with less than 1/2 left in the dish the next morning. (I have just been dumping that and giving them fresh food in the morning.) They tend to get a little poop in the food from time to time (which I take out when I see) so it's good to wash the dish and start fresh in the morning!

They (and I) will experience the first bedding change tomorrow morning. That may be interesting! Composter is all ready for the bedding materials.

So far having the baby chickens is pretty easy work. :) I hope it stays fun, relatively easy, and entertaining!