I ran a fence around the greenhouse today and the chicks had their first outing (supervised). They were like kids at the end of the school year going off on summer vacation. After an hour they did settle down and really seemed to be having a good time. The ducks and geese have been having outings this past week so they were more blase about this but when they realized it meant more room to move about they too seemed to have fun. I have a sweater bin full of water for them and all the ducks and geese took baths and played in the water. They've gotten so big since they got here May 7th that they had to take turns cause they fit. Guess it's time for the wading pool.
This isn't their final enclosure but just a temporary set up to give them time to get use to outdoor life. They still have to learn to watch for hawks and run for shelter if one shows up.
Sorry no photos. I forgot the camera and would have had to leave them unguarded to go get it. I chose to stay with them.
MollyD
Lovely Day here!
well, cna't blame you. i have seen some of the cutest things taking place, and then don't have it with me, and i think, what am i gonna miss next if i go to get the camera?
sounds like a blast.
i have pics of our chisk first day out. they got lots of practices crossing the road, TWO of them in fact...
ttyl
tf
I will be glad when we can let out our chics .I'm affrai the hawks will get them unless it has a cover .But they do have a two story 2x5 pen.
Whatsupdoc, make a scarecrow and move it around every couple of days to keep the hawks away. All you really need is some kind of top (old tee shirt or sweat shirt), and an old pair of pants on a hanger. I have two in our chicken coop (ours is 40 x 100). We did have a hawk take two of our hens last year, but hadn't moved our scarecrows for a few weeks. When we started moving them again, the hawks will fly over, see them and think there was someone in the coop. They might sit in a tree for a while, but since we are going in and out of the house and go to coop every once in a while, they give it up and leave.
We have hawks, eagles and owls for raptors, so we have had to be very careful with our chickens. We do let them free-range for a while in the evenings, but they only stay out for about an hour and they back in the coop they go. Their choice.
GG
♥^_^♥
i will be glad when i have my
elle
Molly, love that your chicks and ducks are enjoying
their first outtings. I would love to see baby ducks
and geese in the water for the first time. The first
time I took our chicks out, they thought they had
died and gone to heaven. They ate so much grass!
I have read that mylar floating about in the wind
helps with raptors, too.
I have decided more than once to take my camera
out with me every time, for those prized moments.
Do I listen to myself? No! I catch myself all the time
like that, and miss some really cool things.
Got knocked offline for 24 hrs by a downed phone pole grrrr.
This morning I moved a kiddee wading pool into their area. I dug into the ground so it would sit lower and used the sod to make ramps all around it. They had a blast! While it was filling the ducks sat on the sod with their bills on the edge of the pool. You could see the excitement in their eyes!!! Almost as soon as it was full they jumped in and were splashing and diving to the bottom. Then Hanzel the goose jumped in and the ducks jumped out cause Hanzel was like a submarine! He was going to show everyone how it was done LOL.
GG I've never made a scarecrow. Could you post instructions? Also would one inside and one outside their area be okay?
MollyD
Sure can, and yes one inside and one outside would work. Just remember to move them at least twice a week.
Just take a wire hanger, an old shirt of some kind, and an old pair of pants. Sew the shirt to the pants and put the hanger in the shirt as if you were going to hang it in the closet. Make sure the neck part can be closed kind of tight so it doesn't slip off the hanger. Kind of close the hook of the hanger to fit over a nail hammered into a post (leave a inch or so out to hang it on). You could put an old hat on top of the post, but that might blow off in a wind. You could also use a hook of some kind to hang it on so as to not blow off in the wind. Although it doesn't really matter if it does because then you could hang it somewhere else. I have had some scarecrows left out over the winter and although they get raggedy, they still work until I can make more.
GG
Thanks GG. I can do that. I spotted a red tail hawk overhead this morning. It was low enough I could see the red on it's tail so I know for sure what kind it was. It didn't come back but I'm sure it marked the spot for future investigating.
Gonna rig that up today. They get so upset when I shoo them back inside each time I have to leave them.
MollyD