What with twenty-six teenage chickens and four Old Hens, the Little Barn was getting crowded.

It was getting crowded around the feeder.

There wasn’t enough room on the outside roost for a quiet nap.

At bedtime, the inside roost was filled and the Old Hens found their comfortable routine disturbed. (There’s Twinkydink, on the third bar up, being squeezed off of HER spot.)

The personalities of the new birds emerged, and it was clear to me which ones were right for the nursing home, and which would be going to another home, and which would stay here.

Dominique at 7 weeks

At nearly eight weeks of age, the chicks were fully feathered out and no longer needed the heat lamp or the confines of the brooder. It was time for half of them to go. A friend who lives two miles up the road has a flock of hens and a daughter with an egg business. She needed more layers. So, Ken came over yesterday and bought thirteen of the chicks. He knows what he’s doing, and they’ve already settled right in.

Meanwhile, I had a brooder to disassemble. As I’ve mentioned before, chicks create a fine dust of manure, bedding and feather dander. This is why you don’t want the chicks in your kitchen. I’ve swept the dust off of the feed can several times already, but look at it.

I donned a mask. Trust me, you don’t want to sweep and clean and breath this stuff in.

The fun and charm of having chicks in a brooder last less than a month;  the previous couple of weeks I was itching (literally) to reclaim my barn. It was so good to get the coop back in order. After I cleaned, Steve moved the cam back into the coop, so InsideCam is once again online.

Now there are twelve pullets (and one cockerel) and four Old Girls in the Little Barn. In one week, half of those youngsters are going to live at the nursing home. I’ll keep six. One way or another, Mr. Grumpy will be gone.

Twinkydink can’t wait. Betsy and Edwina are relieved.

But, I do think that Buffy enjoyed the hubbub. And the chick food.

It was a beautiful day. I said to the dogs, “Let’s go for a walk.” Lily said, YES!” and ran to the door. Scooter ran to the couch and squeezed his eyes shut. He hates wearing a harness and leash. I said, “Fine, you can stay home.” Lily and I left for our walk.

Scooter changed his mind.

Goats can’t read.

This is a 7 1/2 week old Black Star.

7 week old Black Star

This photo, with her doing a straight-on stare, is not a fluke. This is her personality. She’s bold, inquisitive and friendly. She hogs the camera. This Black Star will be going to live at the nursing home. I think she’ll end up in a lot of family photo albums.

Yesterday a friend and her five year-old daughter stopped by. I asked if they would like to see the chicks. We stood by the pen, watching the birds. The mom and I were busy chatting when the little girl tugged on her mom’s pants and whispered, “where are the chicks?”

She was right. They certainly no longer look like chicks and they don’t have to be coddled like babies either. They’ve shed their down and have grown in hard outer feathers. They know to stand in a patch of sun on the compost pile to stay warm on a chilly morning.

They are big enough to eat out of the Old Girl’s feeder and sleep on the roosts.

They’ve already outgrown the brooder, which is falling down around them.

Yesterday morning, when I unplugged the heat lamp, It felt like a rite of passage. There’s a thick layer of manure-bedding-feather dust on everything. I can’t wait to move them out for good and clean up the coop. I’ll be doing that this weekend.

This transformation from chick to sturdy teenager happened in less than two months. Today the chicks are seven weeks old. Tomorrow, a dozen of the chicks will be going to a new home. Mr. Grumpy has yet to get a reprieve, but I heard about someone in town who just lost a rooster and needs a new one. I’m hoping it will be this Andalusian.

The five chicks selected for the nursing home will stay here for another week and a half. They’re the most naturally friendly of the lot, and I’ll be handling them frequently from now until May 29 so that they are well-mannered and calm for all of the people who are eager to interact with them at the nursing home. More about that in future posts!