Helping Hand

Backyard Poultry

Pushing the Birds out of the Nest

To take care of those timid chicks, I decided it was time for a little human intervention. So I went around inside the chicken shed and climbed into the chicks' house (remember, it was still barricaded with cardboard and insulation). Grabbing each chick in turn, I gently but firmly directed each one out the door. Most of them tried to avoid getting caught, and all dragged their feet to stay as close to the doorstep as possible. Some of them even turned right around and tried to run back inside! This approach was not entirely successful, but it did expose all the chicks to the outdoor pen. Even if they ran back inside in terror (which actually couldn't happen until I got out of the door), they would be more likely to come back out and try it again. A number of the chicks did stay outside and look around though, as you can see in the picture below. Isn't it funny to see those two last little Rhode Island Reds clinging to the doorstep with their little toes?

Last Ones