We
turned off the
chicks’ light when
they reached a month old. With our insulated
brooder box, we
probably could have taken away their heat earlier, but the weather
turned chilly and we had to go out of town for a few days, so we waited.
By then, most of the
chicks were fully feathered except for parts of their heads. Dark
Cornish chickens are
known for their appressed body feathers that give the birds a less
fluffy look than ordinary chickens, and I think they look a bit like
little vultures.
I’m used to keeping
chickens in tractors,
so I was shocked by how quickly the cockerels scratched the floor of
their coop down to nothing. Then the area started to stink.
Good thing Mark was ready with the first pasture area!
When we opened the door
of the coop to let our cockerels out for the first time, the chicks
weren’t quite sure what to think. What was this big world?
Was it safe?
There was a lot of
scurrying in and out for a few minutes, and I remembered why “chicken”
is a synonym for “coward.”
But before we knew it,
they were dustbathing, sunning, pecking, and scratching. Chicken
bliss!
