Small chicks

Just a few of the eight smallest chicks in their straw yard.

The smallest chicks have been out in the small straw yard, sharing it with the bigger chicks. There is some definite territorial enforcement going on, which according to the chicken book is normal and doesn't need refereeing from me. The two groups mostly stick to themselves except when a larger chick decides to show its dominance and go after the smaller ones. A lot of peeping ensues and the small ones run off, herd like, to another side of the enclosure. Mostly it is peaceful co-existence.

The small ones still sleep apart from the larger chicks, just because their secured enclosures don't offer much room for escape for the small ones. And I can wheel the small ones into the garage overnight if it is going to be too cool at night, which I've done the past few nights. Tonight I am leaving them outdoors, under the covered patio, with several layers of row cover and a topping of burlap on their wagon. The air is still tonight.

My neighbor asked me what I'm going to do with all the eggs once the new ones start laying. Partly it depends on the size of the eggs, since the ratio might be two of their eggs to one large egg, and I could use up quite a few in making fresh pasta and such. The d'Uccle egg size is listed as "tiny" and the Cochin egg size is listed as "below average." I don't know how that relates to standard egg sizes, so I will weigh the eggs when they appear and go from there.

I sort of realized that I hadn't really put a ton of thought into what happens if I get a dozen eggs every day, no matter the size. Obviously my friends are willing to help out by accepting eggs from my chickens, but I could still have many eggs to deal with. It is several months off, so I will make a preliminary plan, and see what happens. I'm still not sure all the chicks are females, so that could knock a few eggs out of the mix.

At any rate, they are so much fun to watch at this point, I had no idea chickens could be so endlessly entertaining. I guess fifteen years without television can do that to a person.