Tags
Black Sex Link, Black Star, Chickens, chicks, hens, ISA Brown, pullets
The girls are 13 weeks old today. They continue to mature, slowly gaining weight and some size. Their eye color is changing from dark of their babyhood lightening to a more amber color.
Unfortunately we lost one of the youngsters, young Red, we believe to a hawk, as there were no feathers found anywhere, and the remaining 6 stayed under shelter or cover for over 2 days. They have come out a little since, but mostly remain under the trees and in any longer grass or bushes they find. The adult hens must not have been near them when it happened, as they have been foraging out in the fields near their coop. In the fall when they are hunted by hawks the adult hens also stay under cover.
They are all, older and youngsters, quite friendly with us. The youngsters though are more willing to get up on us.
Young White has been known to literally jump up onto our arms, or if I’m bent over stretching my back and hamstrings, she has jumped up onto my back! A couple of times she has jumped up on my husbands arm, his hand in his pants pocket, so she was slotted right in between his arm and his body. That was a surprise the first time it happened. Sometimes if I hold my arm out she will jump up onto it, and if she is up there, sometimes one of the other youngsters, especially Green or Young Yellow, will as well.
The 2 flocks, adult hens and youngsters, are not integrated, but they are starting to interweave more and more. Based on our experience last year the young and adult flocks won’t fully integrate until everyone is laying and they are all about the same size.
Last year one of the adult hens really seemed to like spending time with the youngsters. Unfortunately she was one of the hens lost to predation last fall. The 7 hens we have now are spending more time together and keeping an eye on the youngsters much of the time, but haven’t shown an interest in hanging out with them. They will come over for food whenever I’m trying to feed chick feed to the youngsters. Sometimes they finish and leave so the youngsters can get a turn getting food, sometimes they just stay too close so I have to try another time.
The youngsters bodies are not full grown yet, but they are similar in height to the adults. Their legs and feet are about the same size as those of the adults. Their bodies will deepen and they will slowly increase in size and weight as they mature. The combs are slowly increasing in size, and getting rosy, as are their wattles. Their faces are also slowly getting rosy.
It is possible that some of the youngsters may be mature enough to start laying eggs in another 3 weeks, at 16 weeks, but it will likely be longer. When their combs and wattles are grown and become glossy bright red they will be mature enough to lay.
I’ve got less than a pint of chick feed left, so another few days it will be gone, especially if I can get it to them when the adult hens are off doing hen things someplace else on the property.
Speaking of which, I should head out and see if they are hungry now! Enjoy your day!