We moved the chicks to pasture on Sunday during a slight break in the rain. They’d been on grass in their brooder, at home, but it’s been so cool and rainy that we kept them at home longer than would be ideal, and the grass at home was mostly gone — eaten, dug up, pooped on. So when we moved them, they were SO excited! They immediately started running around, digging holes in which to take a dust bath (that’s why there’s a chicken on its side in the foreground, with its foot on its neighbor — that is imminent dustbathification), and going crazy eating grass and bugs and whatnot (like the first two in the front).
Looking for tasty morsels of grass and bug. In the next 3 minutes I witnessed 2 games of keep away, once with a small slug and once with a worm.
We moved their chicken tractor on Monday evening and then again today, Wednesday — we were both busy out of town all day on Tuesday, and they are so small yet that the grass can take a bit of fluctuation in their schedule — and they have already gotten it down: when someone smacks on the back of the tractor, run a couple feet away from that, and then when fresh new grass appears ahead of you as the tractor moves, run towards THAT and eat it!! Moving them is now easily a one-person job — no need for a noisemaker behind as well as a tractor-pulling person in front.
Stay tuned for processed poultry orders to open very soon. If you haven’t signed up for the official email list, please do so!! The official list will get the, well, official notice when we are accepting reservations for chickens and turkeys. Sign up here: Subscribe to our poultry notification list.
And, as always, you can read more about our preferred breed of chicken, Colored Range/Freedom Rangers, and why we like them so much, here. I recently learned via Facebook (!) that Polyface Farms farmer Joel Salatin (the farmer in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, featured in the movie Food, Inc., and an all-around totally insane fantastic farmer) is trying some Freedom Rangers this year, and seems pretty pleased so far. I’m excited to see these healthy, happy, delicious birds getting some attention.
Recent Comments