Boy are they growing fast!! Though the pen was enlarged to 4'x4' only a few days ago, it seems they outgrow their space so quickly! They appear to nearly double in size every week. I had no idea - and honestly wasn't expecting - the growth rate was this rapid! They are all feathered out now and you can tell which are pullets and which are cockerels - looks like I have pretty close to a 50/50 mix.
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| 3/24: feeders are up off the ground to chickens have to stand to eat |
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| 3/24: aerial view of the pen |
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| each chicken will eat 17.5lbs of food over the 8-week growing period |
A 2nd 30lb galvanized feeder was added to accommodate all the hungry mouths. I take up their food each night (so they can't gorge themselves), and when I come in the morning to feed, it's like a stampede! 26 chicken squawking and jockeying for a position at the feeder, it's hysterical!
As the chickens got bigger, I placed blocks under the lengths of unistrut to raise the height of the feeders; the fount is not hanging - I am using planter hooks to keep the fount stationary - the chickens are a bit rambunctious and tend to knock the fount off its base and soak the bedding!
I bought some crickets to see how they would like them - figured a little extra protein (and exercise) couldn't hurt.... they wanted NOTHING to do with those crickets! Those that I couldn't re-catch hung out in the coop or managed to escape by climbing up the wood walls, seeking shelter and safety in nooks and cranys of my greenhouse. Hey, at least the spiders had good eatin'!
Week 4 complete, and all is well.
Count: 26 birds
PEAS OUT!
~GP
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