There are a couple of orphaned chicks on the farm. I really think they belong to Peepers, but hatched out after she had already left the nest. I made them into pet chickens and kept them in a birdcage on the back porch until a week or so ago.
By then they were getting a little big for the cage, and I figured they could fend for themselves. I decided it was time to turn them loose, but first I wanted to introduce them to the other critters.
So The Farmer carried the cage out into the backyard for me. It wasn't long until our two most curious creatures were checking the new chicks out.
Hey Lady, WHAT are these little critters???
The sheep were a little more wary, and just looked on from what they considered a safe distance.
Whatever they are, we're not going near them!
However, with Cinnamon the goat and Keira the llama, curiosity wins out over caution.
Let's get a closer look at these pet chickens that crazy lady put out here.
I guess since nothing jumped out at them, they decided to move even closer.
Well, they don't seem dangerous!.
Even the guineas decided they needed to check out this strange contraption and it's inhabitants.
We don't care if they ARE your pet chickens, we don't share our food!
One guinea decided to get up close and personal to check out these newcomers.
You don't look so tough!
Neffie gave me the evil eye, no doubt figuring I was just making more work for her.
Thanks a lot... that's two more critters I have to watch over!
I finally opened the door so they could come out.
They were a little tentative at first, but it didn't take them long to want to get out and explore.
That was when some of the old Buff Orpington hens decided it was time to check out these new additions to the backyard flock.
Hey look! There's some new youngsters!
Now they're right out there with the rest of the chickens every morning, looking to see what I'll throw out for them to eat.
They seem to have blended in okay with the rest of the chickens, and are growing fast.
I love my little chickens.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Dang! I wish it were so easy. I would love to add to my flock, but my roo and my hens won’t have any part of it. I tried last summer and they made the two new hens miserable.
i love my girls, too. they are so sweet. but i’m not sure they would take to new members of the flock so easily. are your guineas super noisy?
Aw, I love all the curiosity! I bet the poor girls in the cage were freaking just a bit. lol
And Neffie’s “look” – very funny.
Say, are those pink things in the cage birds? They don’t seem to move, but I enlarged the photo and they look like birds… maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me?
Ceecee, I think maybe it helps here because they have several roosting places at night. So each little group can get off by itself if they want too.
chook, same thing… I think they don’t get too shook about newcomers because they have a big area to roam in. And yes, the guineas aren noisy, though I don’t really notice it much. It’s just that I do notice it when I’m watching little videos I’ve taken and there is always guinea noise in the background.
& Dani, the pink things you’re seeing inside the cage is the orphaned chicks “surrogate mother” – a pink teddy bear. I’ve found when I only have a small number of chicks, they like to huddle under a stuffed animal or something. I think it helps them stay warmer and gives them a sense of security.
I am such a “townie”, even after living in rural Pennsylvania for 2 decades! I love reading about your animals and their lives ………… I only have daily contact with a cat, and we all know how cat-dominated that relationship is!
Thank you for your photos and commentary; it is, for me, a glimpse into a wondrous and alien world (llamas! goats! chickens! not my usual crowd!) and I learn so much. I’m much more in touch with the noisy, punk rock band playing in their mom’s living room down the street, and the elderly lady who walks 3x a day with her walker, and the step-above-homeless guys who live in the “hotel” in town, who spend their days in our Dollar Store. Birds of a different feather.
Wish we could have chickens(and llamas) here ………. but even in this little town there are laws against “barnyard animals” living in residence.
But that’s what’s fun, reading about someone else’s experience that’s different than your own! I enjoy reading about some people’s adventures in more urban settings. (Although I must admit, I also enjoy reading farming adventures!) I am not around people so much, like your punk rock band, or the elderly lady, or almost homeless guys. So that’s all alien to me and I am sure you have lots of interesting stories about these people.
I’d like to see you with a llama in your living room though.
I’d like to see a llama in my living room, too!