Chicken Catch-up

Whoa, time got away from me there!  So in the two weeks since the last chicken missive all the chickens - meat birds and layers - have moved outside to their new digs.  We put them out on a bright sunny weekend, and since then the poor biddies have lived with constant rain.  Such is the life of a Pacific NW chicken, I guess.

First day outside, about 3 1/2 weeks old

Six week old chickens

The meat birds are currently 6 weeks old and growing quickly; several have reached what I would judge as the smallish size of butchering weight (about 2 to 3 pounds dressed), and most of the rest would make for large game hens.  We're three weeks from butchering day.  Probably our biggest challenge at this point is feeding time as they don't all fit around the feeding stations at the same time so mealtimes have become a full contact sport.  We're considering adding another feeder to try to alleviate potential injuries.  Speaking of injuries, while we still have 42 birds, one of the mid-size hens seems to have sustained a leg injury and is now greatly inhibited from competing for food effectively.  We're trying to hand feed her in an effort to avoid another chicken on my counter experience, but I'm guessing her chances of surviving 3 more weeks are pretty slim unless we pull her out of the chicken tractor.  It's a tough call because caring for an injured chicken separately from the rest of flock is time and heart consuming and carries no guarantees of success.

The youngest's hens have taken to outdoor living like, well, a chicken to pasture.  They like the hen house and adore running around under the apple trees and in the berry bushes.   We're pretty pleased with how the hen house turned out, especially since we were able to use mostly reclaimed lumber and build the whole thing for around $120.  We're thinking about adding a window to the front side but that will be a project for summertime.  It took the girls a few days but they got the hang of climbing the ladder into the house and are now putting themselves to bed at night.  Which is a relief because catching chickens at twilight and then "encouraging" them to walk the plank into the house was not an easy chore!

Finished hen house

Open cleaning door

Hens enjoying the great outdoors