These wonderful Buckeye Chickens are now 11 weeks old and are just beginning to roam free. It is my hope that they will be free range chickens and not just living in a coop. But getting them to be free range right now means sitting with them, watching over them, as they learn the ropes of backyard freedom. They are free and I am tethered to a chair keeping them company and keeping them safe.
But oh how fun it is to share this time with them as they learn about freedom. Chickens love to run with there wings flapping, just getting themselves off the ground for a moment. Any new sound or sight will give them the excuse to run, when they are scared they come running to me, then right back into the coop for safety. That's exactly what I need them to do, know when to run for safety.
I wondered at first, if they are free, how do I catch them to get them back into the coop, or could I even catch them if I tried? Amazingly they do come right up to me and let me pick them up. This may be short lived though, already Nod likes to runaway if she has something in her beak. She is the chick who would take a wood saving with her beak and get the other chicks to chase her and she is still playing that game.
They are discovering all the different plants that they like, the bugs get them excited, if one flies by they will chase after it, which then means I need to round them back up because when they go to far they forget how to get back. Hopefully as their world expands they will figure out how to get back home.
Time must be slipping by, wasn't I just sitting on the steps watching my children play in the front yard as they learned about freedom?
To Mom's and Dad's everywhere as they watch over their flock, many blessings, you are doing amazing work!
~Deb
*Last time in Barn Stories: Nelly Has a Secret
