Chicks in Brooder Doing Well

Settling into the brooder.

The chicks are now only four days old, but growing quickly as evidenced by the rapid development of their wing feathers.

Reading around, it appears that the wing feathers of female chicks typically grow faster than those of their male counterparts. Looking at the seven chicks in the brooder, it seems that at this early stage their wings are all about the same.

Today, for the first time since the chicks hatched, it was decided to introduce wood shavings as a bedding material. The chicks are eating a lot already and it appears they like nothing better than to soil the inside of the brooder. They have been getting very dirty feet on the cardboard lining of the brooder, so hopefully the wood shavings will prove more hygienic.

The chicks have a voracious appetite.

As predicted the first thing the chicks tried to do was eat the wood shavings, but fortunately they quickly rejected the flavour (and chewiness) in favour of the chick crumb in the feeder.

You really can see the chicks' emerging personalities as they feed, drink and interact in the brooder. Pausing to watch them for a few minutes is a real treat.

Some footage of the chicks appears in the video below.