Six new chicks for our backyard flock. These are three weeks old, today is the day I introduce the roost area which is a medium pet kennel. They will stay here until about mother’s day because that’s our typical last frost in Denver. The only other addition now will be netting on the top of the whole enclosure so I don’t have to chase an escapee around my garage

edit: It’s a baby pool that hasn’t held water in at least 8 years, I keep it stashed behind the regular chicken coop. The cardboard is called “ram board” and used to protect floors on construction sites, I just take some scrap. The kennel is on the right, it’s sitting on a milk crate so it’s the same height as the lip of the pool. Ramp is just a piece of wood with a scrap of carpet stapled to it. Ramp is held in place with a spare allen wrench dropped through a hole in the ramp into the hole that latches the crate. Feeder is screwed to that 2x4 otherwise they knock it over. Waterer is filled with “chick boost”, that shit is definitely worth it.

Photo is edited with “auto color”, the light is a red one. Definitely use the red lights, the chicks will fucking murder a littermate if they see blood and the red light helps prevent that.

    • rc__buggyOP
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      12 hours ago

      I don’t name them, honestly. I haven’t lost one to old age yet, it’s all been predators. Had a fox murder 3 this winter at 10am. Crazy hungry to be out at that time.