1st Day Out

The Baby Chicks hatched on Friday and Saturday (July 24 and 25). Lacey and the 3 Humans are proud to report that 5 Baby Chicks who are tiny balls of Fluff are doing well. On Sunday Morning, Lacey had decided to abandon the 5 unhatched Eggs. It was time for Lacey to take her Little Peeps out into the World.

We Humans were all excited about this and were quite sure that Lacey would wait for our Assistance to leave the Little Brooder House. Not so. On Sunday morning (July 26) Richard came into the Human House, announcing that Lacey and the Baby Chicks were out and about in the Grasses around their Little Brooder House. Lacey had already taken her Little Brood out into the World for their 1st Day out.

Richard thinks the Chicks must have been in Free Fall as they left the House and negotiated the Tall Step that separated them from the outside World. That Tall Step is about 3 times their height. I guess they were ready.

Of course, the Humans had to immediately go out to the Brooder House and see this Next Stage of the Adventure. They placed Ramps for the Little Ones to negotiate the Tall Step that separated them from their House and from the World Around. Chick Feed and Water were also placed outside the House.But Ms. Lacey skipped the Food Formulated by Humans and went right for the Bugs. Richard thinks the Bugs gave her Precious Chicks higher Protein. Those Bugs are also more easily digestible. Gee, we Humans have some things to learn about Chickens and their Food.

Ms. Lacey would scratch with the Chicks right beside her. She would tell them with some Clucking Sound that they knew that she had found some delicious Bug. Those Little Chicks were right there. Other times, when the temperature was a little cooler or it Nap time, the Little Chicks would snuggle right into those lovely Feathers of their Mother.In the meantime, a continual entourage of the Big Sisters and their Rooster would come by to check out the Doin's. Mostly Lacey was all right with this.

Throughout the Day, she was ever alert to possible threats to her Little Ones. She would quickly give alarm calls simultaneous to those given by her Sisters and their Rooster. But mostly, things were quite peaceful on this 1st Glorious Day to be Out in the World. When 1 of the Barred Rock Hennies came by to check things out, Lacey got all fluffed up and led her young Charges off. We Humans don't exactly know what all of that was about. We didn't see any threat, as if Humans can know these things. Lacey had seemed content with the Visits by the other Hens and their Rooster, but not with this One. Maybe She had had just 1 too many Visitors on this 1st Beautiful Day to be Out.