Today, I finished partitioning the coop. I found a few pieces of fence and fastened them to the walls so that the pieces could be opened or closed in the middle of the coop. The fence was sagging a bit, but that was remedied by wiring a piece of lath in the center. The fence can still tip back and forth a bit, but it doesn’t sag.
When it came time to move the chicks to the coop, I decided to put the chicks in the small side of the coop at first. The rooster and hen need to walk around and the broiler chicks are still small enough that the 4’ by 11’ area is plenty for them. I counted them as I transferred them and found we still have 33 of the Big Red Broiler chicks. Considering the number we lost, the hatchery must have given us a couple of extras as a bonus. That was nice of them.
The pullet chicks are still on the brooder table. After removing the broiler chicks, I cleaned out the used litter and put in fresh shavings. The chicks were apprehensive, at first, but soon took tentative steps out of the corners and began to make their way into the open area. Once they realized all was well, they began to frolic, cavort, scratch, and take dust baths. They were having a fine time and ignored the food and water I put in for them.
