Today was a red letter day for the chicks. They experienced being outside on the grass for the first time! Transferred to a temporary aviary out in back, they were clearly excited to have grass to eat, earth to peck, and room to flutter and try out their first perch. I kept an eye on them due to the interest of the passing Stellar's Jays and flickers. They are clearly curious about the growing chicks.
There's only one problem with this picture: the beautiful, camera-shy chick in the foreground has been confirmed to be, yes, a cockeral, by his breeder. That means he's a young rooster, and therefore he won't be able to live here once he starts a'crowing. I'll take him back to the farm where he came from, and if the other Ameraucana (which is also looking & acting suspiciously masculine) turns out to also be a cockeral, at least they'll still be able to live together and I'll bring home a confirmed female. Its diagnosis is as yet inconclusive! There's still a chance it could be the third pullet (young hen) I'd like to raise, but another week or two will need to pass before he or she is clearly one gender or another. Meanwhile, they are sweet, fun, and spunky.
Jocelyn Curry 
Leave a comment