Up The Down Staircase...err I Mean Ramp

The chicks are really getting used to their coop and our coming and going during the day. Harry goes out very each morning and opens the coop door for them. Sometimes they are slow coming out and walk down the ramp like sleepy chicks.  More often than not, though, the chickens are up and waiting to make a fast escape. Instead of walking down the ramp one at a time they take off from the top of it. Flying out and doing their flight list check-off in mid air...right wing working -oops no.  I hope as they get older and heavier these flights will not be so wild and crazy.

Clear The Runway!

They know that shortly after the coop door has been open by Harry that I will come out and refill their water, check their food supply, and usually bring a small treat...this morning it was juicy cucumber slices. They hear me come out the backdoor before they see me. They know/hope I'm on my way and are usually all piled up on top of each other in the same corner of the run trying real hard to look pitiful (remember by comparison if these chicks were human they'd be thirteen yrs old)!

GOT TREATS?

There are rare moments when they politely allow each other access to the ramp.

Carmen and Tallulah go nicely up the ramp.

Tallulah - taking her time.

Julie Newmar and Carmen Miranda telling Tallulah 'Ok, move it now'!

Liz-


Addendum:  At about fourteen weeks they are even wilder and crazier. Evidently they don't gain much weight as the get bigger and fluffier. 'Fluff' weighs nothing! They were taking flight and landing on the top of their hen house...not good. Our yard is fenced-in but all the neighbors have dogs so one swoop to the top of the fence then over to the other side would not turn out well. We barely clipped the flight feathers on one wing of each bird. They didn't seem to mind be held and petted and didn't even notice Harry's careful clipping of the feathers. They can still take flight if needed but not enough to go over a fence.