Perching Peeps

Ginger (the reddish color is due to the heat lamp)

According to the book I purchased (Keep Chickens! by Barbara Kilarski) for guidance in raising my backyard chickens, chicks need to begin learning to perch at about three weeks of age. Perching is actually an instinctive part of chicken behavior, but I'm guessing that giving them the opportunity to practice is important for these little ones raised in a box rather than a barn. Yesterday, as Miss Peeps launched herself onto the side of her container and proudly gripped the box rim and peeped at me, I decided it was time to install a perch inside the brooder box. My girls are only a little past two weeks old, but apparently, like my first two children, they are gifted :).

Gary was set to work drilling holes into some small blocks of wood in order to suspend a wooden dowel across the width of the brooder. We got it in and after some tinkering decided to tape the blocks securely to the sides of the container so that it wouldn't fall and crush a chick by accident. That done, we sat back and waited expectantly for the little ones to leap on the dowel and perch. Well, that didn't happen.

In actuality, they flocked to a corner of their bin, huddled together, and peeped and cheeped with displeasure at this new construction. It's a good thing that my reading also prepared me for this. As instructed on page 81of the book, I lifted Ginger, my most docile chick, and held her above the perch, guiding her feet. She kind of got it, but when I let go of her she quickly lost her balance and dropped to the floor of the brooder. I repeated the process with Miss Peeps and Ziggy having pretty much the same results. Okay, playtime was over; I let them rest in peace.

During my next trip downstairs, I saw little progress. Ziggy had  learned to squeeze under the bar as she is the smallest. Miss Peeps and Ginger just  hopped over it, occasionally setting a claw down briefly on the  perch, but not wanting to remain anywhere near it.

Third time being the charm, by late afternoon when I once again visited my flock Miss Peeps gleefully flapped her way onto the perch and stayed put for two minutes or so. Show off! During that same visit, Ginger also thrilled me by hopping onto the dowel and settling gracefully in perch mode. Ziggy continued to play Limbo and squeeze under the bar.

This morning, only one day later, all  three of the girls are consistently able to sit on the perch, sometimes, two at a time. I told you they were gifted!

Overall, I can't believe how fast they are growing. They have gone from fuzzy little creatures to actual birds with wings and tail feathers. They are quite proud of their appendages and love to flap them as they hop about, trying, I assume, to fly. Thankfully, when they gain full body weight, flight will not be an option. At least that's what the book says! Let's hope that's true. Here's a little video of the peeps in action. The first one to perch is Miss Peeps. You can distinguish her by the dot on top of her head. The second percher is Ginger. Ziggy wasn't up to showing off.