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Feb 2009
A day In The Life Of A Free Range Chicken
By Brenda Murray
Seven weeks doesn’t seem like a very long time to live, however, a chick will grow from a hatchling to a 5 pound meal in that short of a time. Our chickens really seem to enjoy their time with us, especially after they are old enough to venture outside. One day, I saw one of the chicks, that was fairly new to the outdoors, run excitedly from one chicken to another, zig-zag, zig-zag, across the outdoors pen with a shrill chirping everywhere it went. I watched in amusement, wondering what the heck its problem was. Oh, then I saw, he had a wiggling worm in his mouth, and was showing it off to the others, before devouring it.
Chickens also love the warm rays of the sun, and while still inside the sheds, they will await the first glimpse of the sun, as it comes up over the horizon in the morning. They jostle for position with pushing and shoving, so the sun will shine on them through the screen doors. You can actually see the pleasure in their little faces, as the sun would shine down on them.
Another thing that I have discovered about chickens is their very keen eyesight. On several occasions (just for fun) I would flick a spider from the wall of the shed, down to the chickens. Before the spider hit the floor, there would be half a dozen chickens right on it. When in defensive mode, the spider curls itself into a tight ball, so it really is very small. It amazed me how well the chickens could see the spider fall into the pen and be right there to gobble it up when it landed. I hope nobody thinks I am cruel to the poor spiders, because if you have ever observed a spider and how it kills its prey, then you will not feel sorry either. One spider incident in particular comes to mind. I was out picking raspberries in the woods, and noticed a large grasshopper like bug, entangled in a spider web. I really had never seen so large a bug caught up in a web before. Over the course of a couple of hours, I watched the spider and the bug battle it out. At first, the bug still had a lot of energy and strength, and would lurch at the spider as it approached. The back end of the
bug was snagged pretty good, but it’s front legs were free, so it could fight the spider, sending it retreating to it’s own corner of the web. The spider knew it was too soon, so it watched and waited, letting the bug tire itself out by struggling.
Near the end, the large bug was tired, and could no longer keep the spider away. I know I shouldn’t have involved myself in this, but at the last minute, I removed the large bug from the web, got most of the sticky web off, and let it go free. I felt quite good about myself that day, but I am sure the spider was disappointed.
Chickens also show pleasure, when they have a freshly cleaned house. It does get kind of dirty in there after a week or so. Their dirty letter is shovelled out, and replaced with a thick layer of fresh clean sawdust. The chickens will dig in the clean bedding, stretch out on their sides, and contentedly preen themselves, and have some relax time, just laying around the pen.
In any batch of chicks that we get, there are always a few weaker ones, with a bad leg, or wing. Most of the other chickens show total disregard for this, and trample the ones that can’t get out of the way, or push them away from the food, as they are weaker. The more robust chicks can easily double in size over the weaker ones, so they get pushed around even more as time goes by. However there does seem to be a kind chicken or two with a motherly instinct, that actually seems to care about the weaker ones. I have watched one of these ‘caring’ chickens escort the weaker one outside to the water, and then go with it back to the house again, protecting it from the others. Often, these weaker chicks just don’t make it through the seven weeks. Even after death, the protecting chicken stays near the carcass, and will often peck at my hand, as I remove it from the shed.
So you see, chickens are the same as us humans in lots of ways. They enjoy sunshine, good food (green grass, spiders, worms, bugs and slugs, and healthy grain), a clean comfortable house, freedom to go outside or stay in, exercise, play, and companionship. Just remember that a happy chicken grows better, tastes better, and is a healthier food choice for you, the consumer.
For additional information contact:Brenda Murray
Blue Barn Farms 1800 Hammonds Plains Rd
Hammonds Plains
www.BlueBarn.ca
E-mail: brenda@bluebarn.ca
PH 902-499-3399
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