Chicken wrangling...

 The tiny little broiler chicks have grown. And Grown. And GROWN some more in the last 5 weeks. 

 We started out with them in a brooder in the garage. Then I moved them to our backyard. It was kind of fun having them there, listening to their peeps, and watching them bumble about. The downside is that they eat incessantly to grow as quickly as they do. And they poop without cease. They've also outgrown the hutch we put them in at night to keep them safe from predators, too many birds in too small a space.  

Last night my husband, daughter, son in love, and I gathered to wrangle fifty uncooperative birds to a new space in the pasture.  They needed to be somewhere that offered shade and ample space, and it needed to be a place I wouldn't feel so cranky about all that poo. Chris rigged up an electric net to keep the resident goats and visiting cows away from the birds and their food. Then he moved two hutches to the area they were going to be so they wouldn't be so cramped at night. Next, he affixed a huge tarp up in one corner of the site so there would be shade during the early parts of the day. There are some trees and shrubs that offer afternoon shade. We put 10 birds at a time into the big wheelbarrow and laid a sheet of cardboard on top to prevent them from hopping out. They dislike being picked up and handled, so this part of the process took many hands. Rachel had the Owlet on her back in a pack but was in the thick of it, catching broilers and moving them to their fresh new home.  We trundled the chubby things out of the backyard, through the gate, and around the goat cozy to their new digs. 

We use a special net to catch them. It is made of soft rubber that is gentle to them, even if they stick their head or legs through the holes. They act as if the net is terrifying- unless they happen to find it unused, then they snuggle in it for a nap. 

When I let them out this morning, they explored their new space with evident excitement. There is tall grass, flowers, seeds, and bugs. Everything a chicken could ever want. They spread out, eating, drinking, and checking out the new surroundings. And pooping, of course. 

The goats found all of this to be quite interesting. They scampered up and down the ramp of Billy Goat Gruff Bridge to observe their new neighbors. 

Chicken wrangling went well. And the goats are amused watching their antics. It's all good.