CHICKS' FIRST DAY ON PASTURE

Early this morning ALL the chicks--even those that are only 3 weeks and 4 days old--were released to pasture. Reluctant at first, as you will see they soon settled down to what promises to be a full day of FREE RANGING for bugs, worms, and all the other things that infuse not just their eggs (for the Leghorns) but also their meat (the Cornish Cross--3 weeks and 4 days old--and the heritage breeds--Black Jersey Giants; Red Comets; Domineckers; Plymouth Rocks, and of course the Rhode Island Reds). It is to be hoped that the heritage chickens will produce extra large (or JUMBO) eggs, and in the case of the Domineckers, Plymouth Rocks and Black Jersey Giants, that they will prove to be broody so that the eggs we breed--crossing White Leghorn males with ALL the other hen breeds, and the Black Jersey Giants males (if we got any in our order of straight run chicks) with the White Leghorn hens--will find mothers to hatch them naturally.