a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

Tag: 4 day old chicks

  • On the 4th Day

    ChuckanutMtn

    On Japanese news today, the weather reporter pointed out that in the fall, mountains are said to get all dressed up, referring to the forests on the mountains turning brilliant with fall colors. In the winter they are said to go to sleep, when they are covered with snow.

    OutdoorsOnThe4thDayA
    OutdoorsOnThe4thDayB

    On the fourth day of her chicks hatching, Peach leads them out into the wild blue yonder, at least it must feel like that to the tiny chicks. They’ve traveled 125 feet from their nest. For a chick of just a few inches, it’s a long, long way. In human terms, that is like a half mile, quite a feat for a four day old chick.

    OutdoorsOnThe4thDayC
    OutdoorsOnThe4thDayD
    OutdoorsOnThe4thDayE

  • A Mother Hen’s Touch

    These chicks are now three and four days old. They stay close to their mother all day long and watch her every move. They watch what she is eating. They watch where she drinks. They roll around in the dirt with her when she takes a dirt bath. When she goes for a walk they run alongside her.

    ChicksWithMother140520
    ChicksWithMother140520B
    ChicksWithMother140520C
    ChicksWithMother140520D

    Two hundred years ago, this is how all chicks were raised. According to the National Chicken Council it wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s that the modern chicken industry began to develop. Prior to that, chicken was a summer meat, something special for Sunday dinner.

    Now, the chances of a chick hatching under a mother’s warm breast only happens in small backyard flocks. The chances of it happening in a commercial setting and for customers to purchase chicken raised this way is infinitesimal.