Family Campout Cancelled
The weather has been great and the girls are quick to demand with chirps as soon as they hear an escape accomplice come through the door after work. Unfortunately, they don't seem to understand that the nicely covered area filled with bedding and complete with a perch just up a ramp they play on all day is their new home. As the sun begins to set the concert of wild birds singing their goodnight sun song with an encore of goodnight fellow flock mates, the squawks and panics of six feisty and usually smart chickens erupt. Mom! Momma! You forgot us. We can't sleep outside. Chickie Momma where are you? What was that noise? We promise not to smell so much if you let us sleep inside...
- The installed night light doesn't seem to lure them up the ramp.
- No amount of placing them in the hut keeps them there.
- Even talking to them through the wires doesn't calm them.
They're not afraid of the dark. Nope, not our girls. Our girls have been practicing sitting in the dark, talking to us for short time periods until everyone (*cough,cough Chickie Momma) was confident the heat lamp of the brooder hadn't made them terrified of the dark.
With the trial night a success the night prior, we decided that we'd make it mammal family members campout in the screened patio to observe the sleepy time routine in the coop outside. Hopefully our Bird Brains (term of endearment) would be a little braver with their parents and brothers right there in the dark too. Sounded like a good plan at the time.
Shortly after dinner Chickie Daddy called from the patio with the news that the OGs and Middles were already up the ramp. The Littles on the other hand were still pecking the ground, zooming around the coop, and ignoring the calls from their older sisters. Finally, Ada followed by Nettie made it up the ramp. No fewer than 3 little heads popped out looking at us. Not sure if they were telling us good night, showing off their new found skill, or just seeing if we were watching so they could come back down to play...but they stayed!
As it got darker, it sounded like they were jumping between perches, disrupting the current occupant of the section of bar, and some bedding did fly out the door at one point, but they stayed in bed. No panic attacks. No minor meltdowns. No need to crawl into the coop to scoop them up. Clearly these Chickies needed their Chickie Daddy to watch them disappear up to their hut. Another parenting win and the fact we didn't have to sleep outside? Double win!
