The Chicks, Ducklings, and Goslings cry "FREEDOM!"

So that is probably a super rhetorical question but these babies are super stoked to be out of the brooder and into their more natural environment. Yesterday I finally got my act together and built the small pen for the ducks, geese, and turkeys so they actually have some space to move. The ducks and geese are growing SUPER fast in comparison to the turkeys. This has led to a severe bit of crowding in the 4ftx4ft brooder.

The first video is their first steps outside the brooder. It seems natural that the geese are the first ones out, geese are normally curious and fairly unafraid. The turkeys are next to start out the brooder. Once I stopped filming this bit I had to go in and physically push the ducks out the front since they didn't want to go running out. They were SUPER happy once I did but they took a bunch of convincing to.

Once outside the brooder everyone became a peeping, chirping, booping menagerie of motion as they frolicked in the grass and amaranth. The ducks have a VERY strong herd mentality and tend to stick together. The geese are a bit more solitary but they still roam together mostly. The turkeys have little need to be right next to each other and spread out quickly around the little pen.

I have to say that I am a bit surprised at how well these turkeys are doing. This year's batch seems a lot stronger than prior years and they are acting more assuredly. The turkeys are handling themselves given the dramatic size difference between the ducks/geese and them.

The duck herd enjoying their first foray into the "real" world. The turkeys will take a few more weeks before they are able to get out of the pen so I have a little time before I need to expand it again. The geese are getting used to being handled now too so the bonding continues. I want nice geese that like the family and aren't bitey.

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