The Great Chicken Adventure: One week old

This weekend marks my chicks survival for a whole week! How happy am I! Things have gotten into a temporary routine, changing food and water twice a day, turning off the heatlamps in the afternoon for a couple of hours (because of the afternoon sun), checking in on them every couple minutes - that was a joke. Ive changed their bedding twice now, and they sure make a mess of it. I thought they were eating lots of food (which they are), but I think theyre dropping as much as they eat on the floor of the cage. Chickens are such a temperature gage. When Ive had the heat lamp off too long, they all huddle together in the corner. When its too warm for them, they hang their beaks open, panting. They are starting to stink and are making a real mess of their "nursery." This weekend they will go out, as soon as the final preparations are done in the chicken coop. We have yet to hang up the curtains, cover the windows with chicken wire and put up hooks for the extension cord. But that's minimal. I think being outside will be so much better for them - the temperature will be comfortably cooler (with the accessibility to the heat lamp still). All the birds seem healthy. They are growing so quickly, and getting stronger. They have a defined gumption in their pecking - one had the nerve to peck at a scratch on my hand when I was changing their food. I can feel the stability in their feet and legs when I pick them up. And their wing feathers are really growing in. They can lift themselves by flapping their wings now. One even dared to fly out of the cage on me. That was one of my little brown ones and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her. She was fine, just a little afraid I think. Sometimes the chicks have little races, one will fly/scamper across the cage then everyone else will try to as well. Then they'll have a moonwalking party. They do this ridiculous frontwards motion, while moving their feet backwards. I guess that's the "chicken scratch." I had one little chickie who developed a troublesome drumstick. He would stand and his right leg would slide out from under him. I noticed it particularly the 3rd day after they had all hatched. Upon the recommendation of my farmer friends, I made an elastic brace for him that has been successful. I took a small elastic and double knotted both ends to make loops. The loops went on each foot and since its elastic, it gives enough for him to be able to walk without slipping. He seems used to it now - at first he had a hard time not tumbling forward. He's eating and drinking - a sure sign that he is well. Heres a picture of him with his brace: