Growing

Every single day they get a little bigger and eat a little more - that's what broiler chickens do...  eat, sleep, eat, drink, and eat.  In about that ratio of activity.

When you pick them up now there is a definite meaty quality to them and they have learned that when your hand enters the brooder it means "something" is happening...  likely food related...  so they surround you looking for anything edible.

The other night it was dark and stormy - I went out to the barn a little later than usual to check on the chicks and take away their feed for the night.  When I threw open the door - they were huddled together...  almost looking like all 76 of them were plotting something.  They immediately dispersed and became fixated on me, my hands, and the eminent removal of food.  That's when it dawned on me as the rain pelted against the garage doors and the wind gusted against the side of the barn...  If I fell over into the brooder for any reason...  this moment in time had Stephen King meets Jurassic Park written all over it...