Raising Chickens: Week Five

Feeding time! These guys are getting ready to go outside and join the older flock. As the bedding in the Whizbang Garden Cart gets deeper, they keep getting closer to the top, and they keep getting bigger themselves. I keep worring that one day I'm going to go down into the basement and find one or more chickens has actually flown the coop. Tomorrow morning, Memorial Day, I hope to put the final touches on their chicken tractor (name given to a portable chicken coop) and then put them outside as well.
The older flock is now used to their outside home. Although in today's heat and humidity I was surprised to find them all huddled inside the coop section, trying to stay in the shade. When I opened the outside door, they were all in there panting! Although I had read about it, I had never seen a chicken pant before. My wife had put together a great shade awning using an old flannel sheet and a couple of C clamps from my workshop. I'll have to share a picture of this later. Doesn't one of those chickens seem a lot taller than the others?
Yes, that's a chicken sitting on top of the waterer! We had heard how they like to be up high, but this is ridiculous! I guess I'm really going to have to get some perches in there for them. About an hour ago, they went through their first thunderstorm while outside. In fact, it was their first rain fall. I'll have to see how well they weathered the storm in the morning.