My First Baby Chicks - Live Stream! Hatched 3-22-17 Tips and recommendations welcome

[happymanny]

Hi guys,

I am new to raising baby chicks and thought I'd live stream them on YouTube to share my journey with you over the next few weeks.

Feel free to leave tips and comments here or in chat!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hi guys,

I am new to raising baby chicks and thought I'd live stream them on YouTube to share my journey with you over the next few weeks.

Feel free to leave tips and comments here or in chat!

Keep in mind that you want to only heat one end of their brooder---not all of it---looks like your light is aimed about 1/2 way the box. Angle it towards the end away from their food/water---not towards the middle then they can get away from the heat---towards the food and water if it gets to hot, then their water will stay cooler. Think of it as if a mother hen was in there with them----if she was on the far end----she would ONLY be heating the area under her about the size of a plate----no where else would be heated----chicks do better that way---wean theirself off the heat faster, less poop tails, etc. Good Luck

 

[happymanny]

Thanks PD-Riverman. I had a thermometer in there until a few hours ago when one of the chicks pooped on it. the area near the food/water is around 80 degrees and the area directly beneath the lamp is about 95.

Is 80 too warm? I will try to make some adjustments.

The other thing I was planning on doing today was introducing some of my backyard soil/grass to give them something to peck at and inoculate them to my backyard organisms. I was wondering, is it too soon?

-Manny

 

[PD-Riverman]

Thanks PD-Riverman. I had a thermometer in there until a few hours ago when one of the chicks pooped on it. the area near the food/water is around 80 degrees and the area directly beneath the lamp is about 95.

Is 80 too warm? I will try to make some adjustments.

The other thing I was planning on doing today was introducing some of my backyard soil/grass to give them something to peck at and inoculate them to my backyard organisms. I was wondering, is it too soon?

-Manny

I would only heat the far end to 95---let the other where the water/food is be cool. Keeping in mind---a mother hen---only heats the area under her---no where else, I try to copy her. That is why I Never use a heat lamp bulb. Just to tell you what I would do---I would unscrew that bulb(after it cools for a while---LOL) and put a 75 watt incandescent bulb in its place---drop the whole fixture down in the tote until the temp on the floor below it is about 95/100 in the hottest place---secure the fixture-----then only a plate size area will be heated, the chicks will fair better in my opinion---But these are yours---you raise them any way you want.

I know if they were in the yard they would have access to grass etc, but for the first couple weeks I just feed mine out the bag. Probably not be a problem---I just never tried it with brooded chicks. I do know if you feed them anything other than bag feed you will have to also give them grit/sand to help grind it up. Good Luck

Edited to add---I do not go along with everything in this video but kinda so you can see what I am talking about as far as the light on one end---I would just have the light closer to the side of the tote---farther away from the food.

 

[happymanny]

I was actually considering getting and getting one of those ceramic heaters that fits in a bulb socket so that I can turn out the lights at night and have them sleep properly while still maintaining heat.

Is there anything I can put in there to keep them from pecking at each other? That was the other reason for putting grass/dirt in the brooder, someone on this forum mentioned that it seems to keep them from pecking at each other because it deflects their interest a bit. I don't know how true this is but I figure it can't hurt to try. I do have a bag of granite grit from my local feed store. I did have a small plate of it out for a while but it seemed like they were only eating the grit and not the food so I took it away after a few hours. I'm fairly certain i dont need the grit with the starter crumbles I am feeding them (Purina organic starter-grower crumbles)

 

[happymanny]

Hi guys! It's day 5 and my chickens are still going strong though, I am having a recurring pasty butt issue. It seems every day I am having to clean 3-4 pasted vents.

I read that this can be caused by improper temps in the brooder, so checked temperatures and near the food area the temp is 68 degrees, and near under the heat lamp is a balmy 97 degrees. it seems like a pretty decent gradient of temperatures to me, but I'm new to this.

I also added apple cider vinegar to their water, which they seem to like, they seem to drink more than before I added the ACV, but I'm still seeing the same pasty butts each day.

Is there anything I can do to help correct this? I did pick up a vitamin/probiotic supplement to dissolve in their water today at tractor supply.

By the way, I have been streaming the chicks continuously since I got them. If you want to follow their progress, and let me know of any recommendations, check out my youtube stream:

-Manny

 

[happymanny]

For anyone following these little hens youtube's live streaming server went down for a few minutes the other day, and by the time it came back up it considered it a new stream so it created a new link. See below:

Also being that it's day 8, I decreased the temperature on the warm side of the brooder box a bit.

 

[happymanny]

Stream went down again last night, sorry about that guys. New stream link:

 

[happymanny]

Recent power outages have been taking the stream down, sorry guys!