a little help please!

Help!what supply's do I need for chicks!please answer!
Hi
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Congrats in your anticipated chicks!!
You need 1 to 1.5 sq. ft. per chick in the brooder for chicks which will grow out to be large fowl. For bantams, 1/2 all numbers. They should stay in the brooder for 4 weeks or until their breast is completely covered by feathers.
You need medicated chick feed. Naturewise or Purina are good. I think Dumor is a lesser quality feed, in my opinion. Organic is not necessary.
Fresh water.
A small bag of chick grit.
Sprinkle it very lightly over the feed for 2 and 4 day old chicks. Do this for 2 days. Then just put in a small cup with chick grit. they will have learned the difference between it and feed by now and will take it as they need it. Read the featured article on the main BYC page " The Science of Feeding Grit to Poultry. The 2nd page of the PDF list in the 4th post has feeding instructions and tells you which of the 3 sizes of grit to use at what age and how much to give them. I just free feed it in a cup .
Supplements. You really only need one and it is supplied in their water. Buy the smallest bottle of Bovidr Labs Poultry Nutri-Drench. Add it to their water for the 1st 2 weeks till the water looks like very weak tea. This is an excellent nutritional supplement which does not need to be digested. Mainlines directly into the bloodstream. Gets the chicks off to a strong start. I have never lost a chick or had a sick chick when raising them on Nutri-Drench water. http://www.nutridrench.com It is very concentrated. The smallest bottle is plenty for the whole brooding time of your chicks.
Ok, heat, Use an 85 watt incandescent blub which is NOT coated with Teflon. Teflon coated bulbs outgas carbon dioxide which kills birds. Place the plain white incandescent blub at one end of the brooder, not over the feed and water. The chicks will go to it for warmth when they want warmth. Heat in the brooder should be 90 degrees the 1st week of life and decrease by 5 degrees a week until you read 70 degrees or they leave the brooder. You can tell if the chicks are correctly warmed by their behavior. Clumped close together under the light, too cold. Spread out away from the light, too hot. Grouped loosely and resting comfortably under the light, just right.
Flooring for the brooder: for the 1st week, use paper towels or that cheap waffle weave drawer liner. Do not use newspaper. Chicks need floor they can grip with their feet, not slick like newspaper. Slick flooring can cause them to have splayed legs. After the 1st week, go to Tractor Supply and buy the white bale of pine shavings. ( Hardwood), not the yellow bale which is softwood. The white bale should smell like fresh dry wood shavings. Floor the brooder with several inches. Change if it starts to smell foul.
Try to situate your brooder so you can reach in from the side if possible. Chicks are prey for other creatures and reaching in from the top ( like a swooping bird can scare them. If you are reaching in from the top, ( as I do) do it slow and tenderly.
Do not brood chicks in your living areas! They will shed their down as a fine dust which covers everything. It cannot be wiped off as it just disperses more. Must be wiped down. It creates a big mess for housekeeping and can cause allergies if kept in the bredroom. In the garage is fine, smile.
Best Success,
Karen
 
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Newly hatched chick's need a warm area and cool area in which to live. The first week of life the warm area is supposed to be about 90 to 95 degrees. The next week of life drop the temperature by 5 degrees. Each week continue to drop the temperature by 5 degrees until at room temperature when they no longer need heat. They will need a waterer but please place clean marbles in the waterer or they can drown in their water. They also need chick feed. I perfer medicated which helps them from getting sick with coccidosis. It won't completely prevent the illness but it helps. They grow and fly very quickly so you will need a cover and a large living area. Here is a example of how fast they grow. This is a picture of my 4 week old chick.
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Newly hatched chick's need a warm area and cool area in which to live. The first week of life the warm area is supposed to be about 90 to 95 degrees. The next week of life drop the temperature by 5 degrees. Each week continue to drop the temperature by 5 degrees until at room temperature when they no longer need heat. They will need a waterer but please place clean marbles in the waterer or they can drown in their water. They also need chick feed. I perfer medicated which helps them from getting sick with coccidosis. It won't completely prevent the illness but it helps. They grow and fly very quickly so you will need a cover and a large living area. Here is a example of how fast they grow. This is a picture of my 4 week old chick.
xs 2 I also prefer the medicated in the beginning, but I only buy one bag and after that they go on regular starter crumbles. Many people do not like the medicated feed and do not use it. I'd say do some reading and make a decision that's right for you.

I also brood inside for the first 6-8 weeks and yes, it is a pain in the butt cleaning and keeping not only the smell down but the dust as well. But again, it's my preference. I use a brooder light, another thing a good majority of hatchers have stepped away from in favor of brooding plates or the heating pad caves. I buy the rocks (yes, I buy them...lol) from the dollar store-craft section and sterilize them when I do the waterer and feeder and keep them in the waterer for the first week to prevent drowning, but I agree they need either rocks or marbles for safety sake. I use pine shavings coarse not fine for my brooder. I don't use grit until they are older and I start giving treats that require the grit. I do use sav a chick electrolyte in my water for the first 2-3 days.
 

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