Newbie to chicks, coming soon, so many questions.

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BacktoBasics13

BacktoBasics13

Chirping
Aug 21, 2015
24
4
52
Rochester, NY
Hello all,
We have been planning for chicks for sometime now. This is finally the year. I want to start off by saying this community is so beyond knowledgeable and helpful! The learning center is great with a lot of info but I'm feeling a little confused and overwhelmed with all of it.

I figure I will number my questions this way whoever can respond can correlate their answer with the number to make it easier. Thank you in advance for any opinions or help you can offer.

*** Sidenote: we are planning a flock of 6 to 8 (Buff Orpingtons, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Easter Eggers) for now in a 5 x 8 x 8 coop with attached run. They will also have the ability to free range on our 1/3 ac suburban lot.

1: In the stores I see combination chick starter/ grower food and some labeled just starter. Is there a difference? I was looking at Dumors organic non-GMO chick starter for comparison. I would like to feed them a quality food ...are there any ingredients to look for or avoid when shopping.

2: medicated vs unmedicated food? I understand it's opinion based but if anyone could give me pros and cons of either way.

3: fermented feed? Is it better for them or merely preference?

4: given the breeds I'm looking at how long can I expect them to stay inside in their brooder? I live in upstate New York, Rochester to be specific. We still have snow on the ground, days are in the 30s and nights in the teens and 20s. Still also need to build the coop once the last of the snow melts. I was thinking i have 5 to 6 weeks once i receive them?

5: besides their crumbles I would like to introduce them to some fruits vegetables and treats at that point I would have to introduce grit correct?

6: scratch? At any point do they need it if they're getting a balanced diet between their feed and treats

7: I'm debating between going the route of a heating lamp VS the mama heating pad method. I think I recall reading a thread on here stating to find a clear heating lamp bulb rather than the red?

8. Calcium? Will their feed have enough in it or will I need to supplement oyster shells or?

9. Water? I've read tapwater is a no-no because of the additives like chlorine and fluoride. will I need to purchase filtered water for them or add a filtration system to our tap to eliminate as much of that as possible?

Thankfully that's all the questions I can think of right now. I'm sure there will be more but I can cross that bridge when it's time. Thank you!!!
 
1. An organic non-GMO chick starter will have everything they need until they start laying.
2. I do unmedicated, all organic in our house.
3. I don't bother with this but some folks seem to enjoy it.
4. You'll start weening them off the light starting at 2 weeks. Less heat, less time on the lamp as they feather out. By 5-6 weeks they are probably ready to go to the coop, at least all day. If it's still below freezing at night you might want to bring them in. 6-8 chicks once feathered out will generate plenty of heat for 30-40 degrees at night IMO. (I say from San Diego where it never gets below 40!)
5. Wait a few weeks before introducing treats. Even then some bugs will be fun to play with, fruits/veggies... they might peck at as babies? No need for scratch if you let them free range.
6. If they free range you don't need to provide this or a dust bath. Be prepared for them to eat everything in your yard that's open to them. If it's green, they might eat it. Bugs, worms, grubs, lizards, mice, anything they can get ahold of they'll eat.
7. That's totally up to what you want to do.
8. Their chick starter will have all the nutrition they need. Things like oyster and other supplements, you'll use those to troubleshoot later on.
9. My chickens aren't picky about water. Tap, rain water, yesterday they were drinking the water I was draining from our hot tub.

Lastly, keep reading threads on BYC... we're in our second year and I credit pretty much everything I know about chickens to this site in one way or the other. That said, take a deep breathe, relax... this is going to be fun and easy! They give back to you more than you give them. Every time I panic a little I remember two things:
a. They are just farm animals! It's not that complicated. Feed them, keep them clean, keep them safe, you're good to go.
b. Keep it simple! Everywhere I've been in the developing world I've seen baby chicks wandering around without anyone really looking after them. And when they have someone looking after them? It's usually a kindergartner. If a little kid can do it so can you. :)
 
BacktoBasics13 said:
Hello all,
We have been planning for chicks for sometime now. This is finally the year. I want to start off by saying this community is so beyond knowledgeable and helpful! The learning center is great with a lot of info but I'm feeling a little confused and overwhelmed with all of it.

I figure I will number my questions this way whoever can respond can correlate their answer with the number to make it easier. Thank you in advance for any opinions or help you can offer.

*** Sidenote: we are planning a flock of 6 to 8 (Buff Orpingtons, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Easter Eggers) for now in a 5 x 8 x 8 coop with attached run. They will also have the ability to free range on our 1/3 ac suburban lot.

1: In the stores I see combination chick starter/ grower food and some labeled just starter. Is there a difference? I was looking at Dumors organic non-GMO chick starter for comparison. I would like to feed them a quality food ...are there any ingredients to look for or avoid when shopping.
Starter feed is more finely crumbled. If it is a starter/grower, it is usually intended for from hatch to point of lay.
8. Calcium? Will their feed have enough in it or will I need to supplement oyster shells or?
Click to expand...
referencing calcium, keep in mind that all the feeds and their nutrient ratios available to us at feed stores are formulas based on the research that commercial egg or broiler farms utilize. For most non-laying birds, about 1% calcium is sufficient. For birds in full production, about 4% calcium is adequate. However, most small holders and backyard chicken keepers don't raise birds the way commercial operations do.
For egg farms, they have tens of thousands of pullets in each replacement flock. They all hatched the same day and after a few weeks are kept on 8 hours of light in blackout housing. Then, at about 15 weeks, daylength is gradually increased so they all come into lay within about a week of each other. Backyard keepers don't do that. Commercial layers in full production can utilize that 4% calcium. If it isn't sufficient and they get rickets or cage layer fatigue or if it is excessive and they die from kidney failure, they don't really care because they have millions of birds.
The 1% to 4% are general numbers. The fact is, for most people, their birds may lay at a rate of 6-7 eggs a week or 1-2 eggs a week. The former may need more than 4% while the latter needs much less.
When the egg enters the shell gland, calcium is pulled from the medullary bone to build the shell but hens are able to rapidly utilize any calcium in the small intestine. For that reason, crushed oyster shell is very helpful because of its large particle size, it stays in the upper digestive tract longer and is in contact with the calcium absorption sites in the small intestine during the night when the egg is in the shell gland.
Calcium in feed is finely ground and passes through at the same rate as all other nutrients.
Click to expand...
Depending on your city water supply that may or may not be a problem. If people drink the tap water, the chickens should be fine.
Click to expand...
If making fermented feed, I use an aquarium dechlorinator to it won't kill the bacteria in the feed.

Thankfully that's all the questions I can think of right now. I'm sure there will be more but I can cross that bridge when it's time. Thank you!!!
Click to expand...
 
1: In the stores I see combination chick starter/ grower food and some labeled just starter. Is there a difference? I was looking at Dumors organic non-GMO chick starter for comparison. I would like to feed them a quality food ...are there any ingredients to look for or avoid when shopping.

The main difference is in percent protein. Either one contains a good nutritional balance. Some people like to feed a high percent protein but I personally don’t like to feed anything not recommended for chickens. The label should tell you what the feed is recommended for. The one exception to this is when I raise turkeys with the chicken chicks. Then I feed a 24% game bird feed the first 4 weeks or so.

2: medicated vs unmedicated food? I understand it's opinion based but if anyone could give me pros and cons of either way.

Follow this link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1158994/busting-myths-about-medicated-chick-starters

3: fermented feed? Is it better for them or merely preference?

Those that use it thinks there are benefits. I don’t use it so I can’t comment from experience.

4: given the breeds I'm looking at how long can I expect them to stay inside in their brooder? I live in upstate New York, Rochester to be specific. We still have snow on the ground, days are in the 30s and nights in the teens and 20s. Still also need to build the coop once the last of the snow melts. I was thinking i have 5 to 6 weeks once i receive them?

You could write a book to answer this one there are so many ways to go. I agree, get the coop built. I brood mine in the coop instead of in the house, sometimes in temperatures in the single digits. By 6 weeks I turn the heat off.

5: besides their crumbles I would like to introduce them to some fruits vegetables and treats at that point I would have to introduce grit correct?

Yes introduce grit.

6: scratch? At any point do they need it if they're getting a balanced diet between their feed and treats

They do not need scratch. Some people like it feed it to their chickens, I don’t bother. Mine get to forage some so I don’t see any benefit to feeding it. In any case, wait a couple of months at least before starting scratch. When they start out they need a better diet to get a good start.

7: I'm debating between going the route of a heating lamp VS the mama heating pad method. I think I recall reading a thread on here stating to find a clear heating lamp bulb rather than the red?

There are many different ways to provide heat to the chicks. A lot of people feel strongly that their way is “best” but the reality is that they all can work. There are pros and cons to each. I use a heat lamp. My main warning is that if you use a heat lamp, throw that clamp away so you are not even tempted to use it and wire it into place so neither you nor anything else can knock it down.

I personally use a red bulb, I think it calms them down better than a white. A really bright brooder can lead to more aggressive behavior. I like it a little darker.

8. Calcium? Will their feed have enough in it or will I need to supplement oyster shells or?

If all you feed them is “Chick Feed” it will have all the calcium they need. If you limit their treats to about 10% of their daily feed intake their chick feed will have all the calcium they need.

9. Water? I've read tap water is a no-no because of the additives like chlorine and fluoride. will I need to purchase filtered water for them or add a filtration system to our tap to eliminate as much of that as possible?

Boy, some people seem to really enjoy trying to scare you or maybe they just don’t know any better. Unless there is some huge upset at the water treatment plant, in which case it should be all over your local news, tap water is fine.
 
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400

Hi! I'm new from New Brunswick, Canada. We just got are first batch of chicks 2 weeks ago. My chicks are 3 weeks old today. For a few days now, I have one that doesn't seem to be able to stand up for a long period. It eats, drinks, poops, scratches around like they others. But it won't stay up too long. It will even lay on it's stomach to eat and scratch in the wood shavings. It's bright eyed, nothing seems to be wrong with it except the laying around. It's the smallest of all the chicks. It's legs are straight. They other ones don't pick on it etheir. Can you help me? Thanks in advance!!
P.S. In the second photo, it's the one on the right.
 
TyKay said:

Hi! I'm new from New Brunswick, Canada. We just got are first batch of chicks 2 weeks ago. My chicks are 3 weeks old today. For a few days now, I have one that doesn't seem to be able to stand up for a long period. It eats, drinks, poops, scratches around like they others. But it won't stay up too long. It will even lay on it's stomach to eat and scratch in the wood shavings. It's bright eyed, nothing seems to be wrong with it except the laying around. It's the smallest of all the chicks. It's legs are straight. They other ones don't pick on it etheir. Can you help me? Thanks in advance!!
P.S. In the second photo, it's the one on the right.
Click to expand...

Hi! I am so sorry to hear about your chick. I unfortunately will be no help as Im new to this whole thing and don't even have my chicks yet. You will get a fast, detailed response by putting it in another thread tailored for injuries or illnesses. Go under the forum and under raising baby chicks, look for emergencies/diseases/injuries and post a thread in there. I hope your little one gets better.
 
TyKay said:

Hi! I'm new from New Brunswick, Canada. We just got are first batch of chicks 2 weeks ago. My chicks are 3 weeks old today. For a few days now, I have one that doesn't seem to be able to stand up for a long period. It eats, drinks, poops, scratches around like they others. But it won't stay up too long. It will even lay on it's stomach to eat and scratch in the wood shavings. It's bright eyed, nothing seems to be wrong with it except the laying around. It's the smallest of all the chicks. It's legs are straight. They other ones don't pick on it etheir. Can you help me? Thanks in advance!!
P.S. In the second photo, it's the one on the right.
Click to expand...
Sometimes chicks aren't vigorous. What is the space like? Is there a warm spot and lots of cool space?
What are they eating?
Have you provided any kind of probiotics?
 
They have ample room to scratch around. They don't seem tonne cold because they are everywhere in their pen. I do give them plain yogurt mixed with their feed. They really love it! He does seem to stand up a little bit more this morning. Hope he's gonna be alright! He grows like they other ones but just smaller than they others.
 

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