Run for 1 month old chicks

Only feed the Starter.....If the feed is getting diluted by snacks picking starts...Get that under control....:).....To many treats cause behavioural issues....Corn is the worst thing for chickens...
Chick starter has all they need to be healthy..Then grower and then layer no less than 18%......

Cheers.
 
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Thank you so much..I'm learning. I just learned that if I don't make eye contact with my rooster he stops attacking me. There is so much to know.I inherited 16 hens and a rooster from a neighbor who couldn't take care of them anymore due to illness. I get a dozen eggs a day give or take. My husband built the Taj maHal of chicken coops with a 12 x 20 run all enclosed. I thought I would hatch some chicks in my incubator. I now have 46 total. My husband thinks I'm a crazy chicken lady. Lol
 
Giving cracked corn to chicks is like giving chocolate candy to toddlers. With both, you may expect to see behavior problems as well as incipient nutritional issues. When they're adults, it's okay to feed corn as an occasional treat, just as you would ration candy to children.

You're really catching "chicken math", it seems. Join the club! It's easy to get addicted to these charming animals.

Consider, as you make plans to expand your flock, brooding outdoors in your lovely covered run. It makes integration a breeze, and you can safely begin it when your baby chicks are only two weeks old. They can be fully integrated and living in the coop with the adults by age five weeks.

I wrote about the advantages of doing this for BYC. The link is down below in my signature line. It details what the setup looks like and why it works to raise chicks alongside the adult flock from the time they hatch.

I also wrote about how to deal with an aggressive baby chick. You might be able to turn the behavior around. It's worth a try. If it works, it should only require a couple of days. If the behavior modification does not work, you will probably need to cull that chick.
 
FYI, Your run is about big enough to support 24 birds. If you have a roo, or are integrating new birds, I recommend even more room in the run. You didn't say how big your coop is, but general recommendation for back yard flock is 4 s.f./bird, and IMO they need more room if there is a roo or if you are integrating birds. You're going to have a lot of roos in that batch of chicks. Do you have an exit plan for them? They start getting nasty around 12 weeks old.

Recommendations: turn the run into deep litter. Give them plenty of multi height and out of line of sight areas, as well as small areas where the chicks can go but not be followed by the big birds.

I'm still not convinced that it was a chicken that killed your chick. I think it was a coon. You might have chicken aggression and predator action BOTH going on.
 
It was def the other chicks that killed the one. It butt was pecked out and I found 6 others with pecked butts and wings. I isolated them, made more room and gave more feed and the problem stopped. So far so good!
 
Ok..so I want to start letting my 5 week old chicks out into the run and yard with the big birds. The little ones are big enough now so they won't fit through the 2 x 4 inch wire. I want them to be able to start a little free ranging but I'm concerned that the big girls will hurt them. I have a sizeable coop with a large run and a fenced yard around everything. I also have a 2' x 10' run for the chicks. Thoughts?
 
If your chicks have never been outside yet at all, you need to handle this in steps because chicks are very wary of change.

Try the panic room method of integration in your run as the first step. If you haven't read my article on outdoor brooding, the panic room system is covered in it, along with photos. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...rooder-and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors

After the chicks are successfully introduced and integrated into the flock in the run, then you may provide access to the outside. However, it's been my experience chicks are extremely careful about venturing out of their run at first. They hold back until one feels brave, then others will follow.

They stay very close to the run for a few day, then they'll venture farther and farther. Just don't expect your chicks to free range the minute you take them outdoors.

You will also want to move them into the coop soon. But give them time to integrate with the panic room first, becoming comfortable in their new surroundings.
 
Thanks..they are in the brooder in the coop and I have an enclosed run where they get to be outside but safe. I want to make a small door in the wire of the run for them to venture out but still to get in their run if chased. I think they can start.
 
Thanks..they are in the brooder in the coop and I have an enclosed run where they get to be outside but safe. I want to make a small door in the wire of the run for them to venture out but still to get in their run if chased. I think they can start.



Yes....:).....You know your Chicks better than we do...They will love learning how to be a Chicken..;)

Best wishes....


Cheers!
 

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