Where to start?????

Hi there everyone....
I am so excited.... I bought 6 of the cutest little peeps today! They are awesome! Now what do I do?? I have them in a plastic, 50 gal tub. They have their red light, waterer, and food dish. I bought medicated feed for them and put down pine bedding. They all seem ok...they are running around, eating and drinking. Is all this ok? Is there anything anyone would reccomend? The guy at the store said they are Tetra Tint and Gold Comets... I have 3 of each. Does anyone have these kinds? The sign in the store said they were all Pullets? What does this mean? Oh my...so many questions!

Sounds like a good start! I'm a new chicken mama myself

Pullets means that they are all little girls, no roos for you

Well actually when the sign at the store says "pullets" you HOPE you get all pullets! But accidents do happen and many of us have ended up with a roo or two in the bunch.

But otherwise sounds like you are on the right track. Have you a coop/run ready for when they outgrow their brooder? It'll only be a few weeks.

Wealth of info here on BYC so read, read, read! Have fun with the babies, they grow up so quick!

edited to add:

It's fun when it is all new. Wait...it is still fun. Sounds like you have got a brooding set up. Now you need to make sure to have your coop ready because they will grow fast!

Thanks to you all!! It is so much fun! I do not have a coop or run set up yet but I have a few ideas..... We have an un-used shed near the house that I'll use for their coop and I plan a fenced run for them. We live in Western MD and the critters are abundant out here......

Welcome!

The gold comets are a sex link so there should be no mistake there.

Yup, you will want them in a coop sooner than you think.

Sounds like you're on the right track.

Go grab yourself a copy of Raising Chickens for Dummies which will give you some really good information as you go along.



(It's still half price at Amazon. . .)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470465441

And while you're at it... you might as well grab the Building Chicken Coops For Dummies book since you'll need that, too! lol


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470598964

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Beware of chicken math. Great start so far. Welcome to BYC!

Welcome to the addicting world of chickens! Do you have a thermometer in your brooder? If not, get one so you can keep an eye on the temps in there. I personally would not rely on the "they will tell you when they are cold or hot by huddling or running around" way of judging temps- plenty of little chicks have been unintentionally fried or frozen with that method. Other than that, sounds like you are good to go.

from California!

Just as an aside, if you go to "Profile" and then to Personality, you can put your general location in your profile so when you post, we can see where you're from. That makes it easier to tailor response to questions, knowing what what kind of weather you've got (by location) because my California Central Valley coop needs are far different from yours in MD. It helps folks know what kind of recommendations to make.

Now, just some silly things to "warn" you about your chicks: First, watching them is addictive. Do not panic over every thing - for example, if you think they're all dead, tap the side of your brooder and they will wake up. They sleep LIKE THE DEAD - in positions. Honest! Scared me to death the first time I saw it! They can fall asleep eating, or in mid-peep. Babies sleep a lot. And suddenly.

If they are on their sides, flapping and kicking, they are not having seizures - they are "dust bathing" in their bedding.

It's okay to handle them. Gently. But the more you handle them, the friendlier they will get. And you can end up with very friendly hens, eventually.

The general temperature recommendations for chicks are these:

First week: 90 - 95 degrees UNDER the lamp. Give them enough room (put the lamp at the end of the brooder bin, not the middle) so they can get away to a cooler spot if they want.
Second week: 85 - 90 degrees.
Third week: 80 - 85
Fourth week: 75 - 80
Fifth week: 70 - 75
Sixth week: 65 - 70
And so on, until the outside temperatures are pretty close to the temps you are keeping them at.... and you can turn off the lamp during the day and only use it at night (maybe around the 5th week or so) and eventually they're fully feathered and ready to go outside.

Enjoy your chicks! They're so much fun..... and chickens are delightful animals!