17 baby chicks hatched on Christmas

[Tatiana110]

I found the Sussex really easy to sex, the hens feathered way faster. My Roos still have just small wing feathers comparatively but at really big. Same for the barred rock.
Upside is the Sussex Roos taste good! Same for the barred rock.

That would mean we got 3 Barred Rock hens and 2 roosters, and one of the three hens is the largest one (235g). And the smallest chick is a Sussex roo

 

[newwestchick]

We are OUTSIDE. But too "chicken" to leave the little coop, haha. I'm not sure how big your chicks are but mine are huge! The coop door is 8" for your reference.

The Sussex Roos started showing wattles today, they hatched on December 23.

I've also had a bit of a pecking problem, as the Sussex feather in their tails, it's a little red at the base and I have had three get their tail feathers pulled now. One severely.... She's in segregation. This started about 5 days ago, so watch out for it with your mixed flock!

By your ameraucana sexing I would have 2 Roos and 4 pullets. Fingers crossed! Maybe one of the Roos will even be a nice guy and we will let him stay

So of 22 that would make 8 Roos (3 Sussex, 3 barred rock & 2 amerauca), but it's really out of 17 since the 5 caramel's are sex link.

 

[tiffany62590]

Thanks so much for sharing! I'm very interested in your homemade organic feed I have a couple of questions - where do you buy your ingredients for the feed? How long does watch batch of feed last before it goes bad? Do you need to keep it in the fridge until it's all used?

Sorry for so many questions, but I love the idea!

 

[Tatiana110]

Thanks so much for sharing! I'm very interested in your homemade organic feed

I have a couple of questions - where do you buy your ingredients for the feed? How long does watch batch of feed last before it goes bad? Do you need to keep it in the fridge until it's all used?

Sorry for so many questions, but I love the idea!

Tiffany,

We bought 50 lbs bags of organic whole grains (wheat, oats, corn, barley) and sunflower black oil seeds at a local animal feed co-op (Otter co-op). I have no idea how long they'll last, as our chicks are still small (3 weeks today) and they eat more every day, so it is hard to estimate at this point. We got lentils from our local grocery, and peas are our own grown.

I do my best to start each fermenting batch of feed every day so that it will be close to their daily consumption. I scoop an appropriate amount 30 min before feeding, so the liquid can be drained out and it is moist but not runny. I am getting pretty good at guessing how much to scoop out (I add 1 additional tsp every day as they grow), and if I have a couple of table spoons left after feeding, I can add it to the next feed.

Since I do not want any extra hassle in the morning (8 am is our first morning feed), I prepare the morning portion in the evening and put it into the fridge. I did not try to store it any longer, once the feed is taking out from the fermenting liquid, so I am not sure how long it'll stay palatable for chicks. But you can keep it in the liquid for 2-3 extra days with no problems, it just gets more fermented (=more sour). My chicks do not mind if I do that.

You can play with your own mix, trying to get to the desired protein percentage. It is not an exact science. If you want 16-18% protein, you can mix legumes (lentils, peas) and grains 1:1. Sunflower seeds, sesame and flax seeds are also very high in protein, even more than legumes.

When have egg shells, I crash them and add to the fermenting mix for Ca. Some Ca will probably leach out with the liquid, but I use the liquid to water my vegetable seedlings, so I do not mind that .

Our chicks are also getting lots of veggies and they get additional protein boost once a day (worms or cottage cheese / yogurt), so our fermented mix can have less protein. We started to give them sprouted oats and barley a few days ago, and they go crazy over it. We also give them kale, broccoli, and alfalfa sprouts every 2nd day. I grow sprouts for ourselves, so it is not a big deal to add another bowl for chicks.

I am spoiling them! They now give me a really dirty look when I come by and do not bring them any worms. LOL

 

[Tatiana110]

We are OUTSIDE. But too "chicken" to leave the little coop, haha. I'm not sure how big your chicks are but mine are huge! The coop door is 8" for your reference.

The Sussex Roos started showing wattles today, they hatched on December 23.

I've also had a bit of a pecking problem, as the Sussex feather in their tails, it's a little red at the base and I have had three get their tail feathers pulled now. One severely.... She's in segregation. This started about 5 days ago, so watch out for it with your mixed flock!

By your ameraucana sexing I would have 2 Roos and 4 pullets. Fingers crossed! Maybe one of the Roos will even be a nice guy and we will let him stay

So of 22 that would make 8 Roos (3 Sussex, 3 barred rock & 2 amerauca), but it's really out of 17 since the 5 caramel's are sex link.

WOW!

I am too chicken to let them out in the cold. There was frost on the ground this morning and it did not melt until early afternoon. Our chicks are still indoors, the room temp is about +11-13C and they still gather under the heat lamp when they get chilled scratching and pecking around the father corners of the brooder. The brooder is almost 4' x 6', so there is still plenty of space for them.

No feather pecking here. They are busy all day long, scratching in the litter and bathing, or chest bumping . There is an occasional peck on the head while they challenge each other, but it ends after one peck and they are friends again.

Our Welsummers are tiny compared to other birds - Rocks are almost twice as big! Ours look almost identical to yours, except we do not have lavender Ameraucana - yours is a real beauty!

Tatiana

 

[Tatiana110]

We are OUTSIDE. But too "chicken" to leave the little coop, haha. I'm not sure how big your chicks are but mine are huge! The coop door is 8" for your reference.

How did your chicks make it through the night? Was the heating lamp sufficient to keep them warm? It is below freezing here this morning again

I hope they are well and happy in their new home!

Tatiana

 

[newwestchick]

Yes! They've been out two nights now and are just fine. The coop is quite small (we only intend to keep 6-8) so with the 250 watt heat lamp it's warm in there. I even have the vent cracked.

They were in my basement (insulated but with the heat turned off) before going out so I don't think it's too different for them.

That lavender ameraucana was black like the rest until her real feathers started to come in!! I am almost certain it's a pullet... She's SO pretty and has a nice nature too.

I know they're a little crowded in the coop, it's not helping with the pecking but we bring them lots of food items to keep them busy, and hopefully they'll get a little braver over the next few days and start to explore outside more. 4 came out on their own yesterday but quickly got scared and hid lol. I had to help them find their way back in so no unattended time with the hatch open yet!

My badly pecked Sussex is a pullet... She's living inside with us and has a very timid personality. I'm hoping I can get her integrated back with the flock but I'm not sure if that will ever happen. She may also never get her tail feathers back. Her vent is working properly but still swollen. Poor little thing. If I can't get her back in with the rest in the next few weeks I might have to rehome her.

 

[Tatiana110]

Yes! They've been out two nights now and are just fine. The coop is quite small (we only intend to keep 6-8) so with the 250 watt heat lamp it's warm in there. I even have the vent cracked.

They were in my basement (insulated but with the heat turned off) before going out so I don't think it's too different for them.

That lavender ameraucana was black like the rest until her real feathers started to come in!! I am almost certain it's a pullet... She's SO pretty and has a nice nature too.

I know they're a little crowded in the coop, it's not helping with the pecking but we bring them lots of food items to keep them busy, and hopefully they'll get a little braver over the next few days and start to explore outside more. 4 came out on their own yesterday but quickly got scared and hid lol. I had to help them find their way back in so no unattended time with the hatch open yet!

My badly pecked Sussex is a pullet... She's living inside with us and has a very timid personality. I'm hoping I can get her integrated back with the flock but I'm not sure if that will ever happen. She may also never get her tail feathers back. Her vent is working properly but still swollen. Poor little thing. If I can't get her back in with the rest in the next few weeks I might have to rehome her.

So glad to hear they are warm and cozy

So sorry to hear about your little hen. I hope she'll recover soon and rejoin the flock. If not, I'd be happy to adopt.

Tatiana

 

[newwestchick]

I'll keep you posted! Since most of your Sussex appear to be Roos it might be a good fit for you

We have been calling her Chicken Little due to her "sky is falling" attitude

 

[Tatiana110]

3.weeks and 3 days old - they are growing so fast