Anyone impatiently waiting for your baby chicks to arrive?!?!

[TripMomma]

Thanks! I am really excited, 4 of them will be here Saturday We took a trip to the feed store today, got chick starter, dishes, bulb...so we can have everything ready to go.

I picked up some packets of electrolyte mix from Save A Chick...the feed store guy said it was a good idea. Does anyone here use or rec it? They also had probiotics, but he said I probably wouldn't need that?

Anything else I need to get started?

 

[losttexan]

Thanks! I am really excited, 4 of them will be here Saturday We took a trip to the feed store today, got chick starter, dishes, bulb...so we can have everything ready to go.

I picked up some packets of electrolyte mix from Save A Chick...the feed store guy said it was a good idea. Does anyone here use or rec it? They also had probiotics, but he said I probably wouldn't need that?

Anything else I need to get started?

I always have a few packets of both the electrolyte and probiotics on hand. It's a good idea to give the chicks electrolytes when they first arrive to help with the stress of shipping, and the nice thing is both products can be mixed together. Most folks recommend providing access to clean water as well, but I have found chicks often prefer the mix - perhaps it tastes better? Just be sure to stay away from Gatorade and other human-formulas - the salt content can be way too high.

 

[losttexan]

What do you have set up as far as bedding goes?

 

[TripMomma]

Thanks! I think I will go back for the probiotics mix too.

For bedding I thought I was supposed to use just paper towels for the first 5-7 days, then use shavings. If that is correct we have paper towels ready.

 

[losttexan]

Thanks! I think I will go back for the probiotics mix too.

For bedding I thought I was supposed to use just paper towels for the first 5-7 days, then use shavings. If that is correct we have paper towels ready.

Choice of bedding in brooders/coops can be a touchy subject. Everyone has their preferences, and disagreements are often considered "fighting words" much like Coke vs. Pepsi, Microsoft vs. Apple, or Patriots vs. Seahawks.

Just about everyone, however, can agree on two things: day-old chicks need cushion and they need good traction. Providing both things helps to prevent spraddle-leg, slipped tendons, and a whole host of other maladies.

Folks differ on how they provide this. I myself use a bed of 4-6" of pine shavings with cut open feed sacks to cover the shavings (because some chicks will eat them). The feed sacks by themselves are much too slippery, so I cover them with a layer of (like you mentioned) paper towels. The towels provide traction and are easy to roll up and change when the chicks dirty them (and dirty them they will). The shavings provide cushion until they are old enough to not eat shavings, get their food from a feeder (as opposed to me having to sprinkle it on the paper towels), and be producing too much waste/mess for paper towels to handle.

 

[nj2wv]

I just received chicks this week from ideal. A few didn't make the trip. Also ordered from McMurray and almost half didn't make it either. Both companies had excellent customer service and offered my choice of refund or replacement. I took replacement so they should be here in a few days. I just ordered an assortment of layers. I ordered a batch of CX from Meyer and they all made it ok. I may order more too. I have ordered chicks many times and I still feel excited when I get them. One small hatchery said send a check and you get them when you get them. Also you had to do paperwork for losses. Too much hassle for that. I order chicks a lot and know sometimes the trip is tough. You get losses. I want peace of mind knowing that if I receive losses all I do is call and I get great customer service. That's why I like to deal with the larger companies.

 

[TripMomma]

Choice of bedding in brooders/coops can be a touchy subject. Everyone has their preferences, and disagreements are often considered "fighting words" much like Coke vs. Pepsi, Microsoft vs. Apple, or Patriots vs. Seahawks.

Just about everyone, however, can agree on two things: day-old chicks need cushion and they need good traction. Providing both things helps to prevent spraddle-leg, slipped tendons, and a whole host of other maladies.

Folks differ on how they provide this. I myself use a bed of 4-6" of pine shavings with cut open feed sacks to cover the shavings (because some chicks will eat them). The feed sacks by themselves are much too slippery, so I cover them with a layer of (like you mentioned) paper towels. The towels provide traction and are easy to roll up and change when the chicks dirty them (and dirty them they will). The shavings provide cushion until they are old enough to not eat shavings, get their food from a feeder (as opposed to me having to sprinkle it on the paper towels), and be producing too much waste/mess for paper towels to handle.

Thanks...I will see what we can put under the paper towels.

Oh and Go Seahawks!!

 

[microchick]

I can vaguely remember the last time I helped my parents brood chick...back in the 70s....that they liked to peck around at the bedding a lot. Do they leave the paper toweling alone for you? I can remember that my mother always used a thick bedding of shredded paper which is now discouraged and personally I plan to use pine shavings in my brooder. Covering them with paper towels seems a logical way to provide traction along with adding ease for cleaning but do you risk the chicks pecking at it? If they peck at pine shavings, aren't they going to try the same thing with paper toweling?

 

[losttexan]

I can vaguely remember the last time I helped my parents brood chick...back in the 70s....that they liked to peck around at the bedding a lot. Do they leave the paper toweling alone for you? I can remember that my mother always used a thick bedding of shredded paper which is now discouraged and personally I plan to use pine shavings in my brooder. Covering them with paper towels seems a logical way to provide traction along with adding ease for cleaning but do you risk the chicks pecking at it? If they peck at pine shavings, aren't they going to try the same thing with paper toweling?

That has not been my experience, but I suppose they could (I have found that chicks can eventually achieve anything you don't want them to). To help, I would suggest keeping the towels in long strips (as opposed to the individual little squares) laid along your brooder's floor. I use a metal stock tank for a brooder, and three heavily overlapped strips does nicely. Also, chicks are going to peck at contrasting things. In the beginning, I sprinkle their feed directly on the paper towels to get them to investigate and peck at it. Usually, they are so focused on what sticks out (brown feed on a white background), they leave the towels alone. To that end, I would suggest covering the entire bottom of the brooder as uniformly as possible with the towels, so it appears to them to simply be the floor and not worthy of investigation.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My chicks from Ideal came today! They shipped out yesterday, so I wasn't expecting them until tomorrow. Everyone is alive and well and pecking away at the feeder
I'm uploading a few pics to Photobucket, I'll share when they're done and my DH gets off the computer (its a pain to upload pics from my phone). And, I didn't get a single packing peanut. Figures. If you want them, they don't send them. If you don't want them, they'll fill the box up!