Chicks for the first Time

[Jeanna Marie]

Hi all...I am new to this forum and kind of new to raising chicks. I am getting 6 Buff Orpington chicks this week. I have read many threads/posts on chick care but was hoping that you guys would be kind enough to help me with some pointers that will give my chicks the best chance at growing into beautiful healthy chickens.

 

[CluckyCluck]

I wasn't too concerned about mine flying the coop.

They were housed in the dining room. They'd jump out, and when they got tired of exploring the dining room, they'd jump back into the box. My husband didn't find it as amusing as I did. Nor did he find it amusing they'd sometimes jump out of the box after me. He flipped the lids on the top of the box up and taped them all together at an inward angle, which made it a bit harder for them to jump on. But then they just plain old got too big and flew the coop anyways. I had fun with it, but my husband's such a party pooper.

I know exactly what you mean in regard to the husband raining on your parade! Men. Sheesh.

Your babies are beautiful Jeanna! My buff is my most favoritest chicken ever. She got attacked by a hawk in february - VERY bad - I nursed her and she knows it. She is the most appreciative chicken I ever saw. They are just such a friendly breed. Good Luck!!!!

 

[Jeanna Marie]

Family portrait?

 

[BRAFZ1]

The hen house! They are so curious !

 

[annav410]

Thanks for the great advice anna...I have considered using a tub for brooding but also thought they would quickly out grow it. Im not sure what I'm going to do as my indoor space is quite limited and spring hasn't really sprung here yet so outside would be an absolute last resort.

I think the plastic tub will work great for the first 2 weeks and then move to a X large wire dog (great ideas on the brooder thread) crate. That way you can keep them in a small room but there is more room for them to grow and perch on roosts. I think our next step is to move them into a round wire kennel we got for our puppy and I will just have to figure out how to cover the top so they don't fly out. Here is a picture of what I will be using. We have a large bathroom where we are keeping them but this is going to be challenging for other reasons and my DH doesn't want us to spend even more money on a dog crate.

 

[Jeanna Marie]

I finally got my little fuzzies!

 

[Jeanna Marie]

 

[Jeanna Marie]

 

[Meanstreak]

This is a bit redneck style, but hey, it worked. I just moved my babies outside tonight. I took 2 decent sized cardboard boxes and duct taped them together and flipped the lids open and sat that on top of the vinyl/plastic sheeting that you cover windows with. Threw some shavings in and voila!! The plastic sheeting protected my hardwood floors, plus you can bend or fix the cardboard to whatever space you need. I had 16 chicks in ours. Once they started jumping on top of the boxes, the outward flipped lids helped to catch the droppings, which still sat on top of plastic. And since we live in the boonies, all I needed to do was roll up the plastic and drag it outside and burn everything, and it's super easy to set back up. True redneck style, but it was cheap and easy and best of all, it worked for tight spaces.

 

[Meanstreak]

I wasn't too concerned about mine flying the coop.

They were housed in the dining room. They'd jump out, and when they got tired of exploring the dining room, they'd jump back into the box. My husband didn't find it as amusing as I did. Nor did he find it amusing they'd sometimes jump out of the box after me. He flipped the lids on the top of the box up and taped them all together at an inward angle, which made it a bit harder for them to jump on. But then they just plain old got too big and flew the coop anyways. I had fun with it, but my husband's such a party pooper.