First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[DEBORAHJACKSON]

I'm so afraid now, after reading about people who bought chicks and they died. :0(

 

[Choco Maran]

It is okay. Mother Nature has a way of doing this so we only have the strongest and healthiest birds in our flocks. It is sad and we all hate when it happens, but it does happen. We make mistakes raising them and hopefully we learn from them.

In answer to the pitbulls KEEP them away. Unless they are puppies I would not try it. A friend moved in with us and has two pit crosses the first week one got loose and got in with the chickens and killed two, he is better now that he lives with them but I will never trust him a 100 %. My two smaller dogs are great with the chicken and so are the cats. I would really be carefull with the pit

 

[vadgoo]

Well this is my set up I had then for a week now their doing supper well I have them on medicated feed and electrolytes in the water... I know nervous father hear

now that my girlfriend saw them looks like I'll be ordering more laying hens in the near future

 

[vadgoo]

Should all chicks start on medicated feed? I was hoping to use organic.

 

[vadgoo]

Do all new chicks need medicated feed?

 

[mamatink7]

IMO yes they need to start with medicated but it is a preference. Then after that move to non medicated chick starter. Then move to layer (18ish weeks)

 

[Serenashome]

Do all new chicks need medicated feed?

Our grower/layer is organic but we did opt to give them medicated feed at first. I really think it is completely up to you.

Our thoughts: We wanted to make sure they did not have any health problems as we started our flock. Once these ladies are making their own babies we may chose not to medicate the new chicks. However, since we purchased these through a hatchery and cannot know what the mother hens health is or what they have been fed we felt it safer for the chickens to go this route.

 

[ChickenBogue]

Hello all. New to thread and to chickens. We got 9 chicks the first week of April. 2 Easter Eggers, 2 Golden Laced Wyandotte, 2 Production Reds, and three straight run bantams (2 of which turned out to be males). I've just finished the coop and run and they'll go out this weekend. We are very excited. Lol.

 

[Serenashome]

Hello all. New to thread and to chickens. We got 9 chicks the first week of April. 2 Easter Eggers, 2 Golden Laced Wyandotte, 2 Production Reds, and three straight run bantams (2 of which turned out to be males). I've just finished the coop and run and they'll go out this weekend. We are very excited. Lol.

Welcome to BYC!!! What a fun mix of babies!

Our run is not even close to finished if it were I'd be excited too!

 

[krystalschicks]

First time chick, duck, and guinea mama here!
Got these on March 4th. 18 chicks. Haven't lost a single one! Here they were babies, so much bigger now