First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[inkfanatic]

Siggie,
I'm sorry for your loss!

 

[Blooie]

I lost two chicks last night I found them laying just outside the mama heating pad cave. I am devastated! It got down to 38 degrees last night and I kept checking on them. I even turned on the floor heater I have out there for 6 hours and covered the entire brooder with a blanket. I will be bringing them in tonight, I wouldn't be able to handle losing more because of my insistence on having them outside.

I have sent you a PM.....I'm so sorry you lost chicks. I think as odd as it sounds, covering the entire unit and having a heater on them might be part of the problem. If chicks overheat they are less likely to go back into the cave, even if that's what they really need. They'll just stay out there, slowly chilling because they don't know what to do. The bigger chicks with more body mass probably got through it fine, but those tiny ones just don't have the stamina the bigger ones do. I don't know if that's what happened or not, or if they just got trapped at the back right outside the cave and couldn't find their way back in. Right now I have all of my chicks outside in the run, with nothing more than MHP and their cave. Because the air all around them is cold, they run around, eat, drink, explore, play, and just duck back in for a quick warmup.

The bigger chicks are a week old, and there are two, Sweet Pea and Yokel, who were hatched here and went out at just 2 days old.


What a rotten thing to have happen.

I feel so bad for you.

 

[ladynewtochicks]

Hi I am first time chicken mumsy I've been keeping my pekin bantams in the house! I am confused weather to bye a plastic eglu! Or wooden coop I am put of at the threat of red mites in wooden coops I'm actually terrified at the thought any suggestions on what is actually really better wood or the plastic coop that can be taken apart to clean?? Apparently creasole kept the mites at bay but is no longer used! I'm finding it difficult to find a wooden coop as they all have felt roofs and mites live under this my chicks are five/ six weeks now I'm running out of time lol they are enjoying watching chickens on YouTube with me and sitting on my sofa I'm worried they ARNT going to no what to do outside in a coop eventually under our British grey bi polar skies and weather bless them!!

Look up the posts for "white wash" keeps the bugs out of the wood. I'm not sure how a plastic house would work, but I know I've seen a few in all the posts I've gone through.

 

[AmandaMBG]

Here is a pic of how I have been doing it.

I took the container from some to go sushi I got one day. Poked a bunch of holes with a small picture hanging nail in the bottom at the lowest points. I flip the lid so the tray sits in it. Then I take two simple steps.
1. Fill up enough water to cover the majority of the seeds for 24 hrs. Some will float and that is okay. Good ones will sink after a while.
2. Empty out water and the run water through the soaked seeds keeping them in the tray. Then set back on top of the lid so it doesn't soak your counter as it drains out.
3. Run water over seeds and let them drain off at least twice a day. You can do it more if you are there.
4. Remove any molded seeds.

It's really easy. I actually bout a small tote drawer tower and will be making a multi level sprouting system out of that when the hubby comes back home with my drill.

I have plenty of sunflower seeds, how do I get them to sprout? Water and seed in a mason jar?

 

[AmandaMBG]

So I had to put the tall mesh around the pool for them today because a couple flew over. 5 min later one had jumped up the ladder and was perched on top of the new 2.5' tall mesh lol!! Brats. Here they are all dog piling for a nap.

Who wouldn't love this face!!

So I had to take all of the runts/small breeds out and put them in their own brooder. They were just getting trampled. Much calmer and much happier already I think.

 

[mamatink7]

Here is a pic of how I have been doing it.

I took the container from some to go sushi I got one day. Poked a bunch of holes with a small picture hanging nail in the bottom at the lowest points. I flip the lid so the tray sits in it. Then I take two simple steps.
1. Fill up enough water to cover the majority of the seeds for 24 hrs. Some will float and that is okay. Good ones will sink after a while.
2. Empty out water and the run water through the soaked seeds keeping them in the tray. Then set back on top of the lid so it doesn't soak your counter as it drains out.
3. Run water over seeds and let them drain off at least twice a day. You can do it more if you are there.
4. Remove any molded seeds.

It's really easy. I actually bout a small tote drawer tower and will be making a multi level sprouting system out of that when the hubby comes back home with my drill.

thank you. I have a big bag of seeds (birds in our feeder outside don't really like the sunflower seeds we bought) so I'd love to sprout some for the chicks-once old enough and perhaps when I move them outside.

 

[mamatink7]

So I had to put the tall mesh around the pool for them today because a couple flew over. 5 min later one had jumped up the ladder and was perched on top of the new 2.5' tall mesh lol!! Brats. Here they are all dog piling for a nap.

Who wouldn't love this face!!

So I had to take all of the runts/small breeds out and put them in their own brooder. They were just getting trampled. Much calmer and much happier already I think.

awww so adorable

 

[KiminPA]

I'm so excited...pretty sure I read every single post in this thread while at work last night (Obv not a busy night lol). I pretty much already knew what breed of chicks I wanted and was waiting until my daughters wedding in two weeks to order them so my life would settle down a bit, but after reading all those posts, I placed my order at MPC this afternoon to be delivered the week after the wedding so May 18th. I dreamt of chicks all day today lol. I ordered 1 of each, SLW, RIR, BO, EE, BR, AUS, and a WEL roo. I'm ordering my MHP, and some water nipples, the rest I'll pick up at the TSC before they get here. I'm going to have to brood them inside bc we can't start on our coop until after the wedding....did I mention the reception is at my house?

So lots of work to do around here before the big day. We might have the foundation down before they get here, but that'll be it. Hoping that by ordering them Hubby gets his butt in gear...after hes done being mad I ordered them before I said I would lol.

Thanks for all the great information in these pages I now feel MOSTLY ready to take care of new babies in a couple weeks.

 

[Siggie]

Thank you to those offering condolences for the loss of my two chicks last night. I can now say with confidence, I think I know what happened and I will share what NOT to do when using the mama heating pad cave technique.

this is how I had the little cave last night. On a diagonal in the corner. It got down to 38 degrees and I checked a dozen times last night and all chicks were under the cave. But then when I got up at 6:15 am I had two dead chicks laying BEHIND the cave in the corner. I believe they both got accidentally shoved out the back of the cave and could not find their way back in. So my advice from learning the hard way...... put your mama heating pad cave up against the back wall or shoved in the corner. (I rearranged and put it in the corner so two of the sides are up against a wall) and make sure that all sides are secure so the little chirps can't slip out and freeze. I guess part of the issue is I didn't use bent wire like the original design. I had a wire basket and I attached little legs to it, larger in front and lower in back and I can just add PVC pieces as the chicks get bigger. So there is a small gap between the floor and the basket....well not anymore! I have pine shavings piled up around it now and nobody is slipping out anywhere!!

It was a heartbreaking lesson for me to learn. I am just so thankful that I didn't lose more!

 

[NikkiKiwwi]

hey, im getting 3 pet chickens and i was just wondering if im aloud to have pet chickens in park ridge, illinois
plz answer if you know the answer to my question PLZ.

i also had a couple questions on raising chicks and ive been searching for a while, but i want to get an answer from someone now, not from like people in 2003,

when do they start laying eggs

how old untill they can go into the outdoor coop

what types of friendly chickens do you recomend as pets and egg layers, im considering new hampshire reds - female -

THANK YOU