Ideal Poultry - Shipping Wednesday *06/27/12* - Anyone Else??

[debir1966]

CAjerseychick: I think so... I hope so! I am going to dip her beak in some water tomorrow and may leave the crate door open for a while incase the hen wants to get out and poo. I read that after 3 days to move the food and water out of the crate so the hen will start getting out of it.

Janie1968: That is too funny about the toms only flirting with black chickens... your experience gives me hope that this will turn out good for the little poult.

Momma hen is sure ruffing up when we open the crate and do anything but she seemed ok with us taking the poult out for a minute today to check it over and take a pic.

 

[CAjerseychick]

CAjerseychick: I think so... I hope so! I am going to dip her beak in some water tomorrow and may leave the crate door open for a while incase the hen wants to get out and poo. I read that after 3 days to move the food and water out of the crate so the hen will start getting out of it.

Janie1968: That is too funny about the toms only flirting with black chickens... your experience gives me hope that this will turn out good for the little poult.

Momma hen is sure ruffing up when we open the crate and do anything but she seemed ok with us taking the poult out for a minute today to check it over and take a pic.

What a funny little thing- she sure has a nice sheen to her feathers, are you going to give her water with electrolytes? She is Cute!

 

[debir1966]

CAjerseychick: I hadn't planned on giving electrolytes. Unless she seems to need a boost, she will just get plain water. I went ahead and left the crate open this morning... going to go out and check them here in a little bit.

Well, didn't get the new brooder boxes set up - yet! Hubby was really tired last night, but I did get the old EcoGlow out of the chicks and packaged to ship back to Brinsea. I do not think I am going to put the new EcoGlow in with the 3 week olds. I don't think they need it anymore. My only concern is that it gave the littlest chicks a place to hide from the big ones... so I may change my mind (at least just set it in there but not plug it in - or figure out something along the same concept of providing some shelter).


The meaties in their home-away-from-home. I don't have another chick waterer yet, so I had to improvise LOL. We started with a bigger bowl but they kept getting in it, so now we just re-water them a gamillion times a day!

 

[debir1966]

Well, my Dad came out this morning and helped me rig a pen for the majority of the chicks until we get the chicken house done. Our hay is being baled this morning, so it is going to be a very busy weekend!

We put the 19 laying chicks and 5 turkeys out in the trailer-pen (not the one I had originally planned on doing, but this will work for now). I kept the 10 meaties in the house and when the laying chicksn and turkeys go in the big coop, the meaties will go out to the trailer-pen until they are old enough to free-range and fend for themselves. I ended up removing even the black broilers who were getting pecked on.


They are loving it! They have been chasing bugs and clover buds that my daughter keeps giving them. They are under our big shade trees and getting some dappled sunlight and lots of fresh air! If it rains, we will throw a tarp over them. We have chicken wire on top right now to keep out any flying pests. I clipped one wing of everyone to try and dissuade them from trying to fly out when we open it to do food and water.

 

[CAjerseychick]

Well, my Dad came out this morning and helped me rig a pen for the majority of the chicks until we get the chicken house done. Our hay is being baled this morning, so it is going to be a very busy weekend!

We put the 19 laying chicks and 5 turkeys out in the trailer-pen (not the one I had originally planned on doing, but this will work for now). I kept the 10 meaties in the house and when the laying chicksn and turkeys go in the big coop, the meaties will go out to the trailer-pen until they are old enough to free-range and fend for themselves. I ended up removing even the black broilers who were getting pecked on.


They are loving it! They have been chasing bugs and clover buds that my daughter keeps giving them. They are under our big shade trees and getting some dappled sunlight and lots of fresh air! If it rains, we will throw a tarp over them. We have chicken wire on top right now to keep out any flying pests. I clipped one wing of everyone to try and dissuade them from trying to fly out when we open it to do food and water.

Aww thats a great set up-- my dad was the one who built us our coop too (hes the handy one in this family)-- have you tried a fresh corn on the cob I know its a bit of a splurge but its so fun watching them eat it....Chicken TV!

 

[debir1966]

CAjerseychick: I have not tried the corn yet, we haven't gotten any, but I am hoping to pick up some tomorrow. The "new" chick-pen is one of my Dad's trailers LOL. He had to come out and help me put the sides on and cover it with chicken wire.

I am a little worried about tonight, we might get down to the upper 60's - but they have been in an air conditioned house and close the AC unit and I have not had any heater for them for a couple days now... still I am a little worried lol. I will probably go out and check them a few times tonight with a flashlight (now that we have one!).

I left the door open on the crate with Momma hen and the peepers. They stayed in the crate alllll day and of course, when we went out to check them the last time they were all the way outside in the little run. We caught the poult and got the hen back in the crate and I took out a bigger (chick) waterer and we dipped the poults beak in the water a couple times. We will do that again tomorrow, but I guess for now we will just keep them in the crate.

Here are a couple pics of the peeps first adventure!

 

[debir1966]

Well the chicks seem to be doing fine outside. I was pretty worried the first two nights, the first night got down to 62! They were chilly little chicks that morning but no one seemd to suffer any ill affects. We did go ahead and put in a carboard box just for them to get into if they do get cold, out of any breezes, etc. We also put in a branch for them to hop on and start learning how to roost.



We have the 2nd wall up on the new coop and hopefully will have the last two up tonight! I am still hoping that we can have it finished by next weekend, but the new batch will be here most likely on Friday, so I am going to set up their little brooder in a plastic tote with the EcoGlow.

I would reaaaly like to get the meaties out of the house, they stink, the dust is terrible LOL. As soon as the new coop is done, everyone is going to get another switch-around! I am hoping to pick up the windows for the new coop tomorrow.

How is all your chickies! I can't believe some of ours are going to be a month old this week! It doesn't seem like it has been almost 4 weeks already.

 

[CAjerseychick]

Well the chicks seem to be doing fine outside. I was pretty worried the first two nights, the first night got down to 62! They were chilly little chicks that morning but no one seemd to suffer any ill affects. We did go ahead and put in a carboard box just for them to get into if they do get cold, out of any breezes, etc. We also put in a branch for them to hop on and start learning how to roost.



We have the 2nd wall up on the new coop and hopefully will have the last two up tonight! I am still hoping that we can have it finished by next weekend, but the new batch will be here most likely on Friday, so I am going to set up their little brooder in a plastic tote with the EcoGlow.

I would reaaaly like to get the meaties out of the house, they stink, the dust is terrible LOL. As soon as the new coop is done, everyone is going to get another switch-around! I am hoping to pick up the windows for the new coop tomorrow.

How is all your chickies! I can't believe some of ours are going to be a month old this week! It doesn't seem like it has been almost 4 weeks already.

Our chickies love the tree branches they are always hopping on and off.... My hatchery chicks are 12 days old -- so active and busy in the 4x4 cardboard box/run I set up for them (its attached to their dog crate brooder--- Not liking the idea of having to clean it out regularily though-- our Heat is back 90's and close to a 100 today I think so I am thinking to finish the A frame tractor for them-- I want to put it next to the current run I have with the Big Chicks (almost 6 weeks old) so they can start seeing each other.... The Big chicks have been outside for almost 3 weeks now-- temps got down to the 40's and 50's (the coop is built under our porch ramp so I dont think it actually got that cold internally)-- they too survived-- they huddle up on the floor and actually right now (its Hot) are in a shady corner of the Run lying on some smooth cool pebbles that are in that corner ... Run is waay too small for 19 birds-- its 8ftx5ft so I am thinking to just leave the gate to it open during the day (when all 19 birds move out to the Coop) and let them free range-- it opens into our back yard that is about ....10 times that big overall and if I shut the back door from the garage the dogs cant come out thru there... We will see....

 

[debir1966]

CAjerseychick: Did you get the A frame tractor done? I want to make one or two of those for later this year when we get our larger order of meat chicks. I am def not doing chicks again without having everything ready (from chick to full grown!) beforehand! Still hoping the new coop is done this coming weekend LOL. I can't wait for these chicks to be big enough to free-range!

The chicks are doing great outside. It is getting pretty cool at night, 58 last night, but they are fine in the morning. They all huddle up into a pile in the corner of the trailer and do not use the box at night, though I have seen some of them laying in there during the day, silly birds! I have another trailer (2 horse trailer) now and I am thinking about putting the meaties in it. I would have to rig up some sort of fencing accross the back to keep them in when we open the doors, but I would love to get them out of the house! Just in case we do that, I went ahead and picked up another big (couple gallon) feeder and waterer.

I can't believe they are already going to be a month old in 3 days! We have one turkey who is HUGE compaired to most of the others (one other one who is not too far from his size), and the sizes of laying chicks vary alot also, with some of them almost as big as the black broilers and some still really small. I still can't tell some of the breeds apart, the welsummers, speckled sussex and russian orloffs are still a mystery.

I got the call from Ideal today about my new order. They are shipping today, a day early, so should be here Thursday morning instead of Friday. Thankfully I have everything I need for them and will get the brooder setup tonight. They called because they didn't have two of the chicks I ordered available, bad hatches I was told. The red laced cornish male I wanted for a roo, so I had him replaced with a dark cornish male. I had just wanted the red laced because of the prettier and lighter coloring. And the golden laced cochin - not sure what color will be replacing her, whatever they had on hand (hoping for a buff or a red).

I asked the lady on the phone if there would be a way to know what breeds I got in the "Rare Breed Special" and she told me I would be getting a Buff Chantecler, a Red Shouldered Yokohama (which will make 2 of those as I had one already ordered) and an Indian Red Jungle Fowl. I got on the Ideal site to look up the two I was not familiar with and couldn't find the Indian Red Jungle Fowl. I called them back a while later (several hours, had company and other things I had to get done inbetween) and asked if I had written it down wrong because I couldn't find them on the website and the lady said there was no way to know what I would be getting, but that it would be on the side of the box which breeds were in it. I wonder why the first lady knew what I was getting and the 2nd didn't LOL. So at least two of them will still be a surprise when they get here (the color of cochin and what the last Rare Breed Special is).

Now I just have to worry that my EcoGlow is going to fit in the plastic tote LOL.

 

[debir1966]

Well the EcoGlow 50 would not fit in the tote LOL. Well, it would fit, but it took up the whole bottom! Sooo, we moved the meaties out to our horse trailer this afternoon. They all grouped up at first and then suddenly one of them jumped and they all started chest butting and trying to fly (I didn't clip their wings like I did the laying hens and turkeys - I don't think they can fly very well so I am not too worried about them getting out), running all over and acting frisky! They obviously LOVED the bigger space and new digs!

I got a phone call this evening and the lady said my chicks were in to come pick them up... in Boise! Which is like 2 1/2 hours away... I said "They are supposed to be delivered to my local post office." She didn't seem to understand why I didn't want to come pick them up right away LOL. I said again that I was going to go pick them up in the morning... when they reached my post office and she said "well, it said on the box to call when they arrived - you need to have them change that!" ummm, well yeah, when they arrived at my LOCAL post office! Wow.

When we cleaned out the old brooder box that we have been using, it is in great condition, the bottom is not even damp! So I think it will work for this new batch of 13 chicks with no problem. I am actually pretty excited about this batch because the kids were starting to get pretty attached to the meaties with them being the only ones in the house and so now they will have non-food chickens to pet and love on, which is great because most of these chicks are especially intended to be just pets.

Our little turkey poult that hatched also got moved today. I had been keeping her and Momma Hen in the crate until yesterday, I left the crate door open thinking that the little poult would not be able to hop over the board at the coop door, but she did, and of course couldn't get back in. So my son and I plugged every hole we could find and moved them out to the little chicken run, crate and all, with food and water and blocked the crate door open with a can full of oyster shell (they ain't gonna knock that over! LOL). This evening they were both snuggled into the crate and all was well, so the little run will be their home until the poult is big enough to get back into the chicken house on her own.

Will be posting pics tomorrow!