New Easter Egger Chicks! How do I help them grow?

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

Hey so update!
Got some pictures of them. If anyone would like to help out a bit more (@Rose the Legbar @SwampPrincessChick @NatJ @BobStuart @rosemarythyme )

 

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

I believe I will be getting the black non-feathered looking one and the one with the mixed gray very round feathers.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Oh yeah they need a brooder. They are hardly feathered and will need that extra heat.

 

[NatJ]

Hey so update!
Got some pictures of them. If anyone would like to help out a bit more (@Rose the Legbar @SwampPrincessChick @NatJ @BobStuart @rosemarythyme )

Those chicks will need supplemental heat for a while (at least a few weeks.)

You could brood them in the house, or divide the existing coop and brood them there.

Chicks need warm enough temperature, and protection from heat/cold, wind/rain/snow, predators, older chickens. If you can provide that in the coop, they do not need to be inside your house.

For warmth: one area about 85 degrees Fahreneheit, the rest of their space at whatever temperature it naturally is. The warm area can be provided by a heat lamp or brooder plate or any other safe source of heat. The warm area needs to be big enough for all chicks to warm up or sleep at the same time. The unheated area can be as large as you like, with bigger generally being better. It is very important for chicks to be able to get away from the heat: that keeps them from overheating, and lets them adjust themselves to cooler temperatures by spending time in them. Chicks will naturally go to the warm place when they are cold, and cooler places when they are too hot.

For food, the "flock" food you use for your Silkies will probably be fine. Small chicks cannot eat big pellets of food, but if the food is small enough for Silkies it is probably small enough for those chicks as well. Check the label: the chicks should get at least 18% protein, with higher being fine. The calcium should be around 1% (layer feed is around 4% and is way too high for chicks.) If the protein and calcium are right, and the food is labeled as being for chickens, the other details are probably fine too.

 

[NatJ]

Chicks start feathering at usually six weeks old, which is when they don't really need a brooder any more.

I know what you meant, but I think slightly different words would have made it more clear:

Chicks START feathering right away, even before they hatch. Six weeks is when many chicks are FULLY feathered, the point at which they do not need supplemental heat in a brooder and can be treated about like adult chickens.

 

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

Those chicks will need supplemental heat for a while (at least a few weeks.)

You could brood them in the house, or divide the existing coop and brood them there.

Chicks need warm enough temperature, and protection from heat/cold, wind/rain/snow, predators, older chickens. If you can provide that in the coop, they do not need to be inside your house.

For warmth: one area about 85 degrees Fahreneheit, the rest of their space at whatever temperature it naturally is. The warm area can be provided by a heat lamp or brooder plate or any other safe source of heat. The warm area needs to be big enough for all chicks to warm up or sleep at the same time. The unheated area can be as large as you like, with bigger generally being better. It is very important for chicks to be able to get away from the heat: that keeps them from overheating, and lets them adjust themselves to cooler temperatures by spending time in them. Chicks will naturally go to the warm place when they are cold, and cooler places when they are too hot.

For food, the "flock" food you use for your Silkies will probably be fine. Small chicks cannot eat big pellets of food, but if the food is small enough for Silkies it is probably small enough for those chicks as well. Check the label: the chicks should get at least 18% protein, with higher being fine. The calcium should be around 1% (layer feed is around 4% and is way too high for chicks.) If the protein and calcium are right, and the food is labeled as being for chickens, the other details are probably fine too.

Thank you so much! I will check all of this.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Those chicks could slightly vary in ages (or a couple are feathering noticeably slower than the others) but I'm guessing they're between 1-2 weeks old, so yes they'll still need heat for another 2-3 weeks in moderate temperatures, or maybe an additional week if it's colder. But if you can split the coop or provide them a protected area in the run with heat in a sheltered spot that would help them acclimate to temps and start the integration process as well.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I know what you meant, but I think slightly different words would have made it more clear:

Chicks START feathering right away, even before they hatch. Six weeks is when many chicks are FULLY feathered, the point at which they do not need supplemental heat in a brooder and can be treated about like adult chickens.

Thank you for clearing it up, sometimes I am not the best at explaining things.