November 2016 Hatch-a-long!!

[Mylied]

They both look like pullets to me. Usually the cockerels have pink combs by then. For the chickens I've raised anyway.

 

[theceltichorse]

They both look like pullets to me. Usually the cockerels have pink combs by then. For the chickens I've raised anyway.

I'm hoping. Amazing how you can get attached to the little fluff butts!

 

[Faraday40]

They both look like pullets to me. Usually the cockerels have pink combs by then. For the chickens I've raised anyway.

x2 At this point they both look like pullets. Keep checking for pink combs. Usually between 3.5 and 6 wks, the males start to change.

Some birds are very easy to tell:

The wattles drop & the comb is pink. (They may even hold their heads up in a rooster-ish pose.) Often male EE chicks have 3 rows to their pea combs & females will only have one.

The group below was 5-6 weeks old in the pic



This blue maran was only 3 weeks & we knew he was a male!




Below are 2 male orps at 4 weeks old. The second lav one was slower to mature but you can see that touch of pink starting. His wattles were also dark pink, where a pullet would have had zero color.

 

[Jessimom]

Hi all! Any suggestions on moving my silkies that hatched 11/29 outside to this coop moved up against my house, with a heat plate inside? Temps should be between 46 and 65. After hearing about sub zero temps for some of you, it makes me feel silly worrying about mine. They have been in my bathroom, and I took away their heat plate a few nights ago - they did fine. There are 11 of them and they just pile together.


Do I even NEED a heat plate in there?

They are fluffy, but not fully fluffy.


Thanks!!

Good luck everyone with these freezing temps. I hope your power stays on and all the people and animals stay warm and dry!

 

[FridayYet]

Can you put the heat plate in the coop? I did, so they can sit on it or under it at night if they want.

 

[Jessimom]

Can you put the heat plate in the coop? I did, so they can sit on it or under it at night if they want.

I think the heat plate will take up a little less than half of the upper area. I think they should have enough room to go under it, lie next to it, or if I pull the top off of the heat plate, let them sit on top of it.

Thanks!

 

[FridayYet]

They are absolutely going to love being out in that coop! Mine are inside the coop in a brooder/grow-out box, but I don't have a secure enough area in the run to let them play in.

They'll have to get a little bigger first.

 

[Faraday40]

I think the heat plate will take up a little less than half of the upper area. I think they should have enough room to go under it, lie next to it, or if I pull the top off of the heat plate, let them sit on top of it.

Thanks!

Yes, I think they'll be fine with the heat plate. Even if they don't need it, It will at least make you feel better. In about a week, check on them at night & see if they're still using it. If not, time to unplug.

I used to worry a lot about temperatures, but chicks are actually great thermometers. If they look huddled & cold, then they need more heat. If they're away from the heat source, it's time to unplug the heat plate. Don't feel weird about checking on them - everybody does when they move "the babies" out to the coop.

 

[FridayYet]

That's true. I have no Idea whether mine are using it or not, but it's there if they need it. (I don't go out and check on them at night - it's too cold for me!

)

They are running around happy in the mornings though, so they must be fine.

 

[theceltichorse]

x2 At this point they both look like pullets. Keep checking for pink combs. Usually between 3.5 and 6 wks, the males start to change. Some birds are very easy to tell: [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] The wattles drop & the comb is pink. (They may even hold their heads up in a rooster-ish pose.) Often male EE chicks have 3 rows to their pea combs & females will only have one. The group below was 5-6 weeks old in the pic This blue maran was only 3 weeks & we knew he was a male! Below are 2 male orps at 4 weeks old. The second lav one was slower to mature but you can see that touch of pink starting. His wattles were also dark pink, where a pullet would have had zero color.

Thank you! I'm going to take pics of each chick when my daughter gets home. I'll try to focus on combs and check on wattle development. I'll post more pics later.