Someone help! I don’t know what I’m doing!

[Naldowaldo]

Nope. Chickens belong in a flock, not as a pet.

Either build a coop and run and keep all of them or rehome all of them.

You need to get a bag of chick starter crumble to feed them and get them a chick safe waterer.
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They also need a heat source to stay warm under. You can either get a brooder plate, fashion a momma heating pad or use a heat lamp that is very well secured. I would use a ceramic heat bulb in it that does not emit light.

If you cannot keep all of them, you can post an ad for them in your local FB Poultry group and someone should be willing to adopt them.

Yeah I would love to keep all of them, it’s just a lot of people have been trying to discourage me. I have already been looking into coops tho because like I said, I want to keep them all, I’ve grown very attached. I set them up a brooder almost immediately and they already have a heat source. I went to the pet store a few days ago to look for a water thingy like that but couldn’t find anything that they wouldn’t drown in so I washed one of those small white candle outside part thingies and have been constantly adding water in there. I’ll show what it looks like. Oh and yes I already got them food at the pet store. I did all of that research the night they were brought to me and the very next day I set up whatever I could from what I found. Even tho I have no experience, there was no way I would let these chicks die because of my lack of knowledge.

 

[DobieLover]

I'm concerned you're buying food at a pet store. Pet stores don't generally carry livestock feed. Chickens are considered livestock. Can you post a picture of the bag of feed that you're using to feed these chicks?

For the waterer you can use an old Chinese food container, cover the bottom with marbles and then add enough water to cover the marbles. It's still going to get filthy but at least you won't be constantly filling it up so they have water to drink.
Alternatively, you can get an old sports bottle with a flip top screw cap, a pack of vertical poultry nipples and drill a hole in the bottom of the sports bottle and insert one of the poultry nipples. Then you would hang that from a chain or a string or something similar and the chicks would drink from the vertical nipple with the flip top open so it didn't pull vacuum. It keeps the brooder much drier and water much cleaner.

Some of those chicks are going to be cockerels. You're going to have to remove all but one of them from such a small flock. I understand that you want to keep these chicks because you become attached but if you are not prepared to offer them what they need it is not fair to the chicks.

I still suggest that you rehome these chicks to somebody who's already set up and can easily raise these chicks in their flock. Then you can start working on researching how to keep chickens, design and build a proper coop and run for them, and then go out and get some chicks. Just something to think about.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

A few days to a week ago I believe, I posted a thread abt how I wasn’t too sure how to continue while waiting for eggs my family found to hatch, I haven’t been able to respond, I’ve been very occupied with well, I’m sure you can guess but I do have an update. I wanted to reply to that thread but it said it’s not open for any more replies (idk why tho cuz i haven’t used this web at all before.) So I talked to my family to ask where they got it and they said they were going home and there was a chicken sitting at their front door and wasn’t moving so they tried to chase it away to get in the house and it ran away. That’s when they noticed it was actually sitting on the eggs. Now I still don’t understand why they did this but the first time I heard the story (from my cousin) she said the chicken booked it and ran out of sight so her dad told her to grab the eggs in hopes to eat them. Now when I heard the story form the dad, he said the hen was actually FIGHTING BACK AND THEY STILL TRIED TO TAKE THEM. My family is incredibly stupid and that was very cruel of them to do, yes I am aware and I am ALWAYS embarrassed to be related to them (they’re always making dumb decisions for any situation.) Now on terms of laws, I’ve found no laws that has been or is currently being broken for where I am located. Now on the updates for the eggs. 6/8 have hatched successfully! I was worried abt the last two and wondered what I did wrong but I later found out from my cousins dad, that when they got the eggs, they actually put them in water or smthg and two reacted differently? It was either two floated or two sank, I can’t remember what. But I used that to conclude that they probably weren’t alive from that point. I’m currently caring for them with the help from my dad who claims to have cared for chickens when he was younger. I taught them how to eat and drink the food and water I give the, and I went ahead and brought them to a compost thingy filled with soil that I have in my yard, swooshed the dirt around a bit, put them in and they learned how to eat bugs they see crawling around. They were honestly so cute. I gave them all cute names but I feel like it would be irresponsible for me to take in 6 chickens and care for them without any experience. It is possible considering the amount of research I have been doing lately but let’s all be honest here, a rookie with SIX? That could be a lot for someone who only “knows” what they’re doing from online resources. I would be ok with keeping one or two but for the rest I think it’s smart to give them to people with more experience. Keep in mind chickens are very common from where I’m from. You see them everywhere and the law says anyone can own them as pets. Anyways thank you for all of your inputs, enjoys these!!

you should raise them for a few months, then you can tell the roosters from the hens. keep one rooster, but sell the others. a lot of people say you should get rid of them, but you seem, devoted, competent, and a LOT smarter than your cousins. you sound like you are doing your best, and it is important to remember that we all start somewhere. I would recommend getting a feeder, waterer, heat lamp, and plain chick start crumbles for now. these things are available at pet shops, feed stores, or online. you are doing great!

(some screenshots of what I use.)

 

[NatJ]

A few days to a week ago I believe, I posted a thread abt how I wasn’t too sure how to continue while waiting for eggs my family found to hatch... I wanted to reply to that thread but it said it’s not open for any more replies (idk why tho cuz i haven’t used this web at all before.)

When the thread was closed, a moderator added a post that explained why:
threads that talk about taking, or keeping, or owning wild birds are not allowed on this site, because of laws against doing those things with many kinds of wild birds.

Your thread did not say what kind of birds, but it did say "wild eggs," which made it sound like they would be be some kind of wild birds. (Or at least, that is what I thought, and apparently a bunch of other people thought so too, judging by what was posted in the responses.)

Now I see that the thread has been reopened, and your new post was added to it. Probably that was done by a moderator, after they read your new post and realized that your eggs were chicken eggs and not wild bird eggs. The post about why the thread was closed is not there now, so I'm assuming the same moderator who re-opened the thread took out that explanatory post (because it no longer applies.)

 

[CluckEmUp]

Not gonna lie, this sounds like a bit of a stretch / too crazy a story to be true.

If I got this right based on your replies: So you're saying your family just randomly saw a chicken in front of THEIR door, suddenly mind you, and they chased it away (while the chicken was fighting your dad) and it just happened that the chicken not only suddenly appeared at your family's door.. but that it was also sitting on a bunch of eggs that were ready to hatch? And then, your family decides to take all the eggs and bring it to you.. out of the blue and entrust you with taking care of them. And without knowing anything you decide then and there that you're gonna candle them, keep them all as pets ("or atleast 1 or 2") and put them in a brooder.

I'm putting big doubts at the validity of this story, lol.

 

[NatJ]

Not gonna lie, this sounds like a bit of a stretch / too crazy a story to be true.

If I got this right based on your replies: So you're saying your family just randomly saw a chicken in front of THEIR door, suddenly mind you, and they chased it away (while the chicken was fighting your dad) and it just happened that the chicken not only suddenly appeared at your family's door.. but that it was also sitting on a bunch of eggs that were ready to hatch? And then, your family decides to take all the eggs and bring it to you.. out of the blue and entrust you with taking care of them. And without knowing anything you decide then and there that you're gonna candle them, keep them all as pets ("or atleast 1 or 2") and put them in a brooder.

I'm putting big doubts at the validity of this story, lol. Kinda more sounds like you just took a bunch of eggs because you wanted chickens as a pet and now you're in over your head.

I might be assuming too much here, but.. tell your parents about the chickens you have and bring them to a place that can actually take care of them. It honestly doesn't sound like you have a place for them to be (except for your actual room in the house) and the chicks might be cute and manageable now, it's gonna get a whole lot more difficult to manage later.

Plenty of people do stupid things. That can include people who post threads, but it can also include family members of those people.

In this case, I would guess the hen had a nest near the house, and it was in a not-very-obvious spot so no one noticed. Then one day the hen was off the nest (maybe having a meal) and someone did see her. At that point, if the "family members" were children or teens, or even adults like some I've met, I'm afraid the rest sounds all too believable to me.

 

[Nym]

Yeah I would love to keep all of them, it’s just a lot of people have been trying to discourage me. I have already been looking into coops tho because like I said, I want to keep them all, I’ve grown very attached. I set them up a brooder almost immediately and they already have a heat source. I went to the pet store a few days ago to look for a water thingy like that but couldn’t find anything that they wouldn’t drown in so I washed one of those small white candle outside part thingies and have been constantly adding water in there. I’ll show what it looks like. Oh and yes I already got them food at the pet store. I did all of that research the night they were brought to me and the very next day I set up whatever I could from what I found. Even tho I have no experience, there was no way I would let these chicks die because of my lack of knowledge.

Cute chicks - you did well!

Aluminium (the candle holders) doesn't hold water .. you will be filling it all day and nite. Use a small ceramic dish, something shallow, so they don't drown in it, until you get something more suitable. Even a budgie drinker could suffice short-term.

 

[Nym]

15 DIY Chicken Waterer Ideas Out Of Recycled Materials​

Making a DIY chicken waterer out of recycled materials is not only an eco-friendly choice but also a smart way to ensure your poultry has constant access to fresh water. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to making one, emphasizing the use of materials you likely already have. By opting for a homemade solution, you’re choosing sustainability and customization, tailoring the waterer to your flock’s specific needs.

This homemade chicken waterer guide will walk you through the process, from selecting the right container to setting up your completed waterer.

Recycled waterer.

You can get nipples in bundle packs on ebay or temu for very cheap!

 

[Jen2864]

If they are pipping (pipping is the first hole a baby makes in the egg) they need to be in lockdown (don't move them) they need extra humidity so wet some kitchen roll with warm water and put the eggs on the kitchen roll trying not to change their position but make sure you do not cover any pips, ducklings take a long time to hatch up to 48 hours after the pip
@New duck mommy 2021 and @WVduckchick can you give any more help

Also and this is important your family egg-napped those eggs, if they were covered then their mum was just out getting some food, water, having a swim and going to the toilet, and especially if they are alive
I don't know were you live but here in England it is illegal to take eggs from a wild bird you are only allowed to if you have a permit or are a wildlife rescue. I don't know whether your country has a different rule but it is wrong to steal a mother's babies whether you are allowed to or not
If you are worried about the eggs being abandoned then feel the eggs for if they are warm (if they are warm then mum is still looking after them) and you can also put 2 sticks as a cross on the eggs and then come back an hour or 2 later and see if mum is their or if the cross has been moved as you might scare mum off
Good luck

I agree with Blue..if they were covered they should not have been taken in..should have been left alone.
I would try to return..keep an eye out for Mom...babies much better with her especially if wild

 

[Blue is my chicken]

I agree with Blue..if they were covered they should not have been taken in..should have been left alone.
I would try to return..keep an eye out for Mom...babies much better with her especially if wild

So true but the person that made this post said it was chicken eggs