Aren't chicks so cute? Wanting to get some? But are you ready for chirpers?! Yeaah! Wait. No! Maybe? Or maybe you're hatching some instead of picking some up at your local feed store or post office, and need to start getting ready because one just may have pipped!
Either way, hopefully this helps someone. Maybe. Eventually. This is a collection of knowledge from reading around BYC! Unfortunately, I lost most sources, so read with a critical eye! I also don't take credit for the information, just compiling it. I, myself, know nothing. Just how to put things together!
Use Ctrl+F to use TOC to it's fullest!
Table Of Contents:
[gtck] Getting Chicks
[bdbs] Brooder Base
[bdid] Bedding Ideas
[htlm] Heat Lamps
[ckfd] Chick Food
[clwt] Chick Water
[wtci] When They Come In
[grpf] Growing Up Fast
[itbd] Integrating Birds
[itpp] Illness Through Poop
[gtck] Allrriiightt! Let's get this crazy train chugging along. First thing of getting chicks is... well, getting the chicks! There are lots of ways to get little chirpers.
You can go the fun way and hatch your own! Get the eggs via BYC, auction sites (Ebay, etc), find a local breeder possibly plus other ways I can't think of right now. I got my eggs through a BYC forum member! If you can't find what you're looking for in the Auction area , don't be afraid to post in the Want To Buy area! Sometimes it'll get you want you want, or make you realize you want something different!
Some of the incubators I hear of the most are: Hovabator, Brinsea, RCom. But, this is not for incubating! Further questions for incubating can be answered by the awesome people in the Incubating & Hatching Eggs forum! They're usually fast and great. Or you can always undertake the challenge and create your own unique bator!
If you just want to get the chicks, and not deal with the troubles and possibly heartbreak of hatching, there's a few things you can do! You can order from a Hatchery, visit your local feed store(s) and see when they have Chick Days, order online through BYC or Auction sites, or check your local Craigslist. Most hatcheries have a minimum on how many you order, because shipping can and IS rough on chicks and there's safety in numbers. Especially in the winter. MyPetChicken (MPC) has the smallest minimum.
Most hatcheries have a policy where they'll replace chicks that arrive dead on arrival (DOA), so don't be afraid to tell them about any losses. As well, don't feel like you have to order from a hatchery that's well known! Always look read reviews of a hatchery so you know what you're getting.
[bdbs] So you ordered your chicks, and they're supposed to arrive soon! Yay! ... Where to put them?
Brooder space is supposed to be around 6 square inches per chick, moving up to 1 square foot around week 5-6. If you have extra space, no problem! Chicks need room to run around and play, and if there's not enough, picking and bullying can occur much easier. So if you find something for a brooder that's 3'x3', you can fit 18 chicks in there! If I did my math right anyway.~
Though, why tell you how much space before telling you what can be a brooder? Because! Almost anything can be a brooder! As long as its protecting the chicks from pets (all sides!) and drafts, it's usable! Just need to pick one that's big enough!
Common Brooders:
10+ Gallon Storage Totes (Bought at Walmart)
Cardboard Boxes
Dog Kennels
Anything With Walls
People also build their own special brooders!
Rounded corners are usually better than sharp corners if you have tons of little ones! If they all crowd into a corner, it's easier to squash a few with normal corners. Some prefer higher sides for the chirps that try out their wings, and all should have some sort of lid or cover for it!
[bdid] But what about poop 'n stuff?
That's where bedding comes in! LOTS of stuff can be used as bedding, so don't feel overwhelmed if one doesn't work out for you!
There are two that are very discouraged to use! These are cedar shavings and newspaper. Cedar has aromatic oils in it that can cause respiratory problems in your birds, and newspaper can help cause spraddled legs. Spraddled legs can be helped with if caught soon enough, but if your little ones can't breath, it's too late.
But, enough with the fear tactics! Here's stuff you don't have to be afraid to use:
Puppy Pads
Sand
Rice Husks
Aspen Shavings
Pine Shavings
Pine Pellets
Rubber Mats (Such as on shelving)
Indoor/Outdoor Fabric
AstroTurf
It's recommended to use paper towels or puppy pads for the first few days so the chicks know what their food is. They'll also have fun ripping up paper towels eventually!
Shavings can block up the vent if it's eaten, and cause something like an internal pasty butt. Shavings are also easily kicked into water and food! Easy to clean and cheap though.
Pellets soak up moister and smells great, and disintegrates if one manages to fall into the water. Heavier to clean, though.
Sand soaks up things easily, and can double as grit! Easy to clean with a normal cat litter scooper. Very dusty though.
I haven't read much on the other kinds of bedding, so I can't comment. I heard rice husks are just as great as everything else though!
But, as precaution, everything's dusty! And smelly. It's just how things are! If the dust is a problem, pellets have less dust than sand and shavings, or you can put an air filter near the brooder to suck it out of the air!
[htlm] Awesome! But, without their mama, how do they keep warm...?
That's where heat lamps come in! Most can be bought for less than $20 at most feed or pet stores! Make sure that there's a way to attach it to your brooder, or hang it above if you can! Also make sure it can handle at least 100 watts! How many watts you need also depends how far away the heat lamp is from the chicks. Farther away, higher the watt!
There's 3 types of lights:
Normal (White) Lights
Red Lights
Ceramic "Lights"
Normal lights cast off a white light, and can simulate normal day light, just without the UV. It highlights cuts and blood, and also chicks whose feathers are lighter than others. Both of those can be the cause of pecking. Constant light from this could also make it harder to adjust to coop life, when they encounter dark for the first time since delivery/hatching.
Red Lights cover everything in red, and simulates night to chick eyes. It hides blood, and makes lighter feather chicks less noticeable to aggressive peckers. Red naturally makes chicks want to peck (I think that's why waterers and food trays I find are red if they're plastic?), so covering everything in red calms them down a little.
Ceramic lights, the most expensive, cast off no light at all! Only pure heat. Though, they're incredibly expensive!
A nice addition to heat lamps is a Lamp Dimmer! Instead of having to move the lamp or replace bulbs to adjust heat, just dim it down a little bit instead. I picked up a plug 'n plug one that has a max of 300 watts for $10 at Home Depot! Make sure that it can carry the energy needed to actually light your lamp.
Speaking of lamp dimmers, as chirpers feather out, the temperature doesn't need to be so hot! The first week is suggested to run 90-100 degrees, with dropping 5 degrees every week. If you don't like looking at a thermometer, do the more ol' natural way! If the chicks are hugging the walls, lower the heat. If the chicks are on top of each other directly under the light, up the heat. If they're everywhere, you're perfect!
[ckfd] Cool! Everything's set up, and the chicks are coming tomorrow! But the brooder looks... empty?
Maybe you're missing the feeder and water. Yep, they're not in there yet. Go get some food! But which kind?
Types of Food:
Medicated Starter/Grower
Unmedicated Starter/Grower
Game Bird Starter/Grower
Layer
Broiler
If you ordered your chicks vaccinated, do not get medicated. This thread explains how the vaccinated is voided with medicated feed. It interrupts the cycle that generated immunity. But, if your small flock is home hatched and raise, medicated helps build up immunities against Cocci that resides in their poop. If your chicks aren't going to step a single inch outside until they're full grown, medicated isn't as necessary since by then their bodies will be able to handle it. However, it helps if they're going to be outside early on.
Game Bird feed has more protein than regular chick feed, but doesn't harm chicks if they eat it. You need this if you plan to double up your chicks with guineas, quail, turkey, etc. Otherwise the other flock won't get what they need.
Layer feed has more calcium, and is only for when they start laying around 18 weeks or more.
Broiler feed is for Cornishes, Cornish Crosses, and other fryer chicks! It fattens them up fast. But, remember not to have to out all day! Have a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, otherwise you could have casualties before you want to.
Some chose to have a free choice grit after the first week or so, so you can start giving the chirpers treats like mealworms, cheese, lettuce, and anything else that sounds good and isn't bad for them! Crickets supposedly are too much until the first month. Grit can be Chick Grit, Parakeet Grit, Sand, Fine Gravel, until they get older and can handle Chicken Grit plus whatever the ground has.
[ckwt] Foods all taken care of... And water's just water, so be that!
Nope. Normal water works, yeah, but it helps if you add something! Especially for shipped chicks!
Water Additives:
Sugar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Electrolytes
Poly-vi-sol (No Iron)
Sugar gives a little boost to shipped chicks. A tablespoon or so per gallon?
Apple Cider Vinegar helps keep parasites out of the chirpers because of it's acid content! It also helps with the absorption of nutrients. 1 cap full per quart.
Electrolytes? I'm honestly not too sure about this. I think energy boost and better water absorption. Small bit of Gatorade into the water.
Poly-vi-sol helps boost everything about a chick, but don't get it with iron! Don't mix it with everyday water, just give a drop per beak!
It's suggested to put marbles or small stones in with the water to prevent drowning. It's also suggested to dip the chick's beak into the water to help tell it that it's there and drinkable. With my chirpers, I only had to dip a couple beaks before everyone came running around the waterhole!
[wtci] They finally came in! They look... kind of ill honestly. What gives?!
Shipping is *very* hard on the chicks! This is why some come DOA. It's even harder when it's colder out, because body temperature just goes down fast in snowy weather. Especially in a hand sized chick!
When they come in, there are two treats that is suggested to help perk them up:
Mashed Boiled Egg (Yolk & White)
Plain Yogurt (Nothing Added)
One of the 'rules' about treats is that if it doesn't need teeth, it doesn't need grit. So don't worry about the little ones being able to handle the food! Just make sure the egg is in small enough bits so they can eat it.
The boiled egg provides protein and energy for the chirpers, getting their muscles ready to run around and play! It especially helps after shipping, since they've been bounced, juggled, thrown, and worse stuff still on the way home!
Plain Yogurt also helps their tiny tummies! Try to get yogurt with nothing at all added, sugar can be too much to digest right now. The yogurt acts as a pro-biotic, putting good bacteria in the stomach, and help keeping bad bacteria numbers low! It also has enough for a small energy boost. But, that could be just because it's a treat!
If there's a couple chicks that look like they can't even move, try dropping a single of the No-Iron Poly-vi-sol in their beak. It gives them a vitamin and immune boost, so hopefully they'll perk up a bit! Also try dipping their beak in the water, so they don't risk coming dehydrated.
Sometimes, however, a shipped chick is strong enough to survive the trip, but too weak to survive after that. Always try your best in perking them up, but be warned there's always chances of casualties. Report all DOA and any who die within the first day to the hatchery, they'll most likely replace them.
[grpf] D'awwww.... They're so cute! Wait. Wing feathers already!?
Chicks grow up fast! So don't hesitate to spend time with them. Mine are terrified of me right now because I was too busy with school and work the first week! It's taking time for them to get used to me now.
If you ordered Straight Run chicks, one of the ways to early 'sex' them is to check out the wings! If there's two noticeable difference in size of two rows on the end, it's most likely a pullet, while even sized feathers indicate a male. But, this is not a fool-proof method!
When feathers start coming when they're a week or so old, it can be spotted on whose a male or female. This doesn't work 100%, but can give you a pretty good guess! All but 3 of my chicks have their tail AND wing feathers coming in pretty long! The other 3 could just be slow in development, or roos! One of those 3 has wing feathers, but no tail feathers quite yet. It's either slow, or someone's been picking them off! The other two already act like roosters. They have the cock walk, and are the first ones to inspect something new. But it's never certain until they start to crow OR lay! Some chicks can act like a rooster, but just be a crowing hen. So don't rush in picking out who is what!
It's no doubt that the best thing about chicks is when they fight over treats! One will grab one, and egg on everyone else to chase it! But, some people wait until they're 1-2 weeks before giving them the grit necessary to digest treats, while others give the grit and treats from the git-go. Treats should not be more than 10% of their diet, however, because it may or may not stunt some needed supplements from the chick starter.
This is a good chart that says what's good to eat, why it's good, and what's a big no-no!
[itbd] Yay! They're getting big! And more chicks are coming in, and my girls outside can't wait to meet the new ones!
Actually, I bet they can! Chickens have a pecking order, and newcomers naturally fall to the very bottom. So you have to be sneaky-sneaky when you put the clucks together! It's not suggested to even put them near each other until they're 14-16 weeks old. This way, they're more almost their full size and won't be as easy to pick on.
After that, there's three ways (that I've seen) to integrate:
Put the newcomers in the coop at night, after they're asleep
Introduce during Free-range hours
Set up a coop/run right next to the existing one
Chickens usually forgo roll call, so when the growing pullets (or cockerel!) are seen in the morning, the old timers don't care much other than where they are on the pecking order.
Introducing during free range time gives them time to scope everyone out, and gives room for the younger ones to run away if the older ones are too mean. Sometimes they can be safely brought back into the coop/run together, sometimes you have to wait til the night.
Setting up a coop and run right next to the older one lets them meet without having to worry about any kind of cross-flock bullying. Wait a couple days with the new flock in the new coop, then try putting them in the same either at night or day. This coop could also become the new quarantine and/or broody area.
If you have chicks coming in, and you already have chicks, you might be able to just combine them together! It's usually the best if the age difference is only a week, so the size difference doesn't promote bullying. Some have been successful in combining chicks of a broader age difference, while others section off part of the brooder for the new ones.
[itpp] Oh no, why is their poop all... watery?!
This section is a run-off of this thread, and I can't and won't take any credit for it! Thank the Aunty on the Gardening Forum!
Check out that link, and see where your birds poo fall under!
Watery (Clear + Regular) poo can be from being too hot, and having to drink too much to cool down!
Watery (Dark colors) poo can be Cecal poo, normal every 8-10 poos!
Watery (White + Regular) poo can be from kidney problems!
Slightly Bloody (With What Looks like Skin + Regular) can be a shedding of the intestinal lining, and is normal!
Very Bloody is most likely Coccidiosis! This site has information about Coccidiosis! Amprolium can be used to treat it, check for it in medicated feed.
Worms are worms, and can be treated with Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade Only) or regular dewormers, depending on the type of worm!
EDIT// It can fit! Awesome. Adding food information now. (Added!)
EDIT2// Changed some food information, added another link. I should look up stuff on the water. Adding TOC.
EDIT3// Fixed some stuff! Adding either Integrating Birds or Growing Up Fast? (Added When They Come In, Growing Up Fast, Integrating Birds, Illness Through Poop)
Either way, hopefully this helps someone. Maybe. Eventually. This is a collection of knowledge from reading around BYC! Unfortunately, I lost most sources, so read with a critical eye! I also don't take credit for the information, just compiling it. I, myself, know nothing. Just how to put things together!
Use Ctrl+F to use TOC to it's fullest!
Table Of Contents:
[gtck] Getting Chicks
[bdbs] Brooder Base
[bdid] Bedding Ideas
[htlm] Heat Lamps
[ckfd] Chick Food
[clwt] Chick Water
[wtci] When They Come In
[grpf] Growing Up Fast
[itbd] Integrating Birds
[itpp] Illness Through Poop
[gtck] Allrriiightt! Let's get this crazy train chugging along. First thing of getting chicks is... well, getting the chicks! There are lots of ways to get little chirpers.
You can go the fun way and hatch your own! Get the eggs via BYC, auction sites (Ebay, etc), find a local breeder possibly plus other ways I can't think of right now. I got my eggs through a BYC forum member! If you can't find what you're looking for in the Auction area , don't be afraid to post in the Want To Buy area! Sometimes it'll get you want you want, or make you realize you want something different!
Some of the incubators I hear of the most are: Hovabator, Brinsea, RCom. But, this is not for incubating! Further questions for incubating can be answered by the awesome people in the Incubating & Hatching Eggs forum! They're usually fast and great. Or you can always undertake the challenge and create your own unique bator!
If you just want to get the chicks, and not deal with the troubles and possibly heartbreak of hatching, there's a few things you can do! You can order from a Hatchery, visit your local feed store(s) and see when they have Chick Days, order online through BYC or Auction sites, or check your local Craigslist. Most hatcheries have a minimum on how many you order, because shipping can and IS rough on chicks and there's safety in numbers. Especially in the winter. MyPetChicken (MPC) has the smallest minimum.
Most hatcheries have a policy where they'll replace chicks that arrive dead on arrival (DOA), so don't be afraid to tell them about any losses. As well, don't feel like you have to order from a hatchery that's well known! Always look read reviews of a hatchery so you know what you're getting.
[bdbs] So you ordered your chicks, and they're supposed to arrive soon! Yay! ... Where to put them?
Brooder space is supposed to be around 6 square inches per chick, moving up to 1 square foot around week 5-6. If you have extra space, no problem! Chicks need room to run around and play, and if there's not enough, picking and bullying can occur much easier. So if you find something for a brooder that's 3'x3', you can fit 18 chicks in there! If I did my math right anyway.~
Though, why tell you how much space before telling you what can be a brooder? Because! Almost anything can be a brooder! As long as its protecting the chicks from pets (all sides!) and drafts, it's usable! Just need to pick one that's big enough!
Common Brooders:
10+ Gallon Storage Totes (Bought at Walmart)
Cardboard Boxes
Dog Kennels
Anything With Walls
People also build their own special brooders!
Rounded corners are usually better than sharp corners if you have tons of little ones! If they all crowd into a corner, it's easier to squash a few with normal corners. Some prefer higher sides for the chirps that try out their wings, and all should have some sort of lid or cover for it!
[bdid] But what about poop 'n stuff?
That's where bedding comes in! LOTS of stuff can be used as bedding, so don't feel overwhelmed if one doesn't work out for you!
There are two that are very discouraged to use! These are cedar shavings and newspaper. Cedar has aromatic oils in it that can cause respiratory problems in your birds, and newspaper can help cause spraddled legs. Spraddled legs can be helped with if caught soon enough, but if your little ones can't breath, it's too late.
But, enough with the fear tactics! Here's stuff you don't have to be afraid to use:
Puppy Pads
Sand
Rice Husks
Aspen Shavings
Pine Shavings
Pine Pellets
Rubber Mats (Such as on shelving)
Indoor/Outdoor Fabric
AstroTurf
It's recommended to use paper towels or puppy pads for the first few days so the chicks know what their food is. They'll also have fun ripping up paper towels eventually!
Shavings can block up the vent if it's eaten, and cause something like an internal pasty butt. Shavings are also easily kicked into water and food! Easy to clean and cheap though.
Pellets soak up moister and smells great, and disintegrates if one manages to fall into the water. Heavier to clean, though.
Sand soaks up things easily, and can double as grit! Easy to clean with a normal cat litter scooper. Very dusty though.
I haven't read much on the other kinds of bedding, so I can't comment. I heard rice husks are just as great as everything else though!
But, as precaution, everything's dusty! And smelly. It's just how things are! If the dust is a problem, pellets have less dust than sand and shavings, or you can put an air filter near the brooder to suck it out of the air!
[htlm] Awesome! But, without their mama, how do they keep warm...?
That's where heat lamps come in! Most can be bought for less than $20 at most feed or pet stores! Make sure that there's a way to attach it to your brooder, or hang it above if you can! Also make sure it can handle at least 100 watts! How many watts you need also depends how far away the heat lamp is from the chicks. Farther away, higher the watt!
There's 3 types of lights:
Normal (White) Lights
Red Lights
Ceramic "Lights"
Normal lights cast off a white light, and can simulate normal day light, just without the UV. It highlights cuts and blood, and also chicks whose feathers are lighter than others. Both of those can be the cause of pecking. Constant light from this could also make it harder to adjust to coop life, when they encounter dark for the first time since delivery/hatching.
Red Lights cover everything in red, and simulates night to chick eyes. It hides blood, and makes lighter feather chicks less noticeable to aggressive peckers. Red naturally makes chicks want to peck (I think that's why waterers and food trays I find are red if they're plastic?), so covering everything in red calms them down a little.
Ceramic lights, the most expensive, cast off no light at all! Only pure heat. Though, they're incredibly expensive!
A nice addition to heat lamps is a Lamp Dimmer! Instead of having to move the lamp or replace bulbs to adjust heat, just dim it down a little bit instead. I picked up a plug 'n plug one that has a max of 300 watts for $10 at Home Depot! Make sure that it can carry the energy needed to actually light your lamp.
Speaking of lamp dimmers, as chirpers feather out, the temperature doesn't need to be so hot! The first week is suggested to run 90-100 degrees, with dropping 5 degrees every week. If you don't like looking at a thermometer, do the more ol' natural way! If the chicks are hugging the walls, lower the heat. If the chicks are on top of each other directly under the light, up the heat. If they're everywhere, you're perfect!
[ckfd] Cool! Everything's set up, and the chicks are coming tomorrow! But the brooder looks... empty?
Maybe you're missing the feeder and water. Yep, they're not in there yet. Go get some food! But which kind?
Types of Food:
Medicated Starter/Grower
Unmedicated Starter/Grower
Game Bird Starter/Grower
Layer
Broiler
If you ordered your chicks vaccinated, do not get medicated. This thread explains how the vaccinated is voided with medicated feed. It interrupts the cycle that generated immunity. But, if your small flock is home hatched and raise, medicated helps build up immunities against Cocci that resides in their poop. If your chicks aren't going to step a single inch outside until they're full grown, medicated isn't as necessary since by then their bodies will be able to handle it. However, it helps if they're going to be outside early on.
Game Bird feed has more protein than regular chick feed, but doesn't harm chicks if they eat it. You need this if you plan to double up your chicks with guineas, quail, turkey, etc. Otherwise the other flock won't get what they need.
Layer feed has more calcium, and is only for when they start laying around 18 weeks or more.
Broiler feed is for Cornishes, Cornish Crosses, and other fryer chicks! It fattens them up fast. But, remember not to have to out all day! Have a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, otherwise you could have casualties before you want to.
Some chose to have a free choice grit after the first week or so, so you can start giving the chirpers treats like mealworms, cheese, lettuce, and anything else that sounds good and isn't bad for them! Crickets supposedly are too much until the first month. Grit can be Chick Grit, Parakeet Grit, Sand, Fine Gravel, until they get older and can handle Chicken Grit plus whatever the ground has.
[ckwt] Foods all taken care of... And water's just water, so be that!
Nope. Normal water works, yeah, but it helps if you add something! Especially for shipped chicks!
Water Additives:
Sugar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Electrolytes
Poly-vi-sol (No Iron)
Sugar gives a little boost to shipped chicks. A tablespoon or so per gallon?
Apple Cider Vinegar helps keep parasites out of the chirpers because of it's acid content! It also helps with the absorption of nutrients. 1 cap full per quart.
Electrolytes? I'm honestly not too sure about this. I think energy boost and better water absorption. Small bit of Gatorade into the water.
Poly-vi-sol helps boost everything about a chick, but don't get it with iron! Don't mix it with everyday water, just give a drop per beak!
It's suggested to put marbles or small stones in with the water to prevent drowning. It's also suggested to dip the chick's beak into the water to help tell it that it's there and drinkable. With my chirpers, I only had to dip a couple beaks before everyone came running around the waterhole!
[wtci] They finally came in! They look... kind of ill honestly. What gives?!
Shipping is *very* hard on the chicks! This is why some come DOA. It's even harder when it's colder out, because body temperature just goes down fast in snowy weather. Especially in a hand sized chick!
When they come in, there are two treats that is suggested to help perk them up:
Mashed Boiled Egg (Yolk & White)
Plain Yogurt (Nothing Added)
One of the 'rules' about treats is that if it doesn't need teeth, it doesn't need grit. So don't worry about the little ones being able to handle the food! Just make sure the egg is in small enough bits so they can eat it.
The boiled egg provides protein and energy for the chirpers, getting their muscles ready to run around and play! It especially helps after shipping, since they've been bounced, juggled, thrown, and worse stuff still on the way home!
Plain Yogurt also helps their tiny tummies! Try to get yogurt with nothing at all added, sugar can be too much to digest right now. The yogurt acts as a pro-biotic, putting good bacteria in the stomach, and help keeping bad bacteria numbers low! It also has enough for a small energy boost. But, that could be just because it's a treat!
If there's a couple chicks that look like they can't even move, try dropping a single of the No-Iron Poly-vi-sol in their beak. It gives them a vitamin and immune boost, so hopefully they'll perk up a bit! Also try dipping their beak in the water, so they don't risk coming dehydrated.
Sometimes, however, a shipped chick is strong enough to survive the trip, but too weak to survive after that. Always try your best in perking them up, but be warned there's always chances of casualties. Report all DOA and any who die within the first day to the hatchery, they'll most likely replace them.
[grpf] D'awwww.... They're so cute! Wait. Wing feathers already!?
Chicks grow up fast! So don't hesitate to spend time with them. Mine are terrified of me right now because I was too busy with school and work the first week! It's taking time for them to get used to me now.
If you ordered Straight Run chicks, one of the ways to early 'sex' them is to check out the wings! If there's two noticeable difference in size of two rows on the end, it's most likely a pullet, while even sized feathers indicate a male. But, this is not a fool-proof method!
When feathers start coming when they're a week or so old, it can be spotted on whose a male or female. This doesn't work 100%, but can give you a pretty good guess! All but 3 of my chicks have their tail AND wing feathers coming in pretty long! The other 3 could just be slow in development, or roos! One of those 3 has wing feathers, but no tail feathers quite yet. It's either slow, or someone's been picking them off! The other two already act like roosters. They have the cock walk, and are the first ones to inspect something new. But it's never certain until they start to crow OR lay! Some chicks can act like a rooster, but just be a crowing hen. So don't rush in picking out who is what!
It's no doubt that the best thing about chicks is when they fight over treats! One will grab one, and egg on everyone else to chase it! But, some people wait until they're 1-2 weeks before giving them the grit necessary to digest treats, while others give the grit and treats from the git-go. Treats should not be more than 10% of their diet, however, because it may or may not stunt some needed supplements from the chick starter.
This is a good chart that says what's good to eat, why it's good, and what's a big no-no!
[itbd] Yay! They're getting big! And more chicks are coming in, and my girls outside can't wait to meet the new ones!
Actually, I bet they can! Chickens have a pecking order, and newcomers naturally fall to the very bottom. So you have to be sneaky-sneaky when you put the clucks together! It's not suggested to even put them near each other until they're 14-16 weeks old. This way, they're more almost their full size and won't be as easy to pick on.
After that, there's three ways (that I've seen) to integrate:
Put the newcomers in the coop at night, after they're asleep
Introduce during Free-range hours
Set up a coop/run right next to the existing one
Chickens usually forgo roll call, so when the growing pullets (or cockerel!) are seen in the morning, the old timers don't care much other than where they are on the pecking order.
Introducing during free range time gives them time to scope everyone out, and gives room for the younger ones to run away if the older ones are too mean. Sometimes they can be safely brought back into the coop/run together, sometimes you have to wait til the night.
Setting up a coop and run right next to the older one lets them meet without having to worry about any kind of cross-flock bullying. Wait a couple days with the new flock in the new coop, then try putting them in the same either at night or day. This coop could also become the new quarantine and/or broody area.
If you have chicks coming in, and you already have chicks, you might be able to just combine them together! It's usually the best if the age difference is only a week, so the size difference doesn't promote bullying. Some have been successful in combining chicks of a broader age difference, while others section off part of the brooder for the new ones.
[itpp] Oh no, why is their poop all... watery?!
This section is a run-off of this thread, and I can't and won't take any credit for it! Thank the Aunty on the Gardening Forum!
Check out that link, and see where your birds poo fall under!
Watery (Clear + Regular) poo can be from being too hot, and having to drink too much to cool down!
Watery (Dark colors) poo can be Cecal poo, normal every 8-10 poos!
Watery (White + Regular) poo can be from kidney problems!
Slightly Bloody (With What Looks like Skin + Regular) can be a shedding of the intestinal lining, and is normal!
Very Bloody is most likely Coccidiosis! This site has information about Coccidiosis! Amprolium can be used to treat it, check for it in medicated feed.
Worms are worms, and can be treated with Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade Only) or regular dewormers, depending on the type of worm!
EDIT// It can fit! Awesome. Adding food information now. (Added!)
EDIT2// Changed some food information, added another link. I should look up stuff on the water. Adding TOC.
EDIT3// Fixed some stuff! Adding either Integrating Birds or Growing Up Fast? (Added When They Come In, Growing Up Fast, Integrating Birds, Illness Through Poop)
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