Recent content by MillieKay

  1. MillieKay

    What is this chick?

    The stripe-back looks like one of my chicks, who is either an EE or a Welsummer. So if Post #3 is right and she's not an EE, I'd bet Welsummer.
  2. MillieKay

    Great! now i'm going to scortch/freeze the chicks

    Yeah, worst case scenario, try the chicks-as-thermometer system. It's just a little more labor intensive, at least at first--you may have to watch the chicks for 15 or 20 minutes after you adjust the light. However, once the light's in a good spot, you don't have to keep checking or adjusting...
  3. MillieKay

    Chick Mortality

    We've all heard we should never ever force feed a chick or chicken, but one of my chicken mentors has told me that dribbling some sugar water *ON* (not IN) the beak might inspire chicks to lap up a little extra water. The sugar apparently gives them a little extra perk, and the water of course...
  4. MillieKay

    Chick Mortality

    Oh, that sounds awful. My deepest sympathy. How is the brooder temperature? If the chicks seem to be bunching together, they may be too cold, and they run the risk of crushing each other. I'm fairly positive my first chick mortality was a spinal injury from a chick pile-on, but I'm no...
  5. MillieKay

    Great! now i'm going to scortch/freeze the chicks

    I actually haven't needed to bother with a thermometer in my brooder. The chicks tell me how they are feeling: bunched up under the lamp = too cold. Fanned out away from the heat = too hot. Then again, I live in West Texas, where my house regularly gets into the 90's when the sun is up...
  6. MillieKay

    At what point can I stop checking for pasty butt?

    I have 6 chicks that will be 2 weeks old on Monday. Five seem to be pasty-butt-free, but one Polish (seems to be the bottom of the pecking order, and slightly smaller than the others) still needs some de-pooping every other day or so. I'm going to try smearing a bit of olive oil around her...
  7. MillieKay

    New to BYC, New to raising chickens.

    I love those chicken names. I know what you mean about meaning to put so much effort into health checks and picking out the Very Best Chickens Ever. I was carefully inspecting each chick I was considering buying, and the ranch-hand-man kept lecturing me on how livestock has a certain mortality...
  8. MillieKay

    Hello from Atlanta, GA :)

    Welcome to the site! I'm new here, too, but it seems like we've found a great resource. I know what you mean about not wanting roosters... I just don't want to fall in love with a critter that makes my neighbors hate me I think getting sexed chicks is reasonably reliable if you want to go...
  9. MillieKay

    Howdy from West Texas!

    Howdy, y'all, and thanks so much for already making me feel welcome to this site. I like structure, so I think I'll work through the suggested questions: (1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I got my first chicks last Wednesday (the 18th of May), but I've been...
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