I only add a heat emitter if I see one chick getting pushed out from the brooder and I want to make sure there's some coverage as I have a large stock tank. The cermaic bulbs are typically lower wattage than the light bulbs so not as hot, but may need to be hung a little lower to be effective...
This is my first go with chickens too so take my experience with this for what it’s worth.
We moved our chicks to the coop at about the same size as yours. They didn’t use the roost and I didn’t understand why because they had used one in the brooder and would jump up there during the day in...
Hello, I apologize, I feel like I'm posting a question here nearly every day! I just want to make sure my little ladies have the best chance.
I noticed today that there were some diarrhea poops in the brooder. I have 7 chicks, and have had a hard time determining who it is. I have seen 2 have...
We need 4 eggs a day so we have 5 hens, allowing for one extra to play hookey. Although they are kept near the house, they are allowed to roam freely within some boundaries. That means that the occasional straying bird does get nabbed by the odd fox or marten, but that seems to always be the...
Am I seeing a faint head spot on the sapphire sky (blue) chick? If so, you're going to have a blue striped bird...and possibly very lightly striped (like pinstripes). Cute!
I was so paranoid about the brooder plate and whether or not they were warm enough. A friend said something that blew my overactive mind. She said, "Just watch them and observe. They know what they need." And it's so true! I have one side raised up and have an inch or two between the plate and...
Had a rough night last night with a couple of chicks, might need some BYC wisdom... We have three sets of eggs, two incubators so it's complicated but I'll try to simplify. First set of eggs we got from a friend, they were utterly filthy, worst dirty eggs we've ever seen and we probably should...
day 16: 3/4 pipped, official hatch day tomorrow. 2 week old chicks think the world is ending as I might actually need their brooderlight and shut it off (fully feathered in a heated basement, they’ll be fine!). I’m starting to think quail eggs can survive anything!
Do not put keets on shavings for at least the first 2 weeks. They eat the shavings and cannot digest them. If you have them on shavings make sure they are supplied with appropriate sized grit.
Keets need a high protein turkey or game bird starter that has the higher amounts of lysine...
Thank you sooo much BigBlue Hen! I am incredibly grateful for the help & advise! I added a pic above. Do you think if i remove the heat light the brooder plate will be enough? it is 17C here today, supposed to get down to 10C tonight. The are living in my dining room at the moment, we have an...
Here are the various ways I've used the multiple lights I have installed around my coop and run:
Every night, I turn on the outdoor (dim) coach lights to provide enough illumination to do head count and collect eggs.
When I am doing a full flock, oral de-worming (including weighing) or any...
You know they have a drive to join their “mama”. Who is that? YOU!
Sit as close as you can in a washable outfit and let them jump up to your arm and lap!
What I found with the Buckeyes, more than the Orpingtons, but even with them, is that they want a perch there at the edge. You could make...
Just my opinion, but could they be cold? They need more heat than chicks & w them huddling together sounds like maybe not warm enough where food it? Mine are going on 3wks & are crazy in my brooder..which I keep brooder plates in there & a lil reg orange bulb for night-light
The 8 week pullets were sold out all in one day before we could get any, but we might get another chance on that in 2 and 4 weeks.
Meanwhile, we just placed four JGs under Goldie, they all got quiet under her, and she kept sitting there and covering them with her wing. We did this in the dark...
I had never heard of poop boards until I joined this forum last week and honestly I like that idea. I need to research better to figure out how I would do it though.
Ive decided to forego the quarantine/separation area and make a man door on the inside into the coop (more like a screen door)...
Thank you! I dont have chickens yet. I was planning on 6 or 7 chickens, but Im a bit too experienced in chicken math (started with 10 before and had 28 by the time I moved!) but I also had a lot more space for them back then.
I have a 200 ft run, but also plan to free range them as much as...
The advice sounds similar to what's often advised for commercial settings, but you can do things completely different and still raise healthy chicks.
I raise chicks outdoors but in small batches. So ambient brooder temperature varies from low 40s - high 60s F (5-20.5 C) with a heating pad that...