Last August I purchased six Golden Laced Wyandottes from My Pet Chicken. They arrived at my small town Post Office, much to the amazement of the Post Mistress, in good condition. Into the brooder constructed and operated using info from the BYC forums.
The began laying on schedule this Spring...
Chickens are born knowing all they need to know.
Example-- they know were the food is, where the water is, and that bugs are good to eat.
We, nor their mothers don't need to" teach" them anything. All we need to do is provide them with a safe environment.
My week olds seem to prefer temp lower than the standard 95. When they sleep they always move to the cooler end of the brooder box. Just put the heat lamp in one end. They are very smart about figuring out what they need.
I have raised a mocking bird and a robin. Fed them a mixture of mashed boiled egg peanut butter, honey and yogurt. The mocking bird became very tame and would actually come sit on my shoulder. The robin however was a mean sob. tried to attack me every time I went to feed him. Both survived and...
My chicks are due to arrive soon, so I am scrummaging around to fix up a brooder. For heat I am thinking I might be able to use the heater from my dog house. It is a flat pad encased in hard plastic with an armoured cord. Temp. is constant at 110 F. Put it in the brooder under the shavings...