I just found out about Farwest last night in Backyard Poultry. Their website looks good. They have the breeds I want and at good prices. But after reading through this thread I am having doubts about ordering from them. It would really be nice to buy local and at good prices. Maybe I better...
Since these are not meat birds I would leave feed available to the 24 x 7. They will eat when they need it. Yes their appetite will increase significently as they get older. I don't keep track of how much feed mine eat. I buy the feed in a 50 lb bag. It is much more economical than small...
It might vary by brand. I use Purina medicated Start & Grow. I feed this to them until they are about 18 weeks old. Then I buy 1 bag of Purina Flock Raiser (for about 20 chicks). When this is gone I then switch to Purina Layena Layer pellets.
There may be too much of an age difference. I have had good luck mixing chicks up to 2 weeks difference. I tried mixing them at 3 weeks difference with mixed results. I think 4 weeks is too big of a difference. I would suggest separating the younger ones for a week or so until they get a...
I put a bowl of chick grit in the brooder after they are about a week old.The eat a lot for a day or two and then they slow down. I leave it in there all of the time one I give to to them. I never sprinkle it on the food.
I don't give any treats until they are about 1 week old. The first treat I give them is crushed cheerios. The second threat is uncooked oatmeal (rolled oats).
Just make sure that before you give them any treats that you give them CHICK grit. I put a bowl of it in the brooder a coupe of days...
With the black spots on the yellow chicks I am wondering if they are California Whites. I have not raised these in the past but I have been looking a pictures of them. And I saw some at a feed store a couple of weeks ago. I am hoping to get 2 or 3 of them this Friday if the feedstore does not...
Newspaper is not good to use. It is slippery and can cause leg problems. You can find lots of threads saying not to use it.
The shavings that you DON'T want to use is Ceder.
Many people use pine shavings right away. Other people cover them for about a week with a couple of layers of paper...
I would not get rid of it yet. It is really difficult to tell at this age. I agree that is is getting pretty red but that is no guarantee that it is a male or female. You can't always tell from the comb. One thing that I notice is that all the feathers are rounded. I don't see any pointy...
I use pine pellets. I like them much better than pine shavings. I cover them with paper towels for about the first week just to make them easier for the chicks to walk on but I don't know if it is necessary. Many of the feed stores around here put the chicks on the pine pellets without paper...
The first treat I usually give my chicks is crushed cheerios. I sometimes give them uncooked oatmeal (rolled oats) also this age. I pour some in my hand and let them eat it out of my hand.
I also used two sheets of OSB to build by brooder. I used 2" x 4" in the corners and along the bottom edge (under the brooder, not inside). I then used screws to put it all together. It is going to be difficult to attach the walls to the floor of the brooder without something like 2" x 4" of...
I have never given mine crickets. I do give the adult birds an occasional grasshopper in the summer when I catch one. Maybe I will give crickets a try this year. But I have to get the chicks first....
I set up my brooder today also! And tested the eat lamp for a few hours to make sure it was adjusted properly. Now I just have to wait until Friday to get some chicks.
I only scoop it out when I completely clean the brooder. There are things that you can do to reduce waste/spillage. I found that there is less waste with a long feeder rather than a round one. I don't know why. I set the feeder on a 2" x 4" block of wood to keep it out of the bedding. I also...
I use pine pellets. I like them much better than pine shavings. Many of the feed stores around here use them too. For the first few days I cover them with paper towels but I don't think this is necessary. I will never use pine shavings or anything else in the brooder again,