1 month till I get my first chicks. Am I ready?

[Living_Legend]

Looks good!
Just a couple suggestions. I would put the feeder up on something, like your waterer is on. Also if you have a small box that you could set it in, to catch the feed they bill out, something with low sides. Otherwise it will end up in the bedding. If you don't have a grit container you could use that feeder and get the straight style feeder for food. Them seem to not bill the food out as much in the straight feeders, in my experience. What is the timer for?

Thanks for the suggestions! Ha. The timer is just for the room light. May not even use it just had it laying around. I know to keep the heat on 24/7.

 

[Folly's place]

I like the baseball bat; to fight them off?
Have the feeder and waterer closer to the chicks at first, and move it further away in a few days or a week.
You will need a cover for your pen VERY soon, or chicks will be jumping out. Hardware cloth works well. If you have dogs or cats, plan on a good cover right away.
Feed; look at the mill date on each bag of feed you buy, and have it within a month, and to be used up within six or eight weeks. Some vitamins degrade in a short time, and it matters.
Return that feed, and buy new (mill date new!) when the chicks are due to arrive.
For nine chicks, maybe a smaller bag would be better.
Have fun!
Mary

 

[blackdog043]

If your room is normally pretty dark, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it on during the day and have it go off about 1 hour before sunset so the room goes dark naturally. This way they will know when to get under the heat plate for the night. I did this when I brooded in my garage, even with windows it was kinda dark, now I brood in the coop.

 

[Folly's place]

Chicks are a nightmare in the house! Having them in a garage, or the coop, is much better. Move them as soon as possible, because that dust is not good to breathe, and will get over everything.
Mary

 

[blackdog043]

Great point about the mill dates, Mary! Yeah take that feed back and get the freshest mill date just before you get your chicks. The mill date is on the white paper strip along the bottom of the bag.

 

[Living_Legend]

Thanks about the Mill Date. I was being too proactive. I will take it back and get it closer to the date they arrive! I will have a hardware clothe cover before they arrive as well.

It's too cold in my garage I would think. Does it not matter how cold it is when you have a heat plate?

 

[blackdog043]

I have my 1 and 2 week old chicks outside in my coop brooder, with the mama heat pad. My temps have been, lows upper 20's - highs low 50's. Yes they will survive. The heat plate acts like a broody hen. You will just have to put them underneath once or twice and they will realize it's nice and warm under there.

 

[TominWa]

We though it was so fun having them in our office. In the end we couldn't wait to get them out in the coup. You are going to need a bigger box. In the end we kept adding box extensions. There was the kitchen, a play room, a sleeping room with little perches. Cleaning the thing was a two man job. If I ever raised my own again...which I probably will.....it's adapt a portion of the coup....safely....and wait till later in the spring when it is a tad warmer outside.

Echo the cover. Those little buggers can jump. You will walk in one day and one will be perched on the top of the box looking at you.

 

[Living_Legend]

so it sounds like I should move brooder to garage. I am on the way to tsc to return feed now.

Ok..... So I lift the heat plate as they grow. When do I take the heat plate away? Say I move them into the coop at week 4. Can I run an extension cord and have the heat plate in there at the highest level and it won't matter how cold it is out. May in Maryland shouldn't really be too cold.

 

[lazy gardener]

I brood chicks outside with low temps going down to 20's with a Sunbeam XPress heat pad MHP style. (The XL pad 12 x 24" cost about $35.00) They do fine. IMO, chicks do much better when brooded in cooler ambient temps. They then make the adjustment to outside coop living very well.

Read the instructions with your heat plate. Depending on manufacturer, it may not be effective below 50*.

I also vote for brooding in your garage. In house = YUCK! I prefer to breathe! By the time those chicks are 2 - 3 weeks old, they will need 2 s.f./bird in the brooder.