2019 Newbie Chat!

[Newblet]

My little ladies went back to their coop for the first time today! They are 4 weeks old, I'm so proud

 

[Bookworm0124]

They're heeeereee and I just got word that someone hatched some lemon orphintons so I am hopefully picking two of those up soon. These are all barnyard mixes.

 

[Cyprus]

They're heeeereee and I just got word that someone hatched some lemon orphintons so I am hopefully picking two of those up soon. These are all barnyard mixes.

How adorable!! Do keep us posted on their growth

 

[TheCanadianBakers]

Well they survived the first night in our care!!! YEAH!!
We ordered 12 and 13 came, 4 black, 4 brown and 4 yellow chicks. the 13th chick isn't one colour but a mix of reds.
Two possible cases of pasty butt that I promptly took care of, not sure if I needed to intervene but better safe then sorry.
They sure do poop a lot, I have them on paper towel on top of shavings at the moment. Sure are cute though, I guess my wife was up many times last night checking on them.
I will try and get some pictures together..

 

[Bookworm0124]

I did end up getting two orp's but one didn't make it. That brought us down to 7. I then picked up 3 olive eggers this morning I have a problem. I do have to say though. The orp is everything I thought it would be and lordy do I hope Buffy the tick Slayer is a girl. By far my favorite. She's actually pecking at my screen right now

 

[flygirl1973]

@Bookworm0124 I’m curious as a newbie, I’ve read you need to quarantine the new chicks from the home chicks. Just wondering if you did that or if you smart people out there can tell me if there is an appropriate age or if you got them from the same place within a week or so you shouldn’t have to?

 

[Bookworm0124]

I got all three groups of chicks from different places, I did not quarantine them as they were all brand new hatchlings except for my "one" (1=3) olive egger I got this weekend. I probably should have but I wanted to get them all together before they were old enough to decide on a pecking order. This is my first year so I'm a brand newbie

 

[flygirl1973]

And how long was it before you got the olive eggers? My first year too so I’m trying to learn from y ou as well!

 

[paneubert]

@Bookworm0124 I’m curious as a newbie, I’ve read you need to quarantine the new chicks from the home chicks. Just wondering if you did that or if you smart people out there can tell me if there is an appropriate age or if you got them from the same place within a week or so you shouldn’t have to?

This is a question that most people have a strong opinion about on both sides.

If they are truly only 1-3 day old chicks, and if they came from one of the big hatcheries, there is a very minimal risk of them coming home with a disease. The small risk that exists comes from how long they were sitting at Tractor Supply or your local feed store. People are coming in and out with dirty boots from their farm, etc.. Are they allowed to touch the chicks? Are the chicks locked in a cage where only employees can access (like most Tractor Supply stores do it)? Do they put new chicks in the same bins as the chicks that have been sitting there for the past week? Do they clean anything out regularly (probably not). The risk varies. Did all your chicks come from the same store and therefore most likely have been exposed to the same problems/diseases, simply spread over a few weeks?

My opinion is that the major diseases are not going to show up until they are older. There is no real way to quarantine baby chicks from each other in a manner that would be effective, or for a time span that would be effective in showing a problem in one batch of them. Unless you plan to keep completely separate flocks of birds forever.

 

[Cyprus]

I quarantine new chicks, always. My latest group was strictly quarantined until they were 6 months old.