8 hours in the car later, my Araucana chicks are here!

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

iopele

I just read in another post that your babies were all piled up away from the heat source, & it was 92 degrees.

Did raising the light help or not?

If there is a draft, they will pile up at opposite side from where the draft is coming from. If raising the light didn't help, check for a draft on them.


Jean

 

[iopele]

Thanks, Jean! Really good suggestions. I took the shavings out yesterday entirely and put down just paper towels (several layers so it's cushy) just in case the one that died ate some of the shavings. They're eating really well right now, including about 6 stupid moths who thought fluttering around the heat lamp was a good plan, and a couple of legs from a beetle that my enthusiastic son gave them during the feeding frenzy. I found some sandy dirt outside and gave it to them for the moths, and I'll be getting some playground sand today for grit.

They've got lots of space to move away from the heat lamp, but right now they tend to sleep loosely gathered under it since I raised it up a few inches. When they're awake, they run all over the place. I've been watching their behavior more than the temperature over the last couple of days in trying to decide if the temp's right. Right now the temp says 83.1, but they're not huddling under it or clustering together, so even though the numbers are low their behavior makes me think it's the right temp. Does that make sense?

One odd thing--I've got two waterers, one that's a glass jar with a metal base and the other a plastic jar and base. They don't like the plastic one at all! This morning when I woke up, the metal one was almost completely empty but the plastic one looked untouched. Odd, huh? Wonder why they don't like it... maybe they don't care for red? I also tried giving them some crumbled hard-boiled egg yolk last night and they were so very not impressed. Maybe they were just full on moths.

And the little "flip bar" on the top of my feeder that's supposed to keep them from getting on there? They roost on it. Snicker. Guess that doesn't work as planned.

 

[iopele]

Quote:
Thanks, Angie! You're right, I had to search for literally months to find someone who'd sell day-old chicks instead of fertile eggs. I'll probably breed them--I'm excited that several of my babies have bilateral tufts (two of the blacks and one white), while at least 3 others have one tuft, and they're all rumpless. The lady who sold them to me said the black/white ones are really good for breeding blue chicks, which is also exciting. I'll probably eat some of the eggs, but also sell fertile hatching eggs.

Of course, all this depends on the number of cockerals and pullets I have! Right now it's way too early to tell. My father told me that pullets always squat to poop, while cockerals don't--anyone know if this is true? If this is the case, I know I've got at least two pullets. While I'm anxious to know how many boys and girls I've got in there so I can get to naming, I also wish they'd stay in the cute little fluffball stage longer!

Just no pleasing me, is there? LOL!

 

[iopele]

I bought a little box of "Gravel N Grit" from Hartz, same thing I used to give our parakeets, and my chicks are going nuts for it! Y'all were right about the chicks snarfing it if they need it! I was really wondering if the chicks would just ignore it--after all, it's not food, doesn't move, and isn't an interesting color--but they've all been gobbling it down like mad. Of course this means they've scratched and kicked it all over the place, but that's where the sliding tray under their mesh floor comes in so handy--once they're done making their mess, I'll just dump it out!

You can't even see the tray of grit for all the chicks around it, LOL!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Sounds like you got it under control now.

Yes, watching & listening to your chicks will tell you if they are comfortable.
My chickens never read the book on brooding chicks either! Mine do best with a little cooler temps also. I just like to know what the temp is in their brooder, to compare different breeds & hatches. Mine are all outside in buildings, so outside weather has a huge effect on what temps my little peeps like.

I didn't tell you before....cute pics!
They are adorable little peeps.


Jean

 

[iopele]

Well, I gave the babies a box of shavings to play in today, and they were SO FUNNY kicking it all around! What an almighty mess they made, too, kicking it all over the brooder and each other.

One of the babies ran under the box just as I was putting it down and squawked like it was dying--of course I thought I squished the poor thing and panicked, but it seems to be just fine, no limping, no problems stretching its wings, etc. Poor baby! It must've thought Chicken Little had it right and the sky really WAS falling! I'm keeping an eye on it just in case I hurt it... I feel like such a bad chicken-mama.

 

[allen wranch]

It looks like the yellow one to the far left in the box of shavings might have pasty butt ?????