nminusyplusm
Crowing
I've been lurking and learning from you all and today my chicks arrived! I ordered them from mypetchicken.com but they came from meyer hatchery. I got one blue Ameraucana, one blue Favaucana, 2 blue EEs, one snowy EE and 2 partridge Olive Eggers. They shipped on monday so it took 2 days from Ohio to New Mexico and everybody looks healthy and happy.
They're lively and quickly learned how to use the poultry nipples on the waterer. They didn't have much interest in the GroGel but they're loving their organic starter. And I made a mama heat pad which they seem to love. They are alternating between taking naps in it and then running for the food and water, exploring and occasionally napping in the sunlight. They are so much quieter than the chicks I've seen at tractor supply. The mama heat pad is genius! Only once did I hear distress peeping when one got pushed out the back. I adjusted it and now everyone's happy.
I'm amazed at how friendly they are too. I put the brooder (2'x7') on the floor and the sides are 18" high so they can see most of me when I approach and there's plenty of room so they don't see a giant hand swooping in like a predator. When I put my hand in (somewhat cupped horizontally) they snuggle underneath and poke their heads out between my fingers as if my hand was mama. So darn cute!
The coop is almost done. It's a riff on the carolina coops/wichita cabin coop and run. The run is 10x8 and the coop will be 4x7, I'm using the deep litter method in both the run and coop and there will be storage for feed at the south end (I'm in the desert so it will help shield them from the heat).
Here's what's going on so far:
Thank you all again for your help!
They're lively and quickly learned how to use the poultry nipples on the waterer. They didn't have much interest in the GroGel but they're loving their organic starter. And I made a mama heat pad which they seem to love. They are alternating between taking naps in it and then running for the food and water, exploring and occasionally napping in the sunlight. They are so much quieter than the chicks I've seen at tractor supply. The mama heat pad is genius! Only once did I hear distress peeping when one got pushed out the back. I adjusted it and now everyone's happy.
I'm amazed at how friendly they are too. I put the brooder (2'x7') on the floor and the sides are 18" high so they can see most of me when I approach and there's plenty of room so they don't see a giant hand swooping in like a predator. When I put my hand in (somewhat cupped horizontally) they snuggle underneath and poke their heads out between my fingers as if my hand was mama. So darn cute!
The coop is almost done. It's a riff on the carolina coops/wichita cabin coop and run. The run is 10x8 and the coop will be 4x7, I'm using the deep litter method in both the run and coop and there will be storage for feed at the south end (I'm in the desert so it will help shield them from the heat).
Here's what's going on so far:
Thank you all again for your help!
