A few newbie questions...

[hoosierclucker]

Hi all! I'm a newbie to chicken keeping and it looks like this is the place to come for advice! I did an intro post so I won't tell my whole story here but I have 33 chicks-26 Rainbow Rangers from Meyer Hatchery, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes and 3 of some combination of Golden Buffs and Buff Orpingtons (we ordered 2 Australorps also but they didn't survive and we lost either a GB of BO, can't tell). I'm having fun with them but have some questions! I have tried to search for the answers but there is a TON of info here to search through! So forgive me if these have been answered.

-Pasty butt. I have a few chicks that I can't tell if they have this or not. Their behinds have poop stuck to them but their vents are not covered. I've wiped their rears with a warm damp towel but I just want to make sure they are ok. Do some chicks' butts just get messy until they get their feathers? I put some plain yogurt (I make my own) in their brooder yesterday. I don't think they ate it, just walked all over it. I gave them some hard boiled egg today and they ate quite a bit of that. I mixed ACV into their water tonight, we'll see how they are in the morning. I'm nervous about pasty butt!

-Right now we have all the birds in the same brooder together. Since the Rangers will grow much faster will we need to separate them soon? Or will they be ok since they've been together since the beginning?

-How in the world do you pronounce Wyandotte? Is it Wyan-DOTE like "My mom dotes on me" or Wyan-DOT like polka dot?

Those are the questions I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll be back with more as we go on! Thanks in advance!

 

[BigMikeK89]

Hoosierclucker. Well I would have to take it you are a fellow hoosier. Well met, and hello from SE Indiana. Welcomeing to the world of poultering.

As far as "pasty butt" like you said as long as their vents are not covered your ok. I don't really know if this has to do with feathering or not, I have never really kept track but it seems that way. Since the youngins are more fluffy then anything lol.

Being in the brooder togather is ok, some chickens do have a tendency to "pick" on the smaller ones, or sometimes it just becomes a "hey I am hungry get out of my way runt" kind of thing. I just normaly keep an eye on them and look for that kind of thing and if you feel so, or if that becomes an issue move them, but it is good socilization.

and I am 99% sure it's WINE-DOT

- Hope this helps
Your friendly Indiana chicken keeper .

 

[hoosierclucker]

Thanks for the info! Some have had some poop build up on their keisters that I've had to soak off but nothing blocking the vent and they all seem to be doing well. I can't believe how quickly the meat birds at feathering already. They really are fascinating creatures! I like to watch them interact with each other. I'll keep an eye on the big ones to make sure they're not picking on the littles. So far they seem to just ignore them.
You are right that I am a Hoosier, but I am alllll the way up about 2.5 hours north of Indy. Can you believe I've never really been to southern Indiana? Other than driving through en route to Florida or some other southern state. I've travelled to 48 states and I don't know how many countries but have never taken the time to explore my own state! A travesty, I say. I'm sure it's beautiful. It's all corn, soy beans and lakes around here. But I love it and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Anyway, thanks again for the info. I appreciate it!