Adventures In Chick-Raising: Stage 1 (by a Newbie)

[BigBlueHen53]

We integrate ours between five and eight weeks of age. At 12 weeks your chicks are going to look almost adult. We might integrate earlier if we didn't have cats, but younger than that they still look too much like wild baby birds, aka "prey." At 6 to 8 weeks they are big eniugh to be recognizeably chickens, and the cats have no interest..

Are you brooding in the house? We don't use shavings at all at that stage. Instead we line their brooder with puppy pee pads and change them daily. Easy peasy and no dust!

 

[Bananabread]

Sounds like you're off to a great start with a lot of helpful info from folks.

Re alternatives to pine shavings:

After a day or two on paper towels (largely so they can see and learn to identify food) I switch over the hemp and never look back. Hemp is quite adsorbent, produces less dust and seems to not smell as much (all my observations, though interestingly also what the hemp companies say on their bags). I find it's great for deep bedding method.

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

If you can drop the room temperatures that would be ideal, at least 10 degrees or more cooler than what the "recommended" temps are. I see you have a heat plate, that IS the heat source, so no reason to heat the room on top of that. The chicks should be able to get away from heat when they don't need it, which is a good 50% of the time at this age.

So this might seem a bit "jump the gun" to you, but what were your integration plans? Assuming you're somewhere where it's currently summer, you could opt to raise the chicks outdoors instead if you can run power out to the coop/run location. This will also let you speed up beginning of the integration process, eliminate any fear of mess indoors, and give them all the mental stimulation in the world.

Since you've mentioned reading your way through articles, here's some food for thought for brooding outdoors (if your set up is safe enough and spacious enough) for setting up for early integration: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

I provide grit immediately (2-3 days old). I also brood outdoors so the chicks will put every sort of dirt, wood, grass particle in their mouth that they can find, so grit helps them break down any of that that they consume.

They will enjoy the option of a dirt bath if one is provided. It may get messy indoors but if it's just 1" of soil that's not much. Other reason for doing so is to begin exposing them to microbes and bacteria in your environment to help build up their immune system.

Here's some 10-day-olds enjoying their first dust bath outside of the brooder:
View attachment 3604748

I'm sorry...this is off subject, but was wondering what breed those 2 chicks in the front are. Thanks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm sorry...this is off subject, but was wondering what breed those 2 chicks in the front are. Thanks.

In front, Olive Egger left, Sicilian Buttercup right.

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

In front, Olive Egger left, Sicilian Buttercup right.

What colour are thier legs? We recently acquired some Bantam chicks and keep getting different ideas as to what they are.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What colour are thier legs? We recently acquired some Bantam chicks and keep getting different ideas as to what they are.

Yellow on the OE and willow on the Buttercup, but none of mine are bantams. Chipmunk coloration is very common on chicks so it's hard to guess their breed based off that.

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

In front, Olive Egger left, Sicilian Buttercup right.

What colour are thier legs? We recently acquired some Bantam chicks and keep different ideas as to what they are.

Yellow on the OE and willow on the Buttercup, but none of mine are bantams. Chipmunk coloration is very common on chicks so it's hard to guess their breed based off that.

I'm learning that identifying chickens, Batman or not, isn't exactly easy lol.
When I search Batman chicks, I rarely get chicks. usually older ones or adults. I'm about to give up and just be happy to have sweet, healthy babies.