Age/Breed Guesses? First-time chick raiser!

[Neezle]

Hi there!

Someone surprised us at 10:30 at night on Saturday with an Easter present for our 2-year-old. We intend to keep them as layers/pets, and will be picking up a coop tonight. I'm a veterinary technician, but don't know the first thing about chickens, and am a little out of my element.

I want to know how old they are, so that we can choose the right diet for them and keep them at the right temperature. I called the gift-giver, and she doesn't know the age or breed. I'm waiting to hear if her husband has any info.

I'm hoping your chick expertise can help us out! All we were told is that they need to stay indoors for another week or two before moving into the coop. We've got a lot to learn in a little bit of time...

Here's Lucy (yellow) and Molly (red/brown). Can you give me any guesses on age and/or breed?



Thank you in advance for any help you can give!!

 

[Neezle]

If I'm not putting this in the right section, please let me know...

 

[liz9910]

Hi, my guess would be 3 to 4 weeks old. They should be eating chick starter, which you can buy at feed stores, Tractor Supply or the like. They still need to be under a heat lamp indoors until they are fully feathered. Here's a link to the how-to's: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/

 

[Jeanna Marie]

I can't help with age or breed but they are darling!

 

[Neezle]

We're going to TSC tonight, so I'll pick up a bag. I wasn't sure whether to get the starter or the starter/grower combination feed. Do they need grit this young (sand?) or are just the crumbles sufficient?

 

[farmboy22]

You just need chick feeder/grower. Grit is included a little bit in those bags. I have used Dumor because it is cheaper than Purina and that has been fine. I have chicks that look exactly like the white one. The ones I have are California Wonders but those could be any white breed. The brown one I have no idea.

 

[mshuntjump]

You need to have them under a heat lamp until they both are fully feathered. Lucy is a White Plymouth Rock, and Molly is a Rhode Island Red. You need to feed them Chick starter( found at Tractor supply or local feed store) until they are about 2 months old, and then you will need to feed them Chicken Scratch mixed with Layer Pellets, also found at Tractor supply. If you have any questions please ask! Welcome to the chicken family!

 

[Neezle]

Thanks to everyone for your helpful advice. The girls are settled in in the basement in a large box, and I even put in some branches for them to roost on. The world of chickens is certainly foreign to me, so I'm sure I'll be around asking more questions!

 

[SilkiesnFrizzle]

Yup, I was going to go with White Rock and RIR or New Hampshire Red.

 

[Neezle]

I'm getting pretty consistent reports on the White Rock, but little Red may forever be a mystery to me
What do you think about age? 2 weeks? 3 weeks?