anything special i might need to know about raising chicks?

[JodyJo]

All good advice, I second the thermometer...a must.

Plenty of water...chick starter, I wet mine down, even now at 8 weeks they devour it! Keep them out of drafts, and try to use a red heat bulb, not a white light (keeps them from pecking each other)

Check daily, several times, for pasty butt, keep that cleaned off.

I put a log on the floor, and a homemade short roost...they learn to hop on them quite quickly.

Take pics every week..they will grow so fast it is unbelievable. Handle them...I have a few who come to me to be petted and picked up, and others who think I am going to kill them...but they are curious as to why the others approach me.

Talk quietly to them and spend lots of time with them....they are fun to watch anyhow!

Post pics and let us see, we love to see them, they grow so fast, we miss our little ones!

Good luck...what kind are you getting and how many?

 

[Urban Chaos]

the thing they do when they put one wing and leg out (stretching) is normal.

Yep, they like a mini-roost.

Elevate their water and food - this will help keep bedding out of it, also if you can hang them - this will prevent them from perching on top and then having poop in the food/water.

They are noisy.

 

[Pairie Faring]

They are like potato chips ....can't have just one. Then you want MORE!

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
yes, yes!! so true...a good potato chip!!

 

[MattMansChickens]

Quote:
umm, what temperature is good for closest and farthest away point from the lamp, you said there is misleading info,. my chicks will be about 1-2 days old i think i ordered them from an agent of a hatchery, they are shipped within 3 hours of hatching. my set up is a box pine shavings 26 chicks 2 one quart waterers and one 20 inch trough feeder. and a heat lamp

 

[MattMansChickens]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

How old are they going to be when you get them?

You can also make them a little perch in their brooder (this can be a simple as a little piece of wood a few inches off the floor of the brooder). Mine seemed to enjoy that. I also put a little log in their brooder once they got a little bit bigger for them to perch on.

Congrats!

Dont forget to post pics!

ok will do with pics and they are shipped within 3 hours of hatching so 1-2 days old i think​

 

[MattMansChickens]

Quote:
i am getting... oh just look at my signature

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
i am getting... oh just look at my signature

got ya.....quite a flock you have! FUN!!

Just stick to what you have read, and keep posting and keep us updated! We LOVE pics of new babes!

 

[speckledhen]

One major thing that will save you lots of heartache and that most folks just don't think about when they start with chickens is disease prevention. Never let anyone around your birds without them disinfecting their shoes. In the case of chicks, washing their hands is the minimum I'd require (well, I wouldn't let them handle chicks in the first place). Disease can spread from other people's flocks. Start out right and you may never be in the awful position of having to euthanize an entire flock of sick birds because of lack of attention to preventing the spread of disease. Use one set of shoes to go around your birds and never wear it off your property.

Most everything you can learn here on BYC or from excellent books like Raising Chickens for Dummies (co-authored by our own Nifty-Chicken) or Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. I'd advise you to have one of those in your personal library.

 

[MattMansChickens]

Quote:
i am getting... oh just look at my signature

got ya.....quite a flock you have! FUN!!

Just stick to what you have read, and keep posting and keep us updated! We LOVE pics of new babes!

thanks