Arizona Chickens

[Mikey D]

Hi, I posted awhile back asking for advice about a coop. Well--It's done now and I have chicks! I got 5 silkie babies from a local breeder. They are ridiculously cute and very sneaky--They are showed me several ways my run isn't chick proof when I let them out to play this afternoon.

Very cool Arpey! Picts of the run please. I've got one in the making that I hate & would like ideas.

 

[Arpey]

Very cool Arpey! Picts of the run please. I've got one in the making that I hate & would like ideas.

Hopefully I'll get home during daylight hours in the next few days and can take some pics. It's certainly not fancy. I made it mostly from reclaimed lumber and pallets. I ended up buying some corrugated roofing for the top just to have something waterproof. It's raised about 18'' so there is plenty of shade under the coop. I still need to add a pop door and some roosts inside, although with silkies, it seems that's less important.

Chicks still look great this morning. They seem to sleep in a big pile, but not right under the light... No one seems stressed at all, so I guess the temp is ok (78 for 3-4 week birds is good, right?) I think they just like to cuddle.

 

[Mikey D]

Hopefully I'll get home during daylight hours in the next few days and can take some pics. It's certainly not fancy. I made it mostly from reclaimed lumber and pallets. I ended up buying some corrugated roofing for the top just to have something waterproof. It's raised about 18'' so there is plenty of shade under the coop. I still need to add a pop door and some roosts inside, although with silkies, it seems that's less important.

Chicks still look great this morning. They seem to sleep in a big pile, but not right under the light... No one seems stressed at all, so I guess the temp is ok (78 for 3-4 week birds is good, right?) I think they just like to cuddle.

Again I'm a noob but the way I understand it is:

95 first week
90 second week
85 third week
and so on...

So I guess you are pretty close. They noticeably huddle when they get too cold.

 

[viejo loco]

Well, I'm ready!


I hope the chickens are!

No Mikey.. They have to be Titlist II, and unmarked.. You don't want to influence you chick's future choices... lol

 

[azpenguin]

Well, I'm ready!


I hope the chickens are!

Soooo.... what kind of a handicap do the hens have? And do they have their own tees?

 

[Arpey]

Again I'm a noob but the way I understand it is:

95 first week
90 second week
85 third week
and so on...

So I guess you are pretty close. They noticeably huddle when they get too cold.

Hmm.. they seem to be huddling but not under the light. The thermometer is close to where they are and between 77 and 80. The five chicks seem to be different ages, two weeks to four, I'd guess, based on size. I will bump up the heat a bit when I get home and see if they seem more comfortable. How do your chicks normally sleep? cuddled up or solo?

 

[AZBootsie]

Aprey, Your chicks sound like they are doing fine. Cuddling to sleep is normal. If they were too cold they would be piled one right on top of another, under the light and chirping really loudly. Temp guides are a great rule of thumb, but it really is best to just watch their behavior. It sounds like you are doing a great job!!


Just want to add that this is for sleeping. When not sleeping, they should be energetic, out and about, pecking at everything.

 

[Mikey D]

Soooo.... what kind of a handicap do the hens have? And do they have their own tees?

I don't even play that silly game, I had to ask a buddy for some spheres!

 

[Mikey D]

Hmm.. they seem to be huddling but not under the light. The thermometer is close to where they are and between 77 and 80. The five chicks seem to be different ages, two weeks to four, I'd guess, based on size. I will bump up the heat a bit when I get home and see if they seem more comfortable. How do your chicks normally sleep? cuddled up or solo?

From one batch of experience - they clump up when they sleep.

You will see a definite huddling behavior when they are cold. They will literally be climbing over each other to get to the center of the mass.

 

[Fuzzybird]

Ha HA Mikey! Really the 6 cats in the house are interested in the little peeper! LOL I ended up putting one of his siblins that was outside with Cotton in with Shamrock [ I am still keeping with the flower and plant names] so he has a chick to grow up with. He also doesn't peep his head off anymore.
Sometimes I think we keep chicks to hot. The chicks out side with mother are doing perfectly fine. Cotton is a good mother.

Hey anyone with silkies. Teach me a bit about color. I understand that Partridge is a wild color and it dominates the color of the chick? My Tumble weed is a Partridge. So bred to any other color hen he will sire mostly Pratridge? Cotton is white and she had two Partridge and two dark color chicks [not sure yet if black]. What will happen if Tumbleweed is bred to a buff?