Ask your chick related questions HERE! (Newbies welcome!)

[A Lucky Ladybug]

What age would you start moving the chicks out? Mine seem ready but they are only about 20 days old. They are starting to get fiesty with each other and I don't want them to start fighting because they are inside. BTW we are in MI so the weather is completely unpredictable even though it has been fairly nice the last few weeks.

 

[AlwaysForever]

How do you prep nesting boxes?

 

[MargeyMarge]

After the chicks hatch, do I offer medicated or unmediated feed to the hen and chicks? I have a lavender Orpington sitting on a clutch. I intend to leave her with the flock and not seperate her and her chicks out. So medicated or not?

 

[StarChicken]

I have 19 five week old chicks that are doing quite well. I built them a brooder about 4' x 6' so they'd have room to expand their little bods. Nights are getting to be well in the high 50s to low 60s.

I've read everything I can find but so far, I haven't found answers to the following:

1. Does it hurt for the heat to get up to between 80° and 90° at night? They seem to sleep all over the place; on their 2x6 perches I built them and even underneath the light. This week, I've even been able to turn off the light during the day and in Texas, it seems we may have skipped Spring and gone straight into Summer.

2. When do I change their feed from Chick Starter to something else?

Thanks in advance.

 

[djh1982]

I have 19 five week old chicks that are doing quite well. I built them a brooder about 4' x 6' so they'd have room to expand their little bods. Nights are getting to be well in the high 50s to low 60s.

I've read everything I can find but so far, I haven't found answers to the following:

1. Does it hurt for the heat to get up to between 80° and 90° at night? They seem to sleep all over the place; on their 2x6 perches I built them and even underneath the light. This week, I've even been able to turn off the light during the day and in Texas, it seems we may have skipped Spring and gone straight into Summer.

2. When do I change their feed from Chick Starter to something else?

Thanks in advance.

The chicks shouldn't need the heat lamp anymore at 5 weeks old.. They should be good and ready to go outside permanently. They will cuddle with each other to stay warm at night. You can keep them on starter feed until they lay the first egg and then switch them to layer feed. A lot of people start mixing layer and starter feed at around 16 weeks and at 21 weeks switch to layer feed.

 

[LotsOLopsChicks]

Thanks for your reply.

It does sound like they should be ok with a heat lamp, and I think my birds will love it, especially the Welsummer (a week older and twice as large as my other two); they are in a plastic box right now that is getting a little small for them. I will plan to get them used to room temperature first (they have a heatlamp on inside right now), then to our garage with a heat lamp, and to the coop assuming the first two steps go will.

SusanD,

Yes they should. I have chicks penned off in my coop with a heatlamp they are 1-3wks old plus 5 ducklings and they are doing fine. The big chickens sometimes jump over to sample the water and everyone gets along, perhaps my big chickens don't attack 'cause the chicks have been in the penned off area first... Anyways, try heatlamp off during day and see how they act. Anyways, let us know how it goes!

LotsOLopsChicks

 

[LotsOLopsChicks]

At what age can I provide my chicks with chick grit?

Similarly, at what age can I start giving them chopped veggies, kitchen scraps, and mealworms as treats/to get them started foraging? I would like the little velociraptors to eventually free-range on my 5ac property and I figure the younger I start the better.

Hi Aozora,

I like your term for chicks

!

Anyways, I say anytime should be good to give them some grit, if it's dry dig some dirt from outside and give it to them. They'll probably look at it like its a chick eater at first but they'll like it later! LOL! Anyways, mine had lettuce and scraps (though the scraps they covered with shavings and ignored *rolls eyes*) a few days after having a dirt clump in their brooder, and you can buy chick grit, collect some small gravel and let them pick the good parts for grit, sand works too. I free ranged chicks on our 1/4 acre right with the 12wkers when they were 2-4wks old. They stayed near the house and under bushes.
Anyways, best of luck!

LotsOLopsChicks

 

[LotsOLopsChicks]

What age would you start moving the chicks out? Mine seem ready but they are only about 20 days old. They are starting to get fiesty with each other and I don't want them to start fighting because they are inside. BTW we are in MI so the weather is completely unpredictable even though it has been fairly nice the last few weeks.

Hi A Lucky Ladybug (did you mean the chickens happened to miss it?)

Hmm, well mine are corraled off in the coop with a heatlamp, and they are 1-3wks old + 2 9wkers (that were allowed to go with big chickens but said 'no') and 3wk old ducklings. They do well, and have hay/shavings to lay in and can move away from heatlamp when cold. I don't think they are fighting because they are inside, they are most likely playing chest bumping for fun aand to get exercise, they really enjoy it!

Use caution with the weather, check the weather report and be prepared to bring inside in case of cold weather. (It was 28*f when I woke up and they all survived, though the heat lamp makes the coop warmer. )

LotsOLopsChicks

 

[LotsOLopsChicks]

How do you prep nesting boxes?

Hi AlwaysForever,


You put your nesting materiel in them, which can be straw/hay or shavings are the most common. Some people, me included, put golf balls in the nest to encourage hens and pullets to lay in the nest. I also put nesting curtains up because my pullet refused to lay in the nest, now she does...normally... Sometimes they just need a tad more privacy, and perhaps a rooster that doesn't try to make them lay in the corner. Anyways, they like nice dark privacy while they lay. And comfy shavings to 1. Kick out of nest box (don't know why one of my hens likes to lay on wood??) 2. Make a nest

Best of luck!

LotsOLopsChicks

 

[LotsOLopsChicks]

After the chicks hatch, do I offer medicated or unmediated feed to the hen and chicks? I have a lavender Orpington sitting on a clutch. I intend to leave her with the flock and not seperate her and her chicks out. So medicated or not?

Hi MargeyMarge,

The hen should take good care of them, they'll eat stuff after a few days, once she decides its time to go out of nesting box. I feed unmedicated as medicated is just a solution to have poor care is what most people think. They don't need to clean as often because their chicks have medicated feed... It's really up to you but I've never hatched the natural way, so from what I know, unmedicated is the best. Bad reactions have been seen through medicated feed. What did hens do when there was no such thing? Go to the general store and ask them to make it for the darling chicks? Nope, they just raised them without medicated feed. The question is, natural or not? I buy natural chick starter from Purina brand form Tractor Supply

LotsOLopsChicks