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

[Scottw]

My chicks are 5 weeks old today, I moved them outside to a simple pen today as I finish up the coop. My question is that it gets to about 60 to mid 60's during the day and tonight it will be about 34, is it ok to leave them outside at this point where they are feathered out?

 

[karida825]

I am preparing for chicks (will arrive in a couple of weeks!) and I'm so excited. I own my own yarn studio, so I wanted to take the chicks to work with me and bring them home at night. Is it bad for them to have 2 brooders? Is moving them so often dangerous? I just want to have them with me as much as possible in the beginning.

 

[AmberSD]

Medicated or non-medicated starter? I bought non-medicated, now I am second guessing myself. My chicks come on Monday, so I do have time to change. I am either getting 12 or 16 chicks...I will know when I get there. They weren't sure of if all were available.

 

[anychickwildo]

We are letting our broody hen raise a family. Do we need a heat lamp in the pen with her and the chicks when they hatch? Or will she keep them warm on her own.?

 

[macpac32003]

I have a 1-2 week old red dorking that is not growing as fast as the other chicks. We left the chicks with friends experienced in chicken rearing for 2 days and when we got back the little dorking looked close to death. I held her and fed her water with a dropper and let her peck food out of my hand and she immediately revived. We tried to separate her from the other chicks by putting a hardware cloth in the brooder as a barrier but she would have none of that!! She's doing ok right now but I notice she is fussing with her feathers quite a bit. It doesn't look like preening as much as addressing an irritation. She does not have pasty butt btw. Any advice?

 

[karenerwin]

I need help & advice. I hatched 4 Penedesenca eggs on Feb27 - March 1st. The last one had gotten shrink wrapped & needed help. She came out with some pretty severe leg problems & eventually died. The other 3 ( 2 pullets/1 cockerel) were doing great. I hatched out 21 more eggs in the Easter
HAL. 1 had not absorbed all of its yolk & died at 2 days old. A few days ago I put all the chicks together in the brooder & watched to make sure everything was ok. I have 3 feeders & 2 waters in the brooder as well as a heatlamp. I've taken the older chicks outside for some supervised time in the grass & sun (on the warm days). I think they have been outside a total of 3 times in the past 2 weeks. I take water out with them. They only stayed outside for an hour or 2. Last night I went to check the feeders & waters in the brooder because they tend to kick a lot of shavings around, so I clean it out about 3 times a day. Everybody looked great & was up walking, eating & drinking. I went back in about an hour or 2 later to check on them before I went to bed and 1 of the older Penedesenca pullets was laying on the brooder floor very much dead. I have been feeding them chick starter & occasionally some meal worms. She did not seem to have much in her crop.
I was very puzzled as to what had happened.
Today was much like yesterday, I checked often to make sure the food dishes weren't covered by pine shavings & were full of food. Also, made sure the waters were clean & full. Took the 2 older chicks & 11 of the younger chicks out for a short time in the grass (about an hour). When I went to bring them back inside, the older pullet chick was laying on its side, 1 leg trembling a bit & the other chicks were walking on top of her. Earlier, she had been great. I separated her & put vitamins in her water & made sure she took a drink. She was able to stand on her feet after that.
My DH thought maybe she needed grit (which I have never provided, I believe they get grit when they are outside because our yard is full of rocks of all sizes. Any chicken I have ever butchered has had plenty of grit in the gizzard.) Anyway, I went out to the gravel driveway & brought in a container of very small grit. I put some in with her & some in with the other chicks. I also sprinkled chick starter on top of the paper towels I put her on. I checked on her a little while ago & she doesn't look like she is going to make it.
I also keep a small space heater in the room to help keep the temps up in that room. I pay attention to where the chicks hang out in the brooder to see if they seem too hot or too cold & they usually have been spread out in the brooder equally, some by the light & some in the middle & some at the other end. I haven't seem any pecking or fighting.
Any ideas? I don't want to lose any more, especially if it is because I am doing something wrong!

 

[dmfmfl]

How are your chicks doing now? they are pretty young (less than 10 week) right? Maybe the gravel in your yard is too big. I give my 5 week old chicks sand in place of grit. If you don't have sand then I would buy the grit for young chicks (less than 12 weeks). Also chop up their goodies in small little pieces. If they would swallow a piece of green that's too big it may cause blockage. Well, I don't know if that is factual. I am new at raising chicks. But I did read that somewhere on BYC or the book "Storey's Guide to Raising Chicks". One or the other. Well I do hope the rest of your chicks are doing well.

 

[karenerwin]

How are your chicks doing now? they are pretty young (less than 10 week) right? Maybe the gravel in your yard is too big. I give my 5 week old chicks sand in place of grit. If you don't have sand then I would buy the grit for young chicks (less than 12 weeks). Also chop up their goodies in small little pieces. If they would swallow a piece of green that's too big it may cause blockage. Well, I don't know if that is factual. I am new at raising chicks. But I did read that somewhere on BYC or the book "Storey's Guide to Raising Chicks". One or the other. Well I do hope the rest of your chicks are doing well.

Thanks, unfortunately the pullet that I didn't think would make it, didn't. I just checked on her a little while ago. I am going to look for some Corid tomorrow. I figure it can't hurt.

I also started giving them very small grit. They gobbled it up! Haven't lost any more yet, so I'm hopeful. Today was day 2 on Corid.

 

[laceyj1204]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and to raising chickens. We officially became chicken parents yesterday (4/18/15), We purchased 4 Black Australorp pullets from a gentleman selling chicks outside our local TSC. I noticed today that one of the girlies doesn't seem to be walking well. She tends to favor one leg by keeping it pulled up under her and scoots along instead of walks. She appears to be eating and drinking okay. Is this cause for concern and cause for separating her from the other 3 (which are quite a bit bigger than she is) or what? I appreciate any and all help you can give me, both on this topic as well as raising chickens in general. Thanks so much. The girlies and I will be eternally grateful!

 

[Titanpaul726]

Welcome to BYC laceyj!

Do you see any injuries to the chicks leg/foot? Any large swollen areas on the bottom of the foot or leg? If not, I would guess the leg has been injured in some way (like a sprain). You might try separating it from the others for a few days and see if it improves.