Baby chicken advice?

[Unobtanium]

I have had an illness in my coop. I just got into chickens 1.5 weeks ago. Bought a coop and chickens and everything, just to notice sneezing a few days later. The bird was diagnosed by state lab with MG. The pathologist told me MG will live about a week in the environment, max, if I cull the birds, which I'm going to do to prevent spread. The whole experience has been very frustrating and saddening so far. 1.5 weeks in, and here I am having to put down my flock
I never want to repeat it. So, I found an MG Clean certified breeder. Deer run Farm. I'm buying 10 Welsummer hens and a rooster from them. Day old.

I am not much on baby anything's, but this seems the only way to insure I dont have this happen again.

The chickies will ship June 5. I'm going to cull my flock, dispose of bedding, and bleach the coop today and tomorrow. I figure the absence of poultry for a good 1.5 to 2 weeks should be plenty for any MG to die, in the soil, etc, no?

Also...how to raise the baby birds. I was going to use my downstairs shower. It's a stand up. Sliding doors. My plan is to tape over the drain, and put pine chips on the floor of it. Then, hang a bulb on a cord over the top of the shower door, tying the cord around the outer handle. This will have the housing against the glass door, with no chance of it falling further. I was going to use a dinner plate with marbles in it for water to keep the birds from falling and drowning. Change bedding every 2 days or whenever soiled. Feed them chicken starter food. Weather is mild. 65 at night at coldest. 85 to 90 during the day. How long until they can go into the coop/run?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your bathroom may be too stuffy. Chicks need good air exchange. They could go straight in the coop at those temperatures with a heat lamp run for a few days, than only at night for a few weeks. I would confine them in some manner to a smaller area initially. Many use kiddie pools, which is a good cheap idea.

I always keep an open window that provides good air exchange. At your temperatures you will need to quickly worry about them over heating after those first 2 weeks.

For water I use small chick waterers with glass rocks in them the first day or two. Paper towels over bedding to keep them from eating shavings.

Use a thermometer to set your initial heat lamp height. Raise or lower based on behaviors, crowding under the light too cold spread to the edges too hot. After the first few days I start raising it, after the first week in warmer temperatures I turn it off during the day.



I also get my chicks out on the grass during warmer weather using a 5 gallon bucket laid on it's side for a brooder. Also provide shade and move the pen daily.

 

[Acre4Me]

If you want to keep them out of the potentially infected area for a little longer and brood indoors, that’s just fine. I like to keep my eye on them for the first week (pasty butt, lethargic, other issues with young chicks). If you use your shower, you might find it helpful to line with plastic first so you’re not trying to clean bits of shavings. For the first few days, I’ve used puppy pee pads. Available at big box stores (or even drug stores!) for cheap. They offer a good level of traction. You’ll want them OUT of the house by day 12 in a desperate way though, as they are really dusty, so as PP suggested, create a temporary area and move them around or just transfer them to the coop.

Good luck with the new flock and I am sorry to hear about the illness with the last flock.