Baby Chicks Arrived!

[Enchanted1s]

Oh My! Guess what I found when I went to shut the light off in the grow room! I have been making their bedtime earlier as they get older. It was time for lights out, I open the door and see Little Bit on TOP of the PlayPen. I start to have a talk with her and notice she keeps lookin up. My response - ' oh my! Honey - GET THE CAMERA!' About the time we got a camera in there, Little Bit joined Gracey up there! I was happy to learn that both Gracey and Little Bit where happy to come down! BTW - Buffey stayed in the PlayPen

Today, I am building a hardware cloth top for the playpen!

 

[Enchanted1s]

The babies are 9 weeks old today! And they are still sleeping in my grow room. I am getting closer on their coop / run, but it is still getting down in the 20's and teens at night.

This week their weights were all very, Very close to the same. All three seem happy and healthy.

Gracey - 28.5 oz.


Little Bit - 28.3 oz.


Buffey - 28.0 oz.

 

[Enchanted1s]

I think they will end up as house chickens. Lol no need to finish a coop that way .

Well... we did it! They are outside tonight - for their first night!

I decided the coop we are building is really big for three baby birds, so I built a removable wall to divide the coop into two sections. Remove the divider and it is one big coop. Tonight, they are in the back coop. It is supposed to be 32 degrees in the morning.

We don't have the roof on the building yet, so I temporarily covered the coop section with a piece of Solar Swimming pool cover. We didn't put them in until it was almost dark, so I didn't get a picture with the babies in the coop, but here is where they are tonight .

 

[Enchanted1s]

I almost forgot - 10 weeks today! I did not get to weigh them, because I forgot until we came inside for the night. The babies are spending their third night outside! It has been a very mild week! Up to the 70's and lows in the low 30's. I still don't have a roof on the coop, but have it temporarily covered. We are trying to let them be chickens and be with the older ones, but we worry that they might hurt them! We have been letting them all be together when we are there to supervise. Rudy has some deadly looking spurs! He has never brought blood with any of them before, but he did chase Little Bit - twice. We were there with squirt bottle in hand. Here's their 10 week picture - this morning in their coop.

 

[Elmochook]

Awww no! You cant be kicked off the baby thread. They are still babies until they lay an egg imo. ..also yiu gotta keep doing weekly weight and age updates! Helps me remember how old mine are lol.

 

[Enchanted1s]

OK, LOL. We read something the other day that said at what ages the chick is considered teenagers, adults etc... they aren't babies any more - and not due for their weekly update until tomorrow, BUT - they went to their coop all by themselves Sunday night, 11 Feb 18! They had used their ramp and navigated that on their own, but this day (and night) was full of firsts for them! This was the first day that they were left with the flock, unsupervised, all day! Then, when it started getting cold (almost dusk) the babies headed back to their coop without any assistance from us!

There were also NO ISSUES with the bigger birds! I am hopeful that we introduced them over a long enough period of time that they have been accepted. (fingers crossed) ALSO - in other news - our two pullets with the older birds - both laid their first eggs! Rosie laid her 1st egg, IN THE NEST BOX!, 22 January. Tina, laid her first egg, NOT in a nest box, 9 Feb! Tina has not yet laid her second egg. Rosie gives us a large egg every other day.

Is it normal for a rooster to show a hen where she is supposed to lay???

 

[Enchanted1s]

Just an updated picture of our little flock.

 

[N F C]

Adorable, glad they made it ok!

 

[CorvusFarm]

Congratulations. It is so awesome to have peeps!

 

[psychocircus91]

There is just nothing better!


My opinion on ordering online:
It's the only way I go because chicks can be hard to come by around me. Usually sold as straight run. I also have particular breed choices and like the variety. I can go with a company I trust.
I would say you need to order 5+ to make the shipping remotely worth it though.