Baby Chicks Arrived!

[Elmochook]

I havent brought mine in yet because i found hubbys lazer temp checker. So i lazered all the chicks and the coldsst one was reading at 56degree. They were all under the lamp. Middle chick was 76 degrees!

 

[Elmochook]

Well temps drop quick at sunset yall. I checked them all again at 5 and they were none of them over 40degrees... So sorry to my family who will deal with the stink a couple days... Heck or maybe just the nights... I love these little things!! Oh... But they arent little... This is a 45 gallon tub.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Yep - I bring mine in at night. I would love to think that they could cuddle up with the bigger ones at night, but they don't even know how to roost yet - IF (that is supposed to be a REALLY BIG, Bold IF!) they were integrated!

I took away their heat plate last night and they did fine (inside) I still let them have it when they are outside, and they still spend most of their time under it I can't even move their outdoor cage to the coop for their days out until they are OK without heat.

Looks like ours are about the same size @Elmochook I got some cute pic of them yesterday...

 

[April Barta]

I think my girls are a little further along. Continue to change their environment to the cooler temps. Week by week, make it cooler until it’s close to outside. I’m a little nervous about tonight for my babies but I think they’ll be fine.

 

[Enchanted1s]

The babies are getting so big! They are all just over a pound now. This picture was the first day that I let them run around outside (without being in a cage)! Today, I started teaching them to 'follow Mom' from the house, to their cage behind the barn - and back to the house. I am still bringing them inside to sleep as the temperatures dip below freezing at night. It is just adorable watching them follow Mom (while I follow behind with the net to scoot them along)! They don't freak out when they see the net (yet), like the older ones do!

A question - should I clip their wings? Most of me says yes - but when I pick them up and look at their wings, I feel bad about clipping their pretty little feathers.

 

[April Barta]

They are adorable!!!! I love the follow “mom” idea. I shake a bag of treats and they come running. I bet they would follow me around the yard! I should try it. The theology behind clipping wings is interesting. So from my research, you want them to have the ability to get away from a predator so don’t clip wings. But if your run isn’t secured, you’ll want to clip them to keep them from getting out. I don’t plan on clipping them but that’s just me. I wonder what others think.

 

[Elmochook]

Mine have moved out to their new coop and survived their first ice storm.. This is their temporary coop till spring. 100% recycle materials... I was worried about them so i ran out in the ice storm after i got off work last night and threw a car cover over the open side to keep ice out of the coop... They kept their water unfrozen since theres so many little beaks (impressive) all my other waterers were 1in thick w ice. They have been in there 3 days now with supervised playtime in their yard. They grew up quick on me too.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Mine have moved out to their new coop and survived their first ice storm.. This is their temporary coop till spring. 100% recycle materials... I was worried about them so i ran out in the ice storm after i got off work last night and threw a car cover over the open side to keep ice out of the coop... They kept their water unfrozen since theres so many little beaks (impressive) all my other waterers were 1in thick w ice. They have been in there 3 days now with supervised playtime in their yard. They grew up quick on me too.

I am SOOO ready to move them outside! BUT, since we only have three - I am afraid to put them out. Even when I take them out during the day (50 to 60 degrees) they tend to spend a lot of time huddled together in a corner. Their new coop isn't ready yet anyway...

Today, it is on the chilly side and I am taking a break from coop building. The foundation is all skirted with ½ inch hardware cloth. I almost have the back wall done... My titanium spine just needs a break today
.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I love how your chicken adventures started with the over the fence hen and turned into this.

They are addictive.

 

[Enchanted1s]

I love how your chicken adventures started with the over the fence hen and turned into this.

They are addictive.

Yes they are! We never even thought about raising chickens. Then Ms. Tootie chose us! She is really something! When she first flew over, no one could get anywhere near her. She was still small enough, then, that she would walk (or run) right thru the perimeter goat fence. When she got big enough that she didn't fit thru the fence, the would fly over it. When Rudy (the rooster) was thrown over, she calmed down a lot, but no humans could get near either of them. Once they watched me build the first coop - they started becoming less flighty. NOW, Tootie will eat out of my hand and gives us an egg almost every day. Rudy, well I have never touched him, but he doesn't run away from me any more. The two pullets that flew over in October - one (Tina) will eat out of my hand and runs to see me every day. The other (Rosie) is still very flighty with us but is now doing fine in our little flock of 4. Rudy has been mating the pullets this past week or two so I guess they aren't pullets anymore?? Hopefully they will start laying soon too! I bought these babies because I wanted the chickens to be more like pets and allow me to touch them. I didn't think these wild ones would ever mellow out but they have decided we aren't so bad! We continue to allow them to free range wherever they please. They have all their flight feathers and could jump over the 4' goat fence OR walk thru the sections that are only split rail - but they don't! Neither Rudy or Tootie have left the yard since I built the first coop. The pullets would go behind the property when they were small enough to run thru the fence, but since they don't fit thru any more - they do not leave either.

These birds sure have put a halt to all of the projects I had going around here! It seems like I have been doing nothing but chickens ever since we accepted that Tootie chose us and was not leaving! Picture of Rudy & Tootie