Baby chicks countdown thread!

[Iluveggers]

It’s getting closer everyone! That’s one great thing, when you check the thread your babies are closer to coming than they were the day before!

 

[Broxi]

1. Your expected ship/arrival week
May 2nd
2. How many weeks are left
9 weeks!
3. Where you ordered from
Murray McMurray
4. What was in your order
All Female:
1 Mottled Houdan
2 Buff Orpington
1 Crevecoeur
1 Salmon Faverolles
1 Blue Cochin
4 Americauna (EE most likely)
1 White Crested Black Polish
1 Whiting True Blue
3 Black Australorp
1 unsexed free surprise chick

We wanted some puffy head chicks this year, so I ordered three kinds LOL. I do have one Crested Cream Legbar already, but that wasn't poodle headed enough for my boy. They will add to my current flock of 10 hens, and I'm wondering what the heck I'm going to do if they all survive and are female . I have enough room and know someone with a larger farm that'll take extra cockrells or older hens that aren't my favorite. My friends will be getting a lot more eggs from me! I'm hoping if I do wind up with a rooster it's one of the fluffy heads. It'll just make them prettier. I'm going to have so much fun naming them all!

Does anyone know if they pull the surprise chick from the types you ordered or if it's completely random?

Here's a pic of the current ladies for your enjoyment...

 

[Iluveggers]

1. Your expected ship/arrival week
May 2nd
2. How many weeks are left
9 weeks!
3. Where you ordered from
Murray McMurray
4. What was in your order
All Female:
1 Mottled Houdan
2 Buff Orpington
1 Crevecoeur
1 Salmon Faverolles
1 Blue Cochin
4 Americauna (EE most likely)
1 White Crested Black Polish
1 Whiting True Blue
3 Black Australorp
1 unsexed free surprise chick

We wanted some puffy head chicks this year, so I ordered three kinds LOL. I do have one Crested Cream Legbar already, but that wasn't poodle headed enough for my boy. They will add to my current flock of 10 hens, and I'm wondering what the heck I'm going to do if they all survive and are female . I have enough room and know someone with a larger farm that'll take extra cockrells or older hens that aren't my favorite. My friends will be getting a lot more eggs from me! I'm hoping if I do wind up with a rooster it's one of the fluffy heads. It'll just make them prettier. I'm going to have so much fun naming them all!

Does anyone know if they pull the surprise chick from the types you ordered or if it's completely random?

Here's a pic of the current ladies for your enjoyment...View attachment 3007229

How fun! I *think* if you call McMurray you can request your bonus chick be from one of the breeds you selected, but don’t quote me on that. I might be mixing it up with their substitution policy (can sub any equal value or sub just from breeds in your order or no subs allowed). Their customer service was great! I did a live chat during the hours they are open, and they are super helpful! You will need your order number when you chat, though! Good luck!

 

[nicolewk]

1. Your expected ship/arrival week:
March 5th weekend!!

2. How many weeks are left
Only 1 week!

3. Where you ordered from:
Cackle Hatchery

4. What was in your order
We ordered 15 "Assorted Heavy Brown Females" and 5 "Rare Chick Special" just for the hell of it.

We are not new to chickens, but we are new to raising them from chicks! It's still pretty excessively winter here, so the brooder will likely be in the house with us for at least 6 weeks - but I'm up for the challenge. We are starting a new flock so hope they will be laying by early fall.

 

[Sally PB]

@nicolewk, welcome! We would love to see pictures of your babies when they arrive!

 

[Iluveggers]

1. Your expected ship/arrival week:
March 5th weekend!!

2. How many weeks are left
Only 1 week!

3. Where you ordered from:
Cackle Hatchery

4. What was in your order
We ordered 15 "Assorted Heavy Brown Females" and 5 "Rare Chick Special" just for the hell of it.

We are not new to chickens, but we are new to raising them from chicks! It's still pretty excessively winter here, so the brooder will likely be in the house with us for at least 6 weeks - but I'm up for the challenge. We are starting a new flock so hope they will be laying by early fall.

That will be a fun order! I think it would be exciting to figure out what you are getting in both mixed orders!

 

[nicolewk]

That will be a fun order! I think it would be exciting to figure out what you are getting in both mixed orders!

I have been keeping an eye on their availability chart to see what is all hatching that day, but then I realized they mark off the ones that are sold out, so I can't really know for sure! Ha! I'm definitely excited to see what shows up!

 

[SpicyDisaster]

We are brand new!

1. Your expected ship/arrival week
   • February 16
2. How many weeks are left
   • just a few days!
3. Where you ordered from
   • cackle Hatchery
4. What was in your order
   • 6 Barred Rocks

hopefully we are as ready as we can be. I’ve been unable to find grit specifically for chicks (vs adults), so I don’t know if that is a problem. We do have a crappy tractor supply coop, brooder set up (may be too small) with warming plate, pine shavings, paper towel, food and water dispensers, electrolytes, and organic chick starter. Oh, and I bought a giant bag of black soldier fly larvae. We also have plans for run construction within the next several weeks

How are your chicks doing?? When did they arrive?

 

[MagistraTn]

How are your chicks doing?? When did they arrive?

Thanks for checking on us! The chicks are doing great, here is one:

i expanded their brooder, but am struggling to add pine shavings to it because I cannot fathom how I will clean it out. Rolling up puppy mats and paper towel is rather easy, but what do I do when it’s loose?!

I am also fretting about our coop:

I am having a predator proof run built within the next two weeks, and we will simply place the coop inside. I know it’s too small, and I’m trying to conceive how to modify it. Being a complete beginner, I have seemingly stupid questions, like which parts do I put pine shavings? It has a skinny drawer to change the shavings, but it seems awfully shallow. I wonder if I should put some additional floor and walls on the “run” part of the coop and move/shorten the ramp? I am also fretting about the ventilation. Then, do I need to let the chickens in and out of this, or can they just be free in the safety of the run?

 

[Sally PB]

@MagistraTn, why don't you start another thread? Post your coop picture and ask any questions you have. You'll get more answers if you do that.

Here are some things you can tell us that will help us help you.

How many chicks? Bantams, or large fowl? How old are they?
What are the dimensions of the coop/run in feet (not inches)?
More pictures of the coop you have, from the inside and out, will help.

Here are some guidelines for space. Consider these to be minimums; more is better.

4 s/f per chicken in the coop
10 s/f per chicken in the run
1 s/f per chicken of open ventilation 24/7/365 ("Open" means covered with hardware cloth to keep out predators.)
1 linear foot of roost space per chicken

Thanks for putting your location in your profile. Climate matters a LOT! What works for me in Michigan is different from what works by you in Tennessee.