Baby Chicks

gardentlc

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jul 7, 2012
37
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I am receiving my first baby chicks sometime between Sunday 4/21-4/24 I figure they will be here early monday morning. They have all been vaccinated for Marek's and Coccidosis....unfortunately my carpentry skills are not so good and when I set the posts and floor, we (thanks to DH) found out because of one corner post being larger that it is not level and not square, and some of the other older posts were dry rotted. We have a 7 x 9 concrete pad and he had decided that we will build there. We live in a SMALL house so I am praying we get the coop built soon! What kind of starter feed would you recommend, as I live in NE GA well north of gainesville, not far from commerce or cornelia. Help! And do they need oystershell to start with?
 
When you get them they can live in a rubber tub until your coop is done. Get Chick Starter from the feed store, either medicated or regular. Some say oyster shell is necessary, but I've never used it. Make sure they have plenty of water that they can get to without drowning, a heat lamp, and feed until they feather out in about 6 or 8 weeks. That should give you plenty of time to finish your coop.

Oh, and welcome to
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and the wonderful world of
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Ours are coming this weekend and I have nothing. DH tried to back out because it's cold out and he doesn't want them in the house (sobs) but we have a heated garage.. so I thought I could do the rubber tub with heating lamp there til its time..

Ours are coming from friends and NOT vaccinated. Can I do that? What is the medicated feed?
 
You may be able to buy the vaccine from Tractor Supply or some other feed supply store. If you do have them vaccinated for Marek's or Coccidosis they are not supposed to eat regular starter and not the medicated...it will cancel out the Coccidosis vaccine
 
I am receiving my first baby chicks sometime between Sunday 4/21-4/24 I figure they will be here early monday morning. They have all been vaccinated for Marek's and Coccidosis....unfortunately my carpentry skills are not so good and when I set the posts and floor, we (thanks to DH) found out because of one corner post being larger that it is not level and not square, and some of the other older posts were dry rotted. We have a 7 x 9 concrete pad and he had decided that we will build there. We live in a SMALL house so I am praying we get the coop built soon! What kind of starter feed would you recommend, as I live in NE GA well north of gainesville, not far from commerce or cornelia. Help! And do they need oystershell to start with?


Because of the cocci vaccine, you'll want unmedicated chick starter or all-flock feed.

Oyster shell is for laying hens. Grit is what you probably meant and that is something they don't need as long as they are only eating milled feed. If you give them food that needs chewed up, they need grit.
 
I couldn't decide what to feed either there are too many choices, so each time I get a bag I get something different. First it was 24% starter...Then 20% starter...then 27% gamebird starter...Then the gamebird starter again...next go round I don't know what I'll get.
Just to mix it up a little...

Everyone does the same on all of them...

I did the same with the meat birds...
Since I got ducks and chicks most of what I have gotten is made for both...and anything that says specifically for ducks has a much higher protein, but no issues at all...In the first batch of chicks there were 26 and we had 3 cases of pasty butt with 3 different chicks, one cleanup and it didn't happen again...No deaths or sickness. I then hatched 18 chicks and they have mostly been on the Gamebird Starter because that is what bag I am on now..Everyone is still doing great and not even any pasty butts so far with these new chicks...They are only 8 days old though...so...it still might happen.
 

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