Bigern26's chick journal ***Chicks are here update

[bigern26]

Welcome to my raising chicks thread!

Some of you have probably seen me ask a couple of questions on here. Well last friday I ordered 27 chicks. 3 RIR's, 3 Barred Rocks, 3 Easter Eggers, and 18 broilers from Meyer Hatchery. They ship tomorrow!!!

I have not had any chickens for over 25 years. My wife and little girls are pretty excited. And they have been helping me build the coop and brooding boxes. I think i have everything I need for when they arrive.

For my coop I am converting a garage into 2 separate coops and building a run that will be separated. I will only have a nesting box in one coop. I might add one to the other but have not decided yet. Still not sure if i should build roosts in the coop that will house the broilers.
I am building poop board roosts for the layers.

I will post some pics of the coop soon but here are some pics of the almost finished brooding boxes. They are just 1"X2"s and paneling. I can take them apart for storing. They are 4'X4' and 18" high. I still have to build a top for the one and then get the wire on them both.
I should have them all done tomorrow!

 

[bigern26]

Here are the brooder now. Chicks will be here tomorrow or saturday. I did one with bedding and one with paper towels to see how I like each method. I will change the paper towels to bedding after a couple days. Testing lamp height for temp now. I have 125w heat bulbs in them.

 

[bigern26]

Chicks arrived today!! Woohoo
Only lost one broiler and one Barred rock.
We received 1 free broiler so thats good.

 

[bigern26]

Wow they are growing and getting more brave everyday. They each have such a different personality.

 

[bruceha2000]

Congrats on the chicks! I got 2 Black Australorps, 2 White Rocks and 3 EEs from Meyer 2 weeks ago. All healthy and happy. The little suckers are already flying up to the top of their brooder - 20" up.

I suggest you head over to the Mama Heating Pad Brooder thread. With the skills you have shown building your brooders, making a MHPB will be a snap. I brooded the 12 girls I got 3 years ago the traditional way - with a 24x7 heat lamp (controlled by a reptile tank thermostat). Hotter than Hades in that bathroom for a month. There truly can not be "spot heat" with a heat lamp, the entire room and everything in it gets hot. I got the new chicks to put under a broody BA but they spent the first 38 hours under a MHP then I stuck them under the BA in the pitch black of night in a booding pen I fashioned into the corner of the coop.

I watch them every day out in the barn where it has managed 70 F only once and in the 50's many times. The chicks are out and about, not all hiding under the BA 24x7. When they cooled off she would "tent up" and they would go under. Cute little faces sticking out all over. The hen has brought them outside the barn the last 2 days when the temps were 65 F MAX. The chicks run around like little kids. I don't know where the "95F for the first week, 90F for the second, etc" got started but the chicks CLEARLY do not need to be broiled in the brooder for a month. The MHP brooder is MUCH more natural than constant heat and light. The chicks were in our bedroom in their Q&D cardboard box MHPB. They SLEPT when it was dark. 3 years ago the girls would alternately nap then wake up and cheep all night long. With the MHPB, they go under the "hen" whenever they get cool and come out whenever they want just as they do under a live hen. And you aren't creating an environment that is inhospitably hot and lighted.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

 

[bigern26]

Thanks, I have read that thread and am thinking about going that route next time. I have had really good luck with these chicks. The layers are doing great. Every one will fall asleep after sitting in my hands for a few minutes. My garage is insulated and it does get quite hot in there with 2 heat lamps going. Today it was 80f in there and I turned off the lamps and they seemed happier after it cooled down in there a few degrees. My meat birds liked it more also. I have not had as much luck with them. I lost 7 in the first couple days and had a runt that passed after a week. I am not sure if it was the shipping or what but losing 7 really discouraged me. All my layers made it except for the one that was dead on arrival.

 

[bruceha2000]

I would do the MHPB now since it is obvious the birds are happier without so much heat

Sorry about your losses! I've been lucky, twelve chicks 3 years ago and seven 2 weeks ago. No early losses. I don't do meat birds so I don't know if they generally have a higher mortality rate. Are you checking for pasty butt? I think that can block them up and and kill them.

 

[bigern26]

Yep, checked for pasty butt, no sign of cocci, fed medicated, gave each chick water before setting into the brooder, and head good warmth. I dont know what happened. As far as I know I did everything right. They did take 3 days to ship. I only had 1 layer and one broiler DOA, and then lost 7 broilers in the next 2 days. No signs of anything wrong with them. I am guessing something internal or they got trampled.

 

[bigern26]

Time to meet the chicks...
They are all named now. We have 2 Barred rocks named Hennrietta and Ethel, 3 RIR's named Poopy Butt, Tamma Lamma, and Curious, and 3 EE's named Inga, Matilda, and Guido.
This one here is my little camera hog Hennrietta.

Here is Curious

Here is Poopy Butt

And Tamma Lamma

And finally Matilda

Group shots

Here is a shot of the meat birds in their coop. We moved them out there today.

 

[The Grove]

Keep em coming! Love seeing the progress.