Boy, I'm in trouble now....

[florida lee]

Last week I got 6 chicks from the feed store.
2-Blk Australorps
2- ameraucana's
1-RIR
1-Brahama

Wife left yesterday to spend the weekend with her sister.... I had to go to the feed store. Well I came home with 2 more chicks...
2-Silver Laced Wyandottes.......The lady at the feed store said they had a hard trip and were real stressed. They lost about 3/4 of the order. I picked the 2 that ran at my hand when I opened the cage.

Put the new 2 or 3 day olds in with my 7 or 8 day olds (ages is as close as I can figure). everything seems to be fine this morning ,everyone still alive and kicking,eating and drinking. Its been cool here the last couple of nights and a couple more cool nights on the way (low 52 to 62), using a 100watt bulb over a large cardboard box in shed. So night time temp is around 85 to 89 degrees. But no one was huddling, they were spread out over the box...so looks like everyone is ok. The two new chicks were sitting under the light. I turned on an addiltional 75 watt bulb because its a little colder before dawn. I'll be gone all day today so I will turn off the 75 watt bulb because it may increase the temp to the high 90's and they seem to not like it that hot. They will lay down all streched out.
well here's hoping all is well when I get back.
then only have to face the wife on Sunday.

My chicken tractor is all most finished... but not sure there's enough room for 8 chickens. the coop (upper section) is 5 x 6, the lower section (screened) is 5 x 10.

 

[schellie69]

The laying stretched out is okay my big girls do it, I call it sun bathing my babies do it out side when they are dust bathing also. When they stretch out do they open their wing and stretch their leg out that is their way of sun bathing. Hope your babies are doing great I just got 2 SLW also I can't wait to watch them feather out.

 

[AZBootsie]

And so the Chicken addiction begins.

 

[mama24]

My chicks like to sunbathe under their heat lamp, too. It's so cute! My big girls (and boy!) do it in the sun. It's so funny and cute to me when these itty bitty babies do things just like the grown ups! It's so funny when they plop down on their side and spread out 1 foot and 1 wing!

 

[suzeqf]

mine do that to sometimes my silly chicks 2-5 weeks will cuddle in a chickie pile 2 deep even when the temp is 80-85 in the shop without the lights and when i turn their lamp on they all spread out it's so cute

 

[FMAFarms]

Congrats on your chicken additions... you know that's where the term "chicken math" comes from, right?

You didn't mention what the temperature in your brooder is, just that the nights are cooler. Be sure to keep that temp between 90 and 95 for your week olds and new hatches. Colder than they, they'll huddle and be unhappy, and the larger ones might squash the little ones. I would have left their heat lamp on and just made sure they had a place to go (like the other side of the brooder) if they get too hot.

Now... when selecting chicks, I always watch for the ones that are actively eating, drinking, and running around, so that I pick those to bring home. But here's an old chick farmer's tale of how to tell the roos from the hens. The roos will instinctively run towards anything that they perceive as a threat to their flock, since the roos are the flock protectors. If your two SLWs ran towards your hand when you opened the cage, versus shying away and huddling away from the cage opening, there may be a good chance you brought home two little boys. And the wife may not like that at all! Did you get them from the straight run bin? Not that the pullet bin is necessarily 100 percent correctly sexed!

We love our SLWs, by the way! Solid layers, docile, and just all around nice to have around.

 

[florida lee]

Yes, FMA ,,,, All my chicks are from the pullet bins, of course you never know for sure. But my Blk Australorps do the same thing when i put my hand in the brooder, and as a afterthought so does the RIR.
I use the pint size mason jar on the small metal waterer and the RIR (7 days old) has taken to sitting on top of it.

I have been keeping my temp around 90 degrees, any hotter than 93 and they don't seem to like it much. I have them in an insulated shed, so its harder to regulate the temp. In the morning the shed has cooled off and if i leave both lights on (100 watt and75 watt) it will get too hot when the shed warms up. Opposite at night. So I end up getting up around 3 am and again around 6 to check temp. The night temp with the lights has been around 85 to 89, no piling of chicks, they generally are spread out the length of the brooder box. Been gone all day and they are just fine. Everyone seems to be getting along, I was worried about the two new SLW (2 day olds) in with the week olds but....OK.
I have'nt told my wife about the two new SLW's yet. Guess I'll let her just discover them and then be just as baffled as I can be.



Question, I have checked all the local stores for chick grit...can't find but chicken grit. I know that they are too young yet for it. What is everyone else using?
I want in on hand for the time that I let them out for supervised play. One has already caught and ate a moth that flew into the brooder when I opened the door. Never dreamed the little gal could be so fast, caught it on the fly.

 

[FMAFarms]

LOL, SLWs just spontaneously appeared! You can always tell your wife that they were the free prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.

I was going to take some chicks out today, but we're under tornado warning. Not the best weather for a first outing!

Chick Grit is made by Manna Pro. We go through two bags a week! It's available at farm supply chains like Tractor Supply, and your local feed store should be able to order it for you if they don't carry it.

 

[so lucky]

You can get grit in a little box at a pet store. It is called "Gravel and Grit." I had a box left over from my parakeet. Or use builder's sand.