California - Northern

[duckmeister]

Todays NorCal call duck hatch, one white one gray and three bibbed.

 

[ronott1]

What do you mean they will freak out?
They seem to freak out when I bring them in every night. It takes them a while to settle down. Do they still need food and water all night? If I bought them a coop could I just stick them in there over night without food and water?

A lot of chicks raised with light will get scared for some time when they go out in the dark. It is the darkness that scares them. If you are using a brooder plate, they do much better.

Also, moving them to a new place will cause stress.

 

[Kaylish]

Morning everyone!

Hoping for a few pointers or things to watch for:

My broodies hatched some chicks for a local lady - she left me a few chicks for the broodies to raise and also brought me 1 additional chick yesterday that is close to the same age (probably about a week old; just getting wing feathers in). I need to get it out under my broody asap but it's a bit lethargic and doesn't seem to be acting like I think it should. It's eyes are clear, no sneezing or mucus around the nose or beak. I just cleaned out the brooder this morning so I will be able to check poop when I get home.

As much as I'd like to keep it quarantined for a full month it has no friends and I'll be out of town in a few weeks; so I need some options and things to look out for.

Right now I have Pedialyte and a few drops of Poly-Vi-Sol in the water and a towel in the brooder for company. Anything else that could help "perk" it up? 'm going to get it some scrambled eggs and nutritional yeast this evening. Any specific symptoms to watch for in a young chick? Anything else I'm not thinking about? TIA!

 

[h2oratt]

T

A lot of chicks raised with light will get scared for some time when they go out in the dark. It is the darkness that scares them. If you are using a brooder plate, they do much better.

Also, moving them to a new place will cause stress.

thanks for the advice. I have had the heat light off in the brooder pen house for a few days. What is a brooder plate?

 

[ronott1]

T
thanks for the advice. I have had the heat light off in the brooder pen house for a few days. What is a brooder plate?

Brooder light:



Brooder plate:




Article about them: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/brooder-safety-fear-heat-lamp.html

 

[PetRock]

Brooder light:



Brooder plate:




Article about them: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/brooder-safety-fear-heat-lamp.html

I switched from heat lamps to the Premier 1 heat plates this year and I never plan on switching back. I ordered 2 of the small ones and bought a large 1 from Lisa. Then I ordered 2 more small ones. I love them and the chicks love them. IMO they are feathering in faster and with the big one in the outdoor brooder, I have been able to move them out of the house at a younger age. And for once, I have not seen a noticeable increase in electricity usage during hatching season! All wins for me with the only negative that my almost full grown kitten was able to stick his paw in the hole that I made for the electric cord and snag a couple chicks. One was beyond recovery and the other one is fine.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=135875&criteria=heat+plate

 

[caychris]

I switched from heat lamps to the Premier 1 heat plates this year and I never plan on switching back. I ordered 2 of the small ones and bought a large 1 from Lisa. Then I ordered 2 more small ones. I love them and the chicks love them. IMO they are feathering in faster and with the big one in the outdoor brooder, I have been able to move them out of the house at a younger age. And for once, I have not seen a noticeable increase in electricity usage during hatching season! All wins for me with the only negative that my almost full grown kitten was able to stick his paw in the hole that I made for the electric cord and snag a couple chicks. One was beyond recovery and the other one is fine.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=135875&criteria=heat+plate

I plan to get some heat plates before next season. I used a combination of a Brinsea 20 and a heat lamp when they started getting bigger I removed the plate but with the premier plates I think I will be able to do plates only.

My hatch is being slow (or a bust) again no pips so far and we just hit day 22 even though all 19 eggs were developing at lockdown. (I think they may have been a bit behind though and my bator is running too low)

We will give it a couple more days based on the last hatch.

 

[caychris]

Do your chickens ever get so underfoot that you step on toes. I feel bad for them when I do but they never seem to learn.

 

[tj74roberts]

Do your chickens ever get so underfoot that you step on toes. I feel bad for them when I do but they never seem to learn.

I almost fell down the other day because my Australorp did that and I didn't want to kill her, lol. She is so attached to me that I can't get away form her sometimes.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

Do your chickens ever get so underfoot that you step on toes. I feel bad for them when I do but they never seem to learn.

I believe there is such a thing as to friendly a chicken but that doesn't stop the turken juveniles from being directly under my feet every step of the way to and from the feed shed.