Chantecler Thread!

[RogerChicken]

They're all still doing well.

Some of them have more of an orangey tint; a couple have sort of a gray patch on the rump. No idea how much that sort of thing carries over into adult colouration.

One of them has just started the behaviour of scratching on the floor for food -- so cute!

 

[RogerChicken]

8 Apr 2023: Day 8: everyone's doing well. Weights are now between 41g and 58g, with most in the mid-40s.

Mandatory pics:

Interesting to watch the flight feathers coming in. They all have at least some feather development here.

I was lucky enough that one of them let go with a big poop just as I was weighing them. For scale, this is about a dime in diameter, and a height of 2-3 dimes stacked. Dries to a flat black, but here you can see it's more of a deep dark brown.

Seems like most people only post poop pictures after something has gone horribly wrong, so I wanted to capture a baseline image of health.

The brooder. This is inside a bathtub in a mostly-unused bathroom. I've just finished cleaning it, so I'm about to re-insert the chicks. Then I'll cover the Mama Heating Pad box with an old towel.

Inside the box is a cheap heating pad; site gave its dimensions as 18.8" x 28.3". It has a high setting and a low setting and no auto-shutoff. The low setting maintains a skin temperature of about 45C. The pad slopes down towards the back, for a headroom of about 2" at the back and 6" at the front.

Overall room temperature goes down to about 25C at night, then up to 33C during the day. Most of this change is driven by the room lights, I believe; I also have a small lamp that I leave on all the time in there (there are not any windows).

 

[RogerChicken]

9 Apr 2023: Day 7: Everyone's fine. Back to work tomorrow and I'm dubious about my commitment to getting up early enough to give the brooder the cleaning it needs, so today I cleaned once in the morning and once in the evening. Certainly not overkill.

Last night I erected a higher box wall around the brooder area and I'm glad I did -- they're definitely able to jump up atop the mama heating box. Which is good, as it adds about another 50% floor space.

Should hold them for a bit longer...

Some of them starting complaining bitterly after this -- I think some of them couldn't figure out how to get down. So I moved them all and they seem happier now.

Everyone's favourite game: let's sleep on my face like I'm dead. (They're fine.)

 

[bruceha2000]

My original 12 went out to the barn a bit earlier than planned because they could get out of the bathtub but not back in off the bathroom floor. It is a wonder they didn't die jumping out at 3 weeks of age!

 

[Folly's place]

Bath tubs and showers do work well, only with glass doors.
Mary

 

[RogerChicken]

10 Apr 2023, Day 8: Made it to Week Two. Everyone's fine.

They've started flapping their little tiny wings when they're running away from me, which is pretty cute.

 

[RogerChicken]

11 Apr 2023, Day 9: Progress continues. They're splashing their water around or something I think, but that's not really a problem.

A couple of them have smoky-ashy-grey butts (there's probably some technical chicken colour term, but you get the idea.) One of those ones also has fairly grey-blue legs and feet, in comparison to the yellow of the others. But seems healthy and warm enough, so just one of those things, I guess.

Oops, had the flash on. But a good look at the progressing feathering.

Excited and looking around and standing tall. A nice look at the drumstick.

All 12 in one shot.

 

[Folly's place]

I've been getting my birds from Cackle, and occasionally one will turn up with 'funny colored' legs. Those birds don't stay in the breeding group.
Mary

 

[RogerChicken]

Thanks Mary -- that sounds about right. I don't really have any breeding aspirations at this point.

Awww -- looks like a couple of them have started preening! So cute.

 

[RogerChicken]

12 Apr 2023, Day 10. Everyone seems to be thriving.

Some of them have tiny tail feathers coming in.

It looks like something's going on with this next one's head. The down seems kind of sparse there. Doesn't seem to be dirty or matted down or even really missing, as such.

A pile of sleeping chicks:

I guess at some point I should get them off paper towel and onto a more common sort of bedding, but I'm not really in a rush. This has been pretty convenient.