So after quite a lot of reading and chick-watching and hemming and hawing, I finally concluded that despite appearances, maybe my brooder was too hot. The chicks spent much of their time sleeping mashed against the box sides, which coincides with the edge of the heat-lamp beam, and not using the other half of the box. I *think*, though, they were avoiding the other half because the waterer and feeder, placed in the middle of the box, were casting dark shadows and in an otherwise-unlit basement the other half of the brooder was just too dark for them.
Anyhow, I raised the light, and after some fiddling around have arrived at an arrangement where a thermometer reads about 88 F (before it gets covered in poo) but the chicks are now using a larger fraction of the brooder. Also I moved the lamp a little so there are no areas in deep shadow.
Not only do the chicks seem happier but the pasting-up has stopped. So I *think* I guessed right.
Anyhow, they all seem fine to me now. BOY OH BOY do they grow fast, I had no idea! most have quite substantial wing feathers and can sort of glide/fly, and I'd say about half have the first tips of tailfeathers. They are 6 days old today.
Here are two of the Golden Campine chicks, which I think are the prettiest:
And one of the Speckled Sussex, all of whom look basically alike (sort of like little ducklings, or chipmunks):
No pics of the Buff Chanteclers on their own, since they are just boring yellow chicks
But here is a photo of some of the mob in the brooder (please excuse the pooiness, I don't know why I took the pics before a cleaning
). The GC just to the left of center is the 'runt' that I was a little worried about the first day -- it is still smaller than the others, as you can see, but is doing perfectly fine otherwise as far as I can tell.
So there you go. See, I haven't killed them yet
Pat
Anyhow, I raised the light, and after some fiddling around have arrived at an arrangement where a thermometer reads about 88 F (before it gets covered in poo) but the chicks are now using a larger fraction of the brooder. Also I moved the lamp a little so there are no areas in deep shadow.
Not only do the chicks seem happier but the pasting-up has stopped. So I *think* I guessed right.
Anyhow, they all seem fine to me now. BOY OH BOY do they grow fast, I had no idea! most have quite substantial wing feathers and can sort of glide/fly, and I'd say about half have the first tips of tailfeathers. They are 6 days old today.
Here are two of the Golden Campine chicks, which I think are the prettiest:
And one of the Speckled Sussex, all of whom look basically alike (sort of like little ducklings, or chipmunks):
No pics of the Buff Chanteclers on their own, since they are just boring yellow chicks
So there you go. See, I haven't killed them yet
Pat
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