"Chicken" it out it in Greeley

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Zsquared83

Zsquared83

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5 Years
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Greeley, CO
Hello everybody,

Well we made the leap and have decided to raise some chickens (and a couple ducks). So far so good with things, almost time to increase the size of their living space. I have some basic questions and I bet somebody on here will be able to answer them.

1) One of our chicks has a gimp leg, not sure if it broke or is developing badly. The chick seems to be getting along just fine, can a chick survive with a gimp leg? Silly question I know but I am worried that the chick cannot get to water. (have to improvise because of the ducks and their messy ways).

2) How much space is needed for six chicks and two ducks?

3) What is a good food that both types of bird are able to eat, besides the "baby food" they are already getting?

4) How early can you tell if you have chickens or roosters? My chicks are about 3 weeks old.

5) Does anybody have any suggestions as to whether dogs and birds can be in the same yard? If so when do they get introduced so to speak (I mean when is it ok for the birds to be in their outside coop with the dogs in the regular part of the yard),

6) Does anybody have any knowledge about the laws in Greeley, Coloraodo (Weld County) in regards to having chickens and duck? My understanding of the laws is that they are allowed but I was hoping for some clarification (it is impossible to reach a live person to find out).

7) At what age can the chicks and ducks be outside, our weather is kind of crazy here and once they go outside I plan on keeping them there (with their outside coop that is). No more in the garage!!!

8) How long do I continue to use the heat lamp?

9) When do chicks start laying eggs?

I think that is all for now, I am sure I will have more questions later!
 
hello and welcome
welcome-byc.gif



1) what do u mean by gimp leg? if it seems like one leg is slipping out from under the chick than it is probably "spraddle leg" which can be fixed easy enough. If the leg is curled up beneath it than it has "curled toe" syndrome and that can also be fixed. 3 weeks old might be a little old for them to just start develop this problem, but I had a chick get curled toe at 2 weeks suddenly

2) at the start, u don't need much space, but they grow fast so it is easier to have something big enough to fit their needs for the first month or so. after that they will be able to start going outside for extended periods of time.

3) I do not have much experience with duckling, but I believe they can eat similar thing

4) Probably wont be able to tell if they are roosters or pullets(hens) until they are a couple months old

5) dogs can be introduced to birds anytime, the hope is that the dog will get used to them and understand to leave them be

6) Not sure about the laws where u are, but u might be able to find them on this site if u search for ordinances

7) I know the temp in CO can change dramatically from day-night, so im guessing they will be fine now to go out in the day by their own for a little bit. by around five weeks or when they feather out completely they will be fine to be outside all day, but at nights they are going to need a heat lamp. the temp should be kept around 70 until about 8 weeks at least

8) my last answer probably answered this, but yeah, heat until around 8 weeks

9) around 18-25 weeks is when hens will lay their first egg. but each hen is different
 
Well the best way I can describe the "gimp" leg is that the chick only puts a little bit of pressure on it, the toes seem to clump together and are not really used. The leg also appears to bend outwards at the joint. I think it looks like maybe it was broken, perhaps trampled by the other chicks but I could be wrong.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC!

1) One of our chicks has a gimp leg, not sure if it broke or is developing badly. The chick seems to be getting along just fine, can a chick survive with a gimp leg? Silly question I know but I am worried that the chick cannot get to water. (have to improvise because of the ducks and their messy ways).
You may want to post in the Emergencies forum about your chick with the hurt leg to see if there is anything that might be done. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures Chickens can do fine with some pretty bad handicaps, you may need to make accommodations for it if your regular waterer is a problem.


2) How much space is needed for six chicks and two ducks? Here is a nice article on figuring out about how much space you will need. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need you may need to keep your ducks separate, especially if you wind up with any drakes... usually figure 4-5 sq foot per chicken and twice that for ducks inside the coop, and 2-3X that outside.

3) What is a good food that both types of bird are able to eat, besides the "baby food" they are already getting?
There are "Flock Raiser" type foods that are suitable for chickens and ducks, you might see what your feed store carries, the brands available will vary.

4) How early can you tell if you have chickens or roosters? My chicks are about 3 weeks old.
Usually you will have a pretty good idea by 8 weeks or so, some roos sooner some roos later, if you are questioning some you could post pics in the What Breed/Gender forum https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this

5) Does anybody have any suggestions as to whether dogs and birds can be in the same yard? If so when do they get introduced so to speak (I mean when is it ok for the birds to be in their outside coop with the dogs in the regular part of the yard),
It depends on the dog and the situation, some dogs are never ever safe with chickens, other people use their dogs to guard their chickens (we have four large dogs that are with the chickens full time). There are some nice threads on training your dogs to be around chickens, you may find some tips that will help you with yours https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/829562/training-teaching-a-dog-about-chickens

6) Does anybody have any knowledge about the laws in Greeley, Coloraodo (Weld County) in regards to having chickens and duck? My understanding of the laws is that they are allowed but I was hoping for some clarification (it is impossible to reach a live person to find out).
You might try asking in your state thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/68894/colorado and the Laws forum if anyone knows www.backyardchickens.com/f/37/local-chicken-laws-amp-ordinances-and-how-to-change-them

7) At what age can the chicks and ducks be outside, our weather is kind of crazy here and once they go outside I plan on keeping them there (with their outside coop that is). No more in the garage!!!
Usually chicks /ducks are pretty fully feathered by six weeks or so and will be fine without extra heat if they have good shelter, as long as you don't have a real cold snap.. when you put them out keep an eye on them and if they seem cold you might want to give them some heat.

8) How long do I continue to use the heat lamp?
Unless it is really cold, you can usually have it off by six weeks or so

9) When do chicks start laying eggs?
It depends on the breed, most commercial layer type breeds will start laying around 4-5 months, some of the bigger or fancy breeds can be quite a bit older.

I think that is all for now, I am sure I will have more questions later!
 

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