Chicken Newbie! New chicks on the way w.o. Feb 13th *pic heavy*

[Tiffany]

Looks great! I am so jealous! Those chains are for your water and feed, I think your run looks great, you at least have plenty there to see how it goes. You can always expand it if you need to, pretty simple project! I like the deep litter method, easy everyday maintenance and only needs a big change out every once in a while. You have a great set up for the deep litter method, there are plenty of posts on here that will tell you all about it.

 

[Shireshome]

It doesn't take that much room. Really if you have any large packing boxes left depending on the size one might work. Or you could tape two together and cut a whole between the two large enough for them to easily go from one part to the other. The box just has to be big enough for all the birds to fit under the heat lamp and all the birds to be out from under it plus the water and feed containers. Just cover the bottom of the box/es with a trash bag and pine shavings. Make sure you put a plastic bag under the box/es too. That water container will always LEAK!

 

[AmyLM]

lol yeah my hubby already bought a box of heavy duty trash bags and we have lots of left over boxes and tape I read that I should put marbles in the water despincer thing but there is hardly any room... its is a necessity? Its a small size water er, the guy at the feed store said its for chicks only. He also said to feed the chicks on disposable plates rather than via the feeder because chicks are more clumbsy and might get their heads stuck. Is that right? Or will they just contaminate their food more?

 

[KBlue]

Marbles are used when you are using a full size waterer for the chicks. If you bought a chick-specific waterer you should be good. You can start the chicks on sprinkled food on a paper plate, once they get the hang of that, you can put the food in the feeder. I've also heard people sprinkle food on aluminum foil. The idea being that chicks will peck at anything shiny. They peck at the foil and get a mouthful of food, and that helps teach them what to do with it.

 

[OkChickens]

lol yeah my hubby already bought a box of heavy duty trash bags and we have lots of left over boxes and tape I read that I should put marbles in the water despincer thing but there is hardly any room... its is a necessity? Its a small size water er, the guy at the feed store said its for chicks only. He also said to feed the chicks on disposable plates rather than via the feeder because chicks are more clumbsy and might get their heads stuck. Is that right? Or will they just contaminate their food more?

If you have the long red feeders leave toe top part open for 2-3 days and they will figure it out. I haven,t ever had a chick get its head stuck in a feeder. They will poop in there food and throw shavings in it but its not a big deal. I would make the brooder 4x4 or 4x6 with a heat source that makes it about 90-95 degrees around the light. Don't cook your chicks! Make sure that there are cooler spots for the chicks to go if the get to warm. In my brooder the temps go from 90 degrees in the middle to about 75-80 2-3 feet out. the chicks go all over the brooder and when they get cold they go under the heat lamps. Raising chicks is a blast and they grow very fast!

Nate

 

[turney31]

Very nice. Is the roost in front of the laying boxes? If so, you need to make different roosts higher than the nest boxes. That way they won't be tempted to roost in the boxes. I live about an hour south of you and I have a dirt floor in my coop. The only time I do any thing different is when we have an ice storm or snow and then all I do is put hay on the floor.