Chickens by Easter .... Maybe

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Learned a lesson today …. ten chicks + one worm + small area = one injured chick. Not bad, just a very small wound where she either got stabbed with a beak or a claw in the scuffle for the worm. These ladies take the game of keep-away very seriously.

The wound was very small but it did make a red dot with a little blood. I didn’t notice it until I saw several other chicks pecking on her at the same time and place. We isolated her and doctored her up with some poultry antiseptic and a cover up.

She is fine and the other chicks aren’t bothering the wound but, the worm and cricket feeding is over for a while.

 

[cavemanrich]

Chickens turn vicious when they see blood. It is the RED color. You may consider keeping some BluKote on hand. The BLUE color does not attract pecking.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

That is what I was looking for but had to settle for "Rooster Booster Pick-No-More cover-up lotion" since that was all they had. It is a very dark brown color.

Chickens turn vicious when they see blood. It is the RED color. You may consider keeping some BluKote on hand. The BLUE color does not attract pecking.
View attachment 2671069

 

[rosemarythyme]

That is what I was looking for but had to settle for "Rooster Booster Pick-No-More cover-up lotion" since that was all they had. It is a very dark brown color.

Pick-no-more works fine too, it tastes bitter so chickens won't want to peck at the treated area. Though my bottle is light lavender in color, smells like grape candy.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Pick-no-more works fine too, it tastes bitter so chickens won't want to peck at the treated area. Though my bottle is light lavender in color, smells like grape candy.

This has Tea Tree oil in it so the smell is pleasing.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

These chicks have grown faster than I thought they would and need to go out to the coop I think.

This morning I had a chance to take a peek at them before they got up stirring around and found five of them roosting on top of the brooder with the other five roosting on the floor around, but not under, the brooder. Room temperature was 72 and the brooder is raised up close to as high as it will go.

I’m going to take the brooder out today and see how they act without it. If they look like they don’t need it anymore I will move them into their new, larger, enclosure inside the coop and give them a few days to adjust to the new sights and sounds. If they do okay after that I will let them have the run of the whole coop until they are fully feathered out and big enough to see what the run is like.

They are two weeks old today and have out grown the brooder enclosure. I am afraid they might injure them selves since they are trying to fly around in the boxes and running into things.

Outside temperatures are averaging upper 60’s to lower 70’s at night and lower 80’s to upper 70’s during the day.

Am I on the right track or ……… ?

 

[aart]

Am I on the right track or ……… ?

Not sure I'd remove the heater....is it the same temps outside?

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Not sure I'd remove the heater....is it the same temps outside?

pretty much ... couple of degrees cooler outside as compared to inside morning temps.

 

[aart]

pretty much ... couple of degrees cooler outside as compared to inside morning temps.

Can you pen off part of the coop and move them out with the heater, 2wks is pretty young.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Can you pen off part of the coop and move them out with the heater, 2wks is pretty young.

I was going to put them in the 2x2x4 foot enclosure I made for them for awhile. Don't have power out there yet and its a 150 foot run with an extension cord. Which I could do, but right now we are having rain all this week and it would be dangerous. Not to mention, now that I have the coop all tightened up I would have to figure a way to get an extension cord in without breaking coop security.