Chicks for the first Time

[boyswillbeboys]

What are all your chicks names? I am getting some chicks soon and thinking of naming them Margo, Edith and Agnes from Despicable Me.

of my 46, two have names, Mo, because she/he has a real feather on his head and it looks like a Mohawk, and the tiniest one I'm calling tiny. One was affectionately called poopy head, but I can't tell which one it is now, as the poop is gone.

 

[winchuck]

The only thing you are missing is our JR, Maggie. LOL I also plan to leash her to train her that chickens are not to be touched. She learned not to go after cats so I know she is capable if not so willing to not go for the chickens. My new chicks which are feathered out, are not freely choosing to walk down the ramp to a larger area. They just stay in the coop. When and/or how would I change this. Should I just let them do this on their own? They love getting into the nesting boxes and are roosting on their roost but no walking the gang plank to the great outdoors where I have straw, water and feed waiting for them. There is also water and feed in the coop itself. Here is Boo watching the chickens along with a shot of the chickens taken last week.

 

[218403]

I saw someone asking about using newspaper for the brooder bottom...I've read that it's bad for the legs. We use pine shavings. Cedar isn't good because chickens can get sick...something about the respiratory system...

My brooder is finally done...woohoo (still working on the coop). My girls arrive tomorrow, 3 Easter Eggers and 12 Isa Browns. I planned on using paper but when I arrived at the feed store, the woman must have noticed my "dear in the headlights" look and convinced me to get wood pellets instead (amongst the many other things that left the store with me that I had no idea I was going to buy ... smiles)

 

[Rockin CR]

The only thing you are missing is our JR, Maggie. LOL I also plan to leash her to train her that chickens are not to be touched. She learned not to go after cats so I know she is capable if not so willing to not go for the chickens. My new chicks which are feathered out, are not freely choosing to walk down the ramp to a larger area. They just stay in the coop. When and/or how would I change this. Should I just let them do this on their own? They love getting into the nesting boxes and are roosting on their roost but no walking the gang plank to the great outdoors where I have straw, water and feed waiting for them. There is also water and feed in the coop itself. Here is Boo watching the chickens along with a shot of the chickens taken last week.

My chicks would all huddle at the door and look out but wouldn't come down the ladder, so I moved their feeder to the ground at the bottom of the ladder and laid a trail of crumble down the ladder. It didn't take them long at all and they were all running around the run pecking the grass and the ground. Once I had them coming out to eat I moved the feeder to a more sheltered location under the coop right next to the hanging feeder I wanted them to learn to use. By the end of the day they were using the new feeder. I also moved the water out of the coop. My girls (at least I hope they're all girls;-) adjusted very quickly.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

I saw a hawk in the field across the road from my house today, so I am definitely going to be getting DH to cover the run now, ok, not right now my babies aren't quite a week old, and the run isn't even fenced yet (posts are up though). Crows I can handle , and magpies while these two are annoying, they are not likely to go after the chicks once they are grown, but a hawk hunting so close means trouble (right?) we have an Owl that nests near here too, but that just means I need to put the girls in before dusk, I think. How far is a bald eagle's range? I saw one the last 2 years about 15-20 minutes away from here.

It's amazing what you notice when you have these little guys around.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

Wow, this morning I went in, and found one of my chicks had gotten over the divider to the rest of the coop, then when I put it back, all the other chicks decided to stretch their wings, and scattered what food was left in the tray, I moved their divider, so they now have half the coop 8'x 6' and moved the feeders to the new section, I also added a second waterer. I can hardly believe how fast these guys are growing, they are only 6 days old.

 

[Jeanna Marie]

What are all your chicks names? I am getting some chicks soon and thinking of naming them Margo, Edith and Agnes from Despicable Me.

I have seven chicks left. Two roos: howard and sheldon. Five pullets: molly maggie may maybelle and two still unnamed!

 

[winchuck]

Thank you! I will try that. I guess they are just too dern comfortable. I will make them work to get to their food. LOL

 

[Susie C]

You're roo looks like 2 of my BO. They're supposed to be all hens. I've been questioning if "Big Booty Betty" is really a Bob because of the comb and waddlers. Throughout my research "they" mention another spur. So far all the girls have 3 toes and a little thumb. I'll have to submit my pics of the girls and coop. I was really excited because the 3rd night they were out in the coop, they put themselves to bed. Yay!!!! All I had to do was lower the door. I"m seriously thinking of getting an automatic door.

Thanks a bunch!

Susie

 

[218403]

My chicks are here!!! YAH! Although, they sent me 5 EEs and only 10 Isa's. I think they are all hens. The Isa's are sexlink so they should be good. But I was told to check the wings of the EEs to verify and everytime I picked one up they would run off and I forgot which one I checked last. For all I know I check two chicks 5 times HA! Here's a pic of most of them huddling around the water and one run away.