Chicks for the first Time

[Prettypuddles]

Have had my chicks for 6 days now. Boy do they grow fast.
I have 4 Buff Orpingtons, 5 Plymouth Barred Rocks and 5 EE's. It is fun to wake up everyday and see their changes.
I noticed a few interesting things...
They all arrived 6 days ago at approx 48 hours old. They were all the same size. Everyday I noticed how fast their wing feathers grow. You could almost watch them!
I notice that the EE's are getting bigger much faster than the rest. The BO's are next and The PBR's seem to grow the slowest. I do notice that the PBR's do like the little branch I put in their brooder to investigate. They started 'trying' to roost from day 3! The BO's don't seem too interested yet, but do look up to the roosting PBR's with a strange look. The EE's are starting to try, but they seem to heavy and awkward right now. The PBR's may be smaller, but they are graceful, and hop effortlessly to the roost. It sure is fun to watch the different growth stages from the different breeds. This morning I noticed that the tail feathers are sticking out now! It seems everyone is getting feathers at the same rate relative to the size, just some are getting larger bodies at different rates. Very interesting.

I kept part of the brooder at 95 deg until last night, when I moved the lamp a little farther away to bring it down to 90. I use a red light at night and a white in the day.
I have been taking them outside in a pen every day for an hour or so. Ave temps here range from 75-83. They didn't look like they were cold at all, and loved being outside.
My husband made a pen with some hardware cloth and put it around a little bush. He mulched the little bush with some compost and the chicks LOVE IT! They are already trying to take dust baths and are happily scratching around and picking at it. Its funny to watch them all try and get under that tiny little bush, jockeying for position. Mostly they love sleeping in the sun after the chaos of running around with mealworms!
I have been giving them mealworms as treats and now when I whistle the special tune, they come running.
They also have enjoyed the occasional little spider, earwig nymphs and wood roaches that they find outside. I decided that they should have some 'chick grit' because they are eating stuff other than the chick starter only. I noticed the day after I gave them the mealworms, and let them eat some little bugs and grit, their poop wasn't so watery and pasty and firmed right up like a normal looking chicken dropping. This happened on the 3rd day - no more cleaning the little bums!

I decided to take them outside and play in the area that their coop is and where their run will be so that they get used to the soil and its properties early. I do not feed them medicated chick starter, and I believe that small doses of soil and bugs from the area are just what they need to get their immune systems working. That's what mamma hen would do.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

Mine are 2 weeks old now, I lost one broiler to the heat a couple days ago I went to bring them a jug of fresh ice water and found him in a corner, I have discovered mine love to play in raspberries, but only a few made piggies if themselves (they all got really dirty though) an over ripe nectarine will be down to the pit in less than an hr. someone planted some sort of leafy green plant in the flower bed here, it took over, once I got the grass out, I have been grabbing a handful every time I go to the coop, and the chicks go nuts over it. They have been on grit for a week or more now, as they were pecking at the grass and shavings I am using for bedding, I figured better to be safe than sorry, I didn't want anyone killin themselves by eating some accidentally.

I had to remove one yesterday to examine a sore leg, and put it in the box they came in, and it took up the same amount of room as probably 15 day olds. I have 2 RIR's that appear to be fully feathered, until they flap their wings then you can see to down underneath. I completely removed the lamp a few days ago, due to it being to hit for them. They now have the run of our 8x12 coop.

 

[eyotig25]

I love these posts....I learn so much from everybody! ;-)....I didn't know, for example, that we could bring them outside so young.....our new additions, thanks to my addiction to cute baby chicks, are at least a week tomorrow so I am going to try to bring the outside...I can give them the grit already, did I read that right? Can I feed them other things then thw ir chicken feed?

 

[eyotig25]

Thank you everyone for sharing by the way

 

[eyotig25]

yes it is amazing how fast or slow they grow each day...our new babies seem to be doing things our first batch didnt do until they were 3 weeks old but that could only be that i know what to look for now....Our new babies are just about a week, we have 2 RIR and 2 Astrulopes are so different.....the RIRs are so much smaller but they have TONS of wing feathers already and dthink they are big chickens and try to fly already, jumping all over the brooder but the Astrulopes are bigger in size but have a very small amount of wing feathers.....can you tell me if i can give them fruit and veggies now? or should i hold off?

 

[Prettypuddles]

I must admit that I am new to taking care of chickens. I do however have lots of experience taking care of many types of 'household' animals, especially birds. I usually say to myself " What would mamma ________ (insert animal name here) do?" Then I look for what is logical and do a lot of research.

My thoughts,
Chickens are naturally born with a hen, usually outside. After about 3 days when all the eggs are hatched, she has to feed them somehow. She leads them them to areas where food is available. They poke around and eat bugs, grit and all kinds of stuff - just at a day or 3 old. She keeps them as safe as she can and keeps them warm when they need it.

When I bring them outside, I make sure that they are in an enclosure so that they don't wander away, or get scared of something and take off. I make sure that they have an area of some sun and some shade. I have water and their chick starter always available. I also never take my eye off of them. I am always around and within eye-shot. Their diet is mostly un-medicated chick starter. The bugs, moths, other insects and spiders that they may find are only 'treats'. I am nowhere near good enough to be able to lead them around and find enough 'wild' food for them LOL! The chicks love the hunt! They are built for it. Just watch them when a fly lands nearby, they're like little velociraptors! Insects and spiders do have exoskeletons and may be a little hard on a chick to digest if it does not have any grit. I have special 'chick' grit, its only special because its finer grained.

I figure they like it outside better than stuck in a brooder all day. They get to hear the birds, and they do listen to them. I even noticed that they recognize alarm calls from all the other birds. The chicks will run under their little bush when a wild bird gives an alarm. They get to see the sky, feel the wind and even see us walking around, instead of just our heads when we look into the brooder.
Just keep an eye on them, if they look cold, bring them in. Mine were out yesterday for several hours at 77 deg and did absolutely fine. They were laying around, taking dust/dirt baths. Hunting in the lawn. Laying down on their sides and spreading their wings to worship the sun. Scratching in a handful of compost that my husband put in there for them. Practicing perching and roosting on the sticks I put in there.

Like I said, I believe its natural for them to be outside. Just watch over them, keep them safe. They will get a lot of mental stimulation and exercise, fresh air. Oh, and you better get a chair or something comfortable to sit or lay on. You will have so much fun watching them, and after a while they will hypnotize you and make you fall asleep!

 

[Prettypuddles]

As for fruit and veggies, I don't see any harm. Just make sure they are getting enough of their starter, there's more protein for growing in that.

 

[winchuck]

My new chicks are now eagerly going down their ramp to the safe totally enclosed "patio" area of the coop thanks to the great advice found here. They also go up the ramp with a little encouragement in the evening so I can shut them up in the coop. As soon as they are large enough to not be lunch for our cat, they can go to the larger fenced area that I created for them. It is amazing how fast they grow. I have been creating several compost piles in the large fenced area so that they can enjoy finding worms for lunch. I shredded newspapers for the piles knowing that where there are wet newspapers, there are worms by the oodles. I haven't confirmed that I have a rooster yet. I feel no bumps on their legs. The lady who sold me the chicks said that she holds them up and the girls legs dangle while the roosters stiffen their legs. Has anyone here have any comments on whether this really is a way to tell? My neighbor will give me one of her young roosters if I fail to have one. Wow! Better than TV for sure. I have put two lawn chairs out by the coop so we can drink our wine and watch the chicks. I have been talking chicky talk to them and they seem to be much more comfortable with humans being in their space. I sit in there cutting up greens for them to nibble talking to them while I do it.

 

[winchuck]

I also bought starter feed for my chicks and thinking about some really great organic feed that is upstate from me. They use only organic ingredients. I need to look in that book of mine when I switch to regular grown-up food. I had many fava beans but luckily I did find that I couldn't feed them any of them. What a waste. I chopped them all up to till under the soil for the garden instead. By fall when they can be out in the wide open fenced area they will be delighted with my holly bushes that I planted in that area 12+ years ago. Many many berries. I find them filled with birds which I planted for that specific reason. The chickens should love them. I don't trim them up so there are many lower branches for them while the wild birds can have the top area. When I can free range them, I have service berries and 20+ blueberry bushes and an orchard with fallen fruit. I cannot wait to see how happy they will be living here in paradise with me. I will just have to work on that Jack Russel killer dog of mine or simply lock her up while the chickens roam. This winter I will let them into my large hoop where it will be warm and dry to spend a rainy day cleaning it up for me.

 

[Prettypuddles]

Hi Winchuck,
I like your post. We are in the process of 'restoring' our little bit of land to native Michigan flora for about 5 years now. I have actually converted our front lawn with a 5000 gallon - hand dug - pond with many native plants, bushes and trees in and around it. The frogs, toads, dragonflies, birds, insects and more just love it! People say to me that when they take their walks around the neighborhood, my yard is their goal. The air is alive with life. Three years ago we had painted turtles arrive (on their own) and new teeny tiny ones have arrived every year since! We also don't use any pesticides or fertilizers. Habitat restoration is our hobby, and it is so rewarding!

With the work in our backyard, we have created insect heaven. Surprisingly enough, with the increase in the insect population, we have seen a major decrease in the mosquito population. I have been told that it is because our little bit of habitat is now becoming balanced with the appropriate amount of insect predators. Yippee! Although we do have ticks. They'be been around forever, but not too bad, I know that it time the chickens will be able to take care of that situation.

I've heard that ticks are some of their favorite food. We shall see.

I also have a very prey driven German Shepherd that I must be careful about. When I leash him up in the backyard he cannot reach the coop area, but he also has a nice fenced enclosure around the pool area that he can be closer to the coop. I have been doing a lot of training with him to 'tolerate' the chickens. I don't expect him to love them, I want him to learn to ignore them. I'm starting by letting him look into the brooder that is currently in the house where he cannot get to. When I'm there, I make him sit while he watches, and if he even gets slightly excited, I make him 'back up' and leave. When he's calm again, he can come back. He seems to be getting the picture. We tend to look at them until he gets bored and lies down. At that time, we leave and he gets a treat.

Good luck with your dog!