Chicks for the first Time

[Sharon Bee]

Thanks Jeanna Marie. I will post pics tomorrow. Also maybe I will put some food on a plate until they know how to eat it. I will definitely watch them carefully at first to see how they manage. I also read you are to dip their beaks in the water when we first get them?

 

[Jeanna Marie]

Thanks Jeanna Marie. I will post pics tomorrow. Also maybe I will put some food on a plate until they know how to eat it. I will definitely watch them carefully at first to see how they manage. I also read you are to dip their beaks in the water when we first get them?

That is what I do. Usually one or two get it real fast and the others learn from them.

 

[winchuck]

I had pasty butt on one of my newly hatched chicks. Reminds me of the day when my kids were little. LOL All four are doing fine. I'm out today painting the coop for them. Your chicks are adorable. I will need to get more as 4 hatched and three did nothing. I wanted to take a look to see why, but was warned of the smell so simply disposed of them. No stinky stuff for me!

 

[Sharon Bee]

My babies are coming today!!!!

 

[Kate3017]

I got just the six buff orpingtons and it looks like I'm gonna have one rooster and five hens which is perfect. But I had already told myself that if I ended up having to cull a couple roosters that I was gonna get a few black australorps.... I will probably end up with the six buffs AND australorps....chicken math!

It seems like you absolutely know what you're doing so I thought I'd ask you a few questions.

1. At what age do I stop feeding my chicks chick feed?
2. At what age can I move them from the brooder to the coop. I live in Ontario Canada, some nights still get pretty chilly.
3. How many nesting boxes should I have? I have 15 pullets and one roo.

I am totally new to raising chicks so all the help I can get would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much.
Katie

 

[Jeanna Marie]

It seems like you absolutely know what you're doing so I thought I'd ask you a few questions.

1. At what age do I stop feeding my chicks chick feed?
2. At what age can I move them from the brooder to the coop. I live in Ontario Canada, some nights still get pretty chilly.
3. How many nesting boxes should I have? I have 15 pullets and one roo.

I am totally new to raising chicks so all the help I can get would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much.
Katie

I would feed started until they are getting ready to lay at about 20 weeks then swap to layer feed. You can swap to flock starter/grower at aboit ten to twelve weeks but I don't see the point in that.

Moving to the coop usually happens between six and eight weeks when they are fully feathered but being that you lice in a colder climate I would wait until at leasr eight to ten weeks if you can. If you need to move them make sure your coop is insulated and draft free if your temps are lower than say 45 to 50 at night. If your temps are lower that that at night or are lower than 50-60 in the day I would give them a lamp in the coop for heat until they are about 12 weeks.

As to nest boxes... that's really up to your chickenz. I provide one nest box for every 3-4 hens/pullets but if your chicks are like others I have seen you may only have one or two boxes that get used. So maybe start with three and then add more if you see they are being crowded.

Sorry aboit all the mispells... darned tiny keypad on this phone!

 

[Kate3017]

Thanks so much for all the info.

 

[Sharon Bee]

MY BABIES ARE HEREI They are eating from a little plate. They come running when I tap on dish and waterer. So cute.

 

[Jeanna Marie]

MY BABIES ARE HEREI They are eating from a little plate. They come running when I tap on dish and waterer. So cute.

How precious!

 

[duckhunternate]

Got my chicks out to free range for the first time today. They are 10 days old and really starting to scratch a lot in their brooder box, so I thought to give it a try. We had 96 degree temps today so I didn't have to worry about them getting cold, so I went for it. They did really well. They were apprehensive at first but quickly took to doing what their instincts told them to. It was a lot of fun to see! My biggest buckeye chick even caught its first spider, a few nabbed a small worm or roly poly bug. I found myself mesmerized by their feeding behavior; it was certainly my entertainment for the evening (not to mention it entertained my kids, my wife, three neighbor kids and a couple neighbors too).

Between my kids and I we've named a few of them:
Big Red (largest of the Buckeyes and a prominent red color - I'm a Husker fan, I couldn't help it)
Fuzzy (my oldest daughter named a Faverolle that is noticeably fluffier than the others)
Blondie (smallest of the Buckeyes with a noticeable blond color to the primary feathers compared to the others)

And the best name so far, courtesy of my three year old daughter...Bubbles. She picked the smallest (I think bantam) Faverolle and for whatever reason the name Bubbles came to her. Hopefully it's a girl or we'll have to come up with a boy name (maybe it'll be Dinner).

Just had to share a little of my joy today. This new adventure has been truly great thus far. I anticipated that owning chickens would be exciting and enjoyable and I couldn't have been more right. What I didn't anticipate is how wholeheartedly the chicks would pull my wife in to owning chickens. She's really enamored with the little fuzzballs. I knew my kids would dig it, there was never really any question there, but they obsess a little about checking on chicks, getting to help with feed and water, and petting them at every chance they get.

Blessings to all of you!
Nate