A newbie here also, got my first about two months ago, so take everything I say as only suggestions but has seemed to work for me & the chicks.
My 1st were any where from day old to 2-3wks. old (11 total), all now very healthy, beautiful & thriving.
I now have 9 Langshan 2 weeks old that I got at a day to three days old. All doing good and starting to eat like crazy.
So, here are a few things I've done/doing, some more experienced may disagree with some of the things but so far I have had no problems and my babies seem very happy but suggestions & comments are welcome because if something I am doing has the potential to be bad for them later I would love to know:
*feed medicated chick feed from day one to 6-8 weeks & then chick feed for next several months
*fresh water daily
*use pine shavings on newpaper
*my "brooder" is in a shed (covers air. unit & storage) beside the garage, roofed on top, 3 lattice sides & block wall on other
*first brooder i used the starter kit from TSC, cardboard round encloser with accesories etc. & red heat lamp, mesh netting on top because it will surprise you how fast they learn to fly up a little
*brooder I have now is more permanent, wood box approx. 2ftx4ftx24"high with wood box lid covered with chicken wire. should accomodate them until 6-8weeks old
*started giving a couple cut up cherry tomatoes, grass/clover & VERY LITTLE scratch (trying to get them used to my hands in their face) once or twice a week at about 1-1/2 weeks old
*added bowl in brooder with a little DE & dirt for them to scratch around & dust bath in, they are just figuring the dust bath out
(these last two ideas hit me because I started thinking, well if they were out running around with momma, then they would be introduced to these things pretty quickly & if they are going to be in this brooder for another 4 weeks, at least then I wanted them to have something to plan on or in
, not just a square box to run around!)
*added a piece of drift wood so they could fly/climb on to, took a day or two for them to figure that out but now I find them sitting on it all the time
*pine shavings about 2in. thick, raking around every day just to mix it up & keep it from getting matted down - just today 2 weeks later did a complete cleaning, new shaving etc.
*use the trough like feeder & put the small waterer on a block of wood, helps keep shavings out & helps with them not pooping it in so much
So, okay that is what I can think of right now, hope some of this helps & it is very exciting to watch them grow & they day they get to go to their big home (coop&run) is almost as exciting as seeing you child start their first day of "big school" - lol
Keep us updated & be careful, the chicken fever can turn into an addiction very quickly.....
2-1/2 months later I now have 24 in three different large coops/runs (coops approx. 6x8, 8ft high: runs 10x12 covered, have the 9 mentioned above in the brooder with plans to have their new coop/run (coop 8x8x8, run approx. 20x25,(Langshan are very large) built by the time they graduate AND I have 7 viable (out of 18) eggs in a incubator due this coming friday. I've gone totally chicken crazy!!!!!!
My 1st were any where from day old to 2-3wks. old (11 total), all now very healthy, beautiful & thriving.
I now have 9 Langshan 2 weeks old that I got at a day to three days old. All doing good and starting to eat like crazy.
So, here are a few things I've done/doing, some more experienced may disagree with some of the things but so far I have had no problems and my babies seem very happy but suggestions & comments are welcome because if something I am doing has the potential to be bad for them later I would love to know:
*feed medicated chick feed from day one to 6-8 weeks & then chick feed for next several months
*fresh water daily
*use pine shavings on newpaper
*my "brooder" is in a shed (covers air. unit & storage) beside the garage, roofed on top, 3 lattice sides & block wall on other
*first brooder i used the starter kit from TSC, cardboard round encloser with accesories etc. & red heat lamp, mesh netting on top because it will surprise you how fast they learn to fly up a little
*brooder I have now is more permanent, wood box approx. 2ftx4ftx24"high with wood box lid covered with chicken wire. should accomodate them until 6-8weeks old
*started giving a couple cut up cherry tomatoes, grass/clover & VERY LITTLE scratch (trying to get them used to my hands in their face) once or twice a week at about 1-1/2 weeks old
*added bowl in brooder with a little DE & dirt for them to scratch around & dust bath in, they are just figuring the dust bath out
(these last two ideas hit me because I started thinking, well if they were out running around with momma, then they would be introduced to these things pretty quickly & if they are going to be in this brooder for another 4 weeks, at least then I wanted them to have something to plan on or in
*added a piece of drift wood so they could fly/climb on to, took a day or two for them to figure that out but now I find them sitting on it all the time
*pine shavings about 2in. thick, raking around every day just to mix it up & keep it from getting matted down - just today 2 weeks later did a complete cleaning, new shaving etc.
*use the trough like feeder & put the small waterer on a block of wood, helps keep shavings out & helps with them not pooping it in so much
So, okay that is what I can think of right now, hope some of this helps & it is very exciting to watch them grow & they day they get to go to their big home (coop&run) is almost as exciting as seeing you child start their first day of "big school" - lol
Keep us updated & be careful, the chicken fever can turn into an addiction very quickly.....
2-1/2 months later I now have 24 in three different large coops/runs (coops approx. 6x8, 8ft high: runs 10x12 covered, have the 9 mentioned above in the brooder with plans to have their new coop/run (coop 8x8x8, run approx. 20x25,(Langshan are very large) built by the time they graduate AND I have 7 viable (out of 18) eggs in a incubator due this coming friday. I've gone totally chicken crazy!!!!!!
