Chicks in October!?

[JReyer]

So, I have a huge problem... well 2 to be exact. I grew up in NYC and have finally moved away to the countryside for some peace and quiet. In doing so I have obtained 20 chickens last year (only 2 left bc they were getting eaten by minks and cats). And bc I didn't realize that roosters can be "outlawed" in some towns I had to slaughter my 2 roosters. I desperately wanted to use my brand new incubator, that I just obtained, and was eager to use the eggs from my very own chickens. Well, I was told by the town that they had to be destroyed so I quickly grabbed what ever eggs I could to incubate them.

Problem 1: Now I have chicks that were born September 24th and they are living on my dinning room table in our house in October. I know its too cold for them to go outside right now but I am wondering when I can put them out in the coop? I live in Central New York by Syracuse. I obviously didn't think this through. But have learned my lesson.

Problem 2: I helped a chick out of its egg. Well, 2. I read all the sites that say don't do it and it would cause more harm than good. I didn't listen. I felt terrible bc I could hear it chirping. My heart was breaking bc of how helpless they were. The eggs didn't have enough moisture (at the end) and was stuck to the chick. (The other chicks hatched 2 days earlier and I was worried about a draft. I have 5 chicks altogether). So, the one is fine but the other has, what I believe is, a dislocated leg. Its literally behind the chick. She is able to move her toes and has sensation but can't balance correctly (she uses her wing to stabilize herself when resting). I called a vet office that is willing to pop it back in place but they want about $200 to fix it plus do an X-Ray to make sure that is the problem. At the rate that I am going with the amount of chickens I lost, the chances of this chick getting eaten are great so I don't want to put that much money into it but I don't want it to suffer either. I have put my 2 roosters to "sleep", with the help of my husband, but before doing this with this chick I wanted to see if there are any other options/advice on this topic. It doesn't seem to affect its day to day activities just seems to be a nuisance when it rests but the other birds do walk on it bc it can't move as quickly or pull its leg in... Advice?

 

[jetdog]

8 weeks or when they are feathered out, 200 for a 3.00 chick I don't think it's worth it.

 

[JReyer]

Okay... well, thats simple enough... I thought it was too cold for them (and someone at the Tractor Supply store said Feb) but I am happy to hear that they can go out soon. Thank You!

 

[Quail lover 100]

Yes it's sad but you will need to put the poor girl to sleep… but do it soon it's good to do it when they are not to old!
Good luck!

 

[donrae]

Chicks could go outside now in a protected coop with a heat lamp. They need the supplemental heat until they're fully feathered, around 6 weeks for most breeds. After that, they're really pretty darn hardy and can easily tolerate quite cold weather as long as they're dry and out of the wind.

I don't do special needs birds, so can't advise you there except to say I would cull the bird. That's also a good reason not to assist hatching--it often ends like this.

I'm curious--if you couldn't keep your roosters, what do you intend to do with the young males you hatch out?

 

[marcy5]

We had RIR and kept them outside year 'round...but this is Florida. Also quail and kept them outside in a protected area with good wind protection, especially on the bottom if the coop is elevated. I always hang lamps when it goes below 50.
I agree with donrae about helping chicks out of the shell. Always a bad idea. They won't live.


A personal note about the request for blood:
As for blood donations, insist on blood alternatives, use blood expanders , volume expanders, hemodilution,
saline solutions like Ringers Lactate. You don't want blood, it is extremely risky for disease like Hepatitus B etc, typing accidents and errors, storage errors, hospital mistakes and outright shock to the body . The laws God made to the Israelites and to First Century Christians was to "eat no blood but pour it out onto the ground because it represented the life of that creature and was sacred.' Acts 15:20.
Obeying the command to eat hence, transfuse to another body, was not for no reason...God is wise and knew it would cause harm and even death.

Yet thousands of Jehovah's witnesses, including me, have had major surgery and blood loss countered by building up our own blood reserves beforehand (erithropoiten etc), careful cutting ,clamping, and cauterizing vessels, while using cell salvage and volume expanders. It results in less shock to the body, eliminates blood borne disease, mismatching blood types and other errors, and heals much quicker...We are usually out of the hospital in half the time. I had both knees replaced and went home in 10 days with no further need for physical therapy and was all healed in 2 1/2 weeks. What a wise God we have. We should listen to him.

 

[aart]

You can start acclimating your chicks to the cold now, in the basement or garage maybe, where they are safe and it's not quite as cold as it is outside and you can start moving that heat lamp up higher and higher.