Fall Chicks: A New Experience

[PiecesofAmber]

I've had chickens since Spring '12. My first flock was 28, mostly meat birds, and few hens. We lost a few in the summer from the heat, but they were meat birds. It was a really hot summer that year. I still have 7 girls from that batch, who are all healthy and are laying great. I just got 17 new chicks in October. The first week, we lost the freebie, a Turken, to unknown causes. Today I lost a Red Ranger meat bird, to what we think may have been an impacted crop. The chicks are now 3 & 1/2 weeks old. I have been keeping a close eye on them, but they are really picking at the shavings, which is what I suspect the cause of death of the meat bird. I covered the shavings in paper towel for the first week, then it was just flake pine shavings. I introduced chick grit today, since they are picking so much at the floor. I have to say, Bragg's ACV really kept the pasty butt down! The first flock had way more pasty butt; this flock only had one chick who was affected, and it was only once.

Having chicks in the fall is definitely different from spring. The weather is unpredictable, some days have been really warm, then others are chilly. The nights are really cold, and requires a lot of moving the light up and down. They are keeping me on my toes. Are there more obvious signs of impacted crop to catch it early? I missed time with the chicks yesterday because I worked all day, then had to run errands til dark, and my husband fed and watered them, so that's probably why I didn't notice the chick wasn't doing well.

I feel pretty sad that I've lost two so far, and hope it's not too many more, but I do know that it can happen often in the chicken world.

 

[Bartsrock]

I have 1 little Banty that just hatched 6 new babies..all doing well but this is our first time...we have been bring in at night cause starting to get cold but leaving out in day...how long should we do this? 30's and 40's at night...we have another big hen that is also sitting on 23 eggs, oh my!!due in 13 days.

 

[PiecesofAmber]

Awwww...congratulations on your babies! That's so exciting to have 23 eggs! We have no rooster, and can't have one in town limits, so I won't get to experience that, unfortunately. I have a heat light outside, so we don't bring ours in. I've read that at 4-5 weeks, they can handle lower temps without a heat lamp, but with my older girls, I use it on nights in the 30's and below. I have noticed on the colder nights, the chicks are huddling more, so I'll lower the lamp a bit so they aren't piling too much.

 

[Bartsrock]

Thank you....Heat Lamp?

 

[Bartsrock]

I had 2 banty hens and 2 others along with Mr. Rooster; who was a rescue from being crammed in a tight wired up shoebox....we lost 3 hens, Racoon. So now I have 2 hens and 1 Rooster, six chicks (3days old) and 23 eggs to hatch. Who knew that raising chickens as pets could b so much fun, my grown up son and grandkids r visiting and enjoying them as much as we r.

 

[PiecesofAmber]

The heat lamp I have is a big metal one, and we use a red heat light bulb. We hang it from the ceiling with a chain so we can easily raise and lower it, and there's no chance of it falling to the shavings and causing a fire.

Chickens have been the best addition to our family; they are so much fun!