First chicks, questions already!

[trumpeting_angel]

Latest up-to-the-minute update. I took out the feeder and out in a plate. I turned down the heater. I checked everybody’s butt, nothing pasty. All of their tiny vents were all but invisible, except for one BO. Hers looked pink and stuck out a tiny bit. Should I worry? Clean it? Something?

Thanks, all. So good not to worry alone in bed late at night!

 

[getaclue]

The BO chick sounds normal at this point. Just keep an eye on it, but leave it alone for now.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

The BO chick sounds normal at this point. Just keep an eye on it, but leave it alone for now.

Thanks! She didn’t look pasty, but she looked different from her “sister.” Appreciate your thoughts!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd check for pasty butt twice a day or so, while they're very little.

And yes swapping feeders was a good idea, I had a chick kill itself by getting its toe stuck in a gap.

As far as heat I don't go by a thermometer, I go by the behavior of the chicks. If you're using a MHP you do not need any extra heating in the room... a heating pad can easily take care of their heat needs down to freezing temps.

 

[CindyinSD]

No need to bump up the temp. If they have access to cooler air they’ll feather out faster. I put the food/water away from the heat source to help them adjust to cooler temps. They can regulate their own temp just fine by traveling around to the various temperature zones of the brooder.

Consider soaking/fermenting their food. It gives them a jump start on their intestinal flora. I didn’t know/remember to check for pasty butt with my first chicks. I do check now, but not every day. I didn’t check my meat birds hardly at all. Too many of them and too hard to tell apart. I checked a few at first, just at random. Every couple of days. No problem.

 

[Willowspirit]

Love these advice posts! Fun to read and helpful to think about for my next batch of chickens June 10.

As for pasty butt none of my chicks has had it but my Lakenvelders had messy butts. Nothing blocking the vent, just on her feathers. We got it off but I confess I cut some out. I checked their butts daily. The other chicks only occasionally.

Interested to hear about the BO vent as one of mine was like that. Its more closed now.

I've learned so much here i can hardly say. This is one of the best forums ever!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Thanks, everybody! I have turned off the heater in the bathroom, turned on a light and put the feed on a little plate. I wet the feed, so although they walked all over it, they didn’t spill it.

Seems ridiculous that a feeder that catches chicks by the toe wouldn’t have been redesigned or discontinued, but as I read here and compare with what’s available in TSC and other places, it’s Buyer Beware, as usual.

I bought electrolytes and added it to their water. I’m fermenting food with water and a little squirt of apple cider vinegar (live). Today I have to buy a bigger Rubbermaid- it seems plenty big before I added the MHP, waterer, feeder, and thermometer. Now there’s no room to run around!

Today’s First Question

I put pine shavings into the brooder and they seem happy enough. But I noticed photos of some of the youngest chicks have puppy pads instead. Preferable? Less of a mess in the waterer, certainly.

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks, everybody! I have turned off the heater in the bathroom, turned on a light and put the feed on a little plate. I wet the feed, so although they walked all over it, they didn’t spill it.

Seems ridiculous that a feeder that catches chicks by the toe wouldn’t have been redesigned or discontinued, but as I read here and compare with what’s available in TSC and other places, it’s Buyer Beware, as usual.

I bought electrolytes and added it to their water. I’m fermenting food with water and a little squirt of apple cider vinegar (live). Today I have to buy a bigger Rubbermaid- it seems plenty big before I added the MHP, waterer, feeder, and thermometer. Now there’s no room to run around!

Today’s First Question

I put pine shavings into the brooder and they seem happy enough. But I noticed photos of some of the youngest chicks have puppy pads instead. Preferable? Less of a mess in the waterer, certainly.

The puppy pads generally go in for a few days to make sure that the littles figure out what is food and what is not. Then you switch to pine shavings. I put shavings in my brooder on day two because mine took to everything so well. And they were scratching up the pads pretty good.

 

[getaclue]

I use the Rubbermaid waffled shelf liner. It somewhat absorbs spills, but they don't have to get wet, it gives them traction, and they're learning to eat, so I can put a few small piles of dry food on it. Just roll it up, and put another piece or two in its place, then take the soiled one out, and rinse it good. Pop it in the washer with towels, and be sure to add a little bleach along with the soap. They wash up good, and the bleach disinfects them, and they're ready to use again.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

They were on pine shavings at the feed store. I have seen one pecking at the shavings, but their excitement when they woke up and discovered their new plate of food was unmistakable!

@getaclue - I’ll look at the store for that shelf liner. Washable! What a concept!