First chicks.

[Momlife+chicks]

I’m new to this whole chick thing. I just got my first chicks today. I got 4 isla brown. They are 7-10 days old. I have them in a tote with a heat lamp on one side and the food and water on the other. Is there anything else I should be doing?

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Your set up looks good. Keep the heat around 90F and just make sure your light isn't touching the tote so it doesn't melt if it's plastic.

My chicks are in the house with me. I heat with a woodstove which I feel is a stronger type of heat over a furnace. So because of that I use a lower watt for my chicks.. honestly they are rarely under the lamp because the whole house is warm.

Good luck and congratulations on your new babies!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The next step is to get crackin on that co-op build because these babies are going to grow faster than you can believe and will be ready to be moved out of that tote in just a couple of weeks

 

[Momlife+chicks]

I’m so lost on where to even begin with a coop. I’m not sure how big or anything . I guess I need to figure it out since they’ll grow fast!

 

[Momlife+chicks]

Also is there anything i can do to tell them apart? They all pretty much look the same, but I don’t want to hurt them or color them.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I’m so lost on where to even begin with a coop. I’m not sure how big or anything . I guess I need to figure it out since they’ll grow fast!

I would suggest taking a look at the coops section here on BYC. There are lots of really neat ideas there that you can use to get your inspiration.
A general rule of thumb is to provide a minimum of 4 ft² in the co-op for each bird and 10 ft² per bird in the run. More is always better especially when dealing with the amount of space available to each bird. Overcrowding can bring a whole host of issues and building bigger than you think you need allows for the inevitable setting in of chicken math. Far easier and cheaper to build once and build big then to find yourself scrambling to add on to or otherwise expand a coupe that was built smaller than your eventual chicken dreams became

 

[sevenfatcows]

Tiny colored zip ties or twist ties work. Try not to use red, as chicks will pick at it. I use zip ties that are about 1/16" wide, but twist ties might be easier if you have to do it by yourself. Congratulations on your pretty little chicks!

 

[blackdog043]

Get a big appliance box or 2 and tape them together. Your gonna need a bigger brooder in a week or two. You will also need to cover it, so they don't fly out.
If your thinking of a prefab coop, they're cheaply made, don't hold up well to weather and don't hold the amount of chickens that they say. Ask questions first, if your thinking of going that route.
If you add your general location to your profile, it will help us help you, as we will know what kind of weather you may have to deal with.
Good luck with them!

 

[Momlife+chicks]

Get a big appliance box or 2 and tape them together. Your gonna need a bigger brooder in a week or two. You will also need to cover it, so they don't fly out.
If your thinking of a prefab coop, they're cheaply made, don't hold up well to weather and don't hold the amount of chickens that they say. Ask questions first, if your thinking of going that route.
If you add your general location to your profile, it will help us help you, as we will know what kind of weather you may have to deal with.
Good luck with them!

I live in Virginia. Not to far from Virginia Beach va.