First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[athomas718]

So for anyone starting to get eggs? What time do they usually lay by? When are they usually done for the day? Can it be anytime or is it definitely in the AM?

 

[cannon6]

I have a question....I'm a new. Hicken owner who is getting ready to get my chicks from a friend in a cpl days. I have a coop but also have 2 dog igloo houses not in use. Can I use the igloo for housing my chicks til old enough to put in the coop?

 

[ladynewtochicks]

I have a question....I'm a new. Hicken owner who is getting ready to get my chicks from a friend in a cpl days. I have a coop but also have 2 dog igloo houses not in use. Can I use the igloo for housing my chicks til old enough to put in the coop?

If you already have a coop why not just put them in there? Many people start their chicks in the coop. I didn't because my coop wasn't built yet but from here on out no more chicks in my house Ick!

 

[Jensownzoo]

This is only my second week of eggs, but they are mostly done by noonish. I have gotten one egg late in the day though. Since the egg-laying cycle is 25 hours, it would make sense for each individual pullet/hen to lay later and later with each successive day...until they hit late enough that they "hold it in" until the morning again.

 

[harley587]

So for anyone starting to get eggs? What time do they usually lay by? When are they usually done for the day? Can it be anytime or is it definitely in the AM?

I have found that we get eggs at random times during the day and also depending on the stress level of our chickens. Some days we have eggs in the morning, 6am-ish, some days we have eggs at 4pm-ish. Not sure if it the type of chicken (haven't thought about it much). We have Silver Laced Wyandotts that are laying.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Yeah, you really have to keep an eye on the turkey poults...saw one in the brooder and thought, "Oh how cute! She's carrying a stick around with her!" Nope. Realized a few minutes later that it was sticking out of her mouth...ended up pulling from her craw a stem of fennel over a foot long! Sigh.

 

[mamatink7]

we are awhile off from this happening...but ive heard it can happen any time during the day so at the beginning, until you KNOW when they all laid for the day, to check 3 times (morning noon and before bed

 

[socalchicker1]

At what point do baby chicks not need the heat lamp anymore? My chicks are two weeks and two and a half weeks and have quite a few feathers in now! It's supposed to go from being in the 70's during the day and low 60's at night to being in the 90's & 100's in the next few days and 70's at night. They are currently in a cement garage that probably is definitely cooler inside but we don't have a thermometer. I thought I would just turn it off during the day and see how they are doing but then it's super dark in there and there's no source of light. (Especially because we have a lid on their box.

What should I do?

 

[azygous]

At what point do baby chicks not need the heat lamp anymore? My chicks are two weeks and two and a half weeks and have quite a few feathers in now! It's supposed to go from being in the 70's during the day and low 60's at night to being in the 90's & 100's in the next few days and 70's at night. They are currently in a cement garage that probably is definitely cooler inside but we don't have a thermometer. I thought I would just turn it off during the day and see how they are doing but then it's super dark in there and there's no source of light. (Especially because we have a lid on their box.

What should I do?

Your instincts are good. Follow them. The only reason for supplying heat for baby chicks is when it's cold, they tend to lose body heat due to lack of feathering to insulate their bodies. When it's very warm, they lose very little body heat so you don't need to provide extra heat for them.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

First, I would go buy a couple thermometers. Feedstores have small cheap ones for brooders, incubators $2. Second, get a regular light bulb which you can use in a metal heat lamp fixture, too. It needs to be on all day because chickens are strictly daylight feeders. Also, day length influence feather growth. If you put lights on timer always have them turn off a good hour before sunset so birds know to roost.

Also, pet store carry smaller wattage heat bulbs and better yet ceramic heat emitter fixture. I use che fixture and like it much better. Cheaper off eBay, but figure in shipping time/cost.

Once they get feather be careful of overcrowding and boredom leading to feather picking. I start giving mine chick grit sprinkled on food. Then after a couple days give thing to peck like raw corn on cob, halved apples, baked sweet potato, cucumber halved, you get the idea, the need something to do. If warm enough mine go out on grass at about three weeks. You have to put them in a seriously safe predator proof pen. I am home all day and keep close ey on them. At night they come back inside to roost. I TX for coccidia after they have been on grass three weeks.