First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[MedSchlFarmers]

I am so sorry to hear you lost one of your chicks  . Sounds like you have a great set up. Was in within 24 hours of receiving the chick? Are you familiar with checking for pasty butt? Sometimes it just happens shortly after arrival. 

What the heck is pasty butt? And how do you cure/prevent it?

It is when poop sticks to their backside and blocks their vent and blocks poop from coming out and they die. I check my chicks vents to make sure they are clear 2-3 times per day the first few weeks.

 

[amyelynn93]

What the heck is pasty butt? And how do you cure/prevent it?

There's no real way to prevent it because it can be caused by so many things: stress of travel, stress in a new environment, dehydration..

To "cure it", take the chick in question and soak their bum in warm water. then take a warm piece of paper towel and gently work out the softening poop. DONT pull too hard as to rip out their little feathers. it can be accidental, and sometimes unavoidable, but mostly its a simple process. once their vent is clear, i dip their beak in the water in case dehydration was the culprit.

 

[pinebarrens]

We're going to get our chicks tomorrow from a local place. Only problem is, they have 10 or 12 different breeds and I'm having the hardest time choosing

http://www.jerseychickens.com/ if anybody is curious.

I'll try to post some pix tomorrow.

 

[Redwolf141]

We're going to get our chicks tomorrow from a local place.  Only problem is, they have 10 or 12 different breeds and I'm having the hardest time choosing

http://www.jerseychickens.com/  if anybody is curious.

I'll try to post some pix tomorrow.

I just went thru the same process.....I decided on barred rocks silver laced wyandotted speckled sussex and a black australorp. Good luck with your decision.

 

[LadyIsadora]

So many newbies here! yeah! Welcome all to BYC! This should be a fun thread. Being a first-time ChickMama is stressful stuff! There is a lot to learn and so many differing opinions.

I joined BYC when I became a new Duck mama last year. I had never owned any birds in my life. It was a huge learning curve but all turned out well. BYC was, and continues to be, a huge help. I have them for both eggs and meat. I started with 12 got up to 17 and still have 8 ducks. Two or three more will be going to freezercamp soon. Their eggs are amazing.

I am a new Chick mama now too. I got my first 9 on Monday and 3 more today (Friday) They are 3 Buff Orphington, 3 Rhoad Island Red 3 Brown leghorn and the 3 I got today are Cornish. While many things I learned with the ducks translate over, much of this is new to me.
So far, so good! I haven't lost one yet. I did have to take care of 3 cases of Pasty-Butt right off. I guess I have learned my lesson to look at the chicks they put in the box before I pay for them.

Im raising them in a playpen, lined with plastic layered with bedding. Lots of different branches and chunks of wood for them to walk and play on and keep them from being board. I have a red heat light at one end and a Mama heating pad set up at that same end so they have a choice. I also gave them a box to hide in with some soft holy socks stuffed in there for comfort. They have liked that a lot.
I am religious about putting Raw Apple Cider Vinegar in their water and feed them fermented feed along side their crumbles. I plan to move them to just fermented feed in the next couple of days. I also put some grit in there in a separate dish, in case they feel like they need it, I can give them treats earlier if they learn what that is.

Im planning to have these out of the brooder and into their own coop in a couple of weeks, then starting over with 12 more meaties! Crazy chicken mama might be a better term for me. I look forward to hearing all your stories and learning right along with you. Your struggles are all of our struggles.

I wish you life.

 

[RainyDayRose]

Hi!

I'm a new chick mom as of yesterday. I got five buff orpingtons. I wanted a breed with a sweet personality and my whole family is excited about eggs.

The little fuzz balls look quite happy this morning, and my cat is watching with great interest. (Don't worry, the brooder has a secure cover and kitty is never allowed in the same room unsupervised.) My house is smallish and I don't have a garage so they are sharing my home office with me. I am discovering the joys of chicken TV.

 

[sjb127]

I'm brand new this year too! I just got mine and am enjoying watching their little behaviors soooo much! I think I have mostly rir, but I have 6 'leftovers' that I'm clueless about. One looks like the rir, but has dark eyeliner, hairy feet and a darker back. Two are light yellow. One is light yellow with light gray in the back and one is completely gray.

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[montanaskd]

Hello all,
I received 3 chicks this morning from cackle hatchery. They were shipped out in the 24th and arrived today the 27th. I received the phone call from the post office at 0658 hrs and had them under the heat lamp in 10 minutes. We heard mild cheeping from one. When we opened the box one looked dead with her legs straight out but was still breathing( I think it's the speckled Sussex). Another one looked dead but was laying forward (I think this one is the easter egger). And the third was sitting up chirping( this one might be the welsummer). In our haste, we got the save a chick probiotic instead of the electrolytes at first. We gave them the liquids with a dropper. Within one hour the welsummer that was the most alive was walking around eating and drinking by itself. The Easter egger was standing up and not taking care of itself. The speckled Sussex was laying forward making like a hiccuping action. It would stand up when the welsummer walked over it every once in a while. About 3 1/2 hours later I noticed it was the probiotic packet that was opened instead of the electrolyte one. I started giving them the electrolytes and two that were weak seem to be doing better. Oh, the excitement and drama. I am a first timer and all I've been doing is reading and studying, so I hope I can pull them through this after their perilous journey to Montana.

 

[ChickityChina]

Hello all,
I received 3 chicks this morning from cackle hatchery. They were shipped out in the 24th and arrived today the 27th. I received the phone call from the post office at 0658 hrs and had them under the heat lamp in 10 minutes. We heard mild cheeping from one. When we opened the box one looked dead with her legs straight out but was still breathing( I think it's the speckled Sussex). Another one looked dead but was laying forward (I think this one is the easter egger). And the third was sitting up chirping( this one might be the welsummer). In our haste, we got the save a chick probiotic instead of the electrolytes at first. We gave them the liquids with a dropper. Within one hour the welsummer that was the most alive was walking around eating and drinking by itself. The Easter egger was standing up and not taking care of itself. The speckled Sussex was laying forward making like a hiccuping action. It would stand up when the welsummer walked over it every once in a while. About 3 1/2 hours later I noticed it was the probiotic packet that was opened instead of the electrolyte one. I started giving them the electrolytes and two that were weak seem to be doing better. Oh, the excitement and drama. I am a first timer and all I've been doing is reading and studying, so I hope I can pull them through this after their perilous journey to Montana.

Wow - what a morning! So glad you were able to get some electrolytes into them quickly. I hope they continue to recover. Good work!

 

[kimmahoney]

Do I need to give my baby chicklets medication? If so, what should I give them?