First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[mamatoes]

When is it ok to start holding and cuddling them??

 

[ginnypoe]

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[Alibreit]

so cute! what types of Marans are you looking for? if your looking for show quality I believe Amber Waves sells the black ones. if your looking more for pet quality I know Meyer hatchery sells many different types of Marans and there minimum order for shipping is only three! I have a Female Golden Cuckoo Maran coming in my shipment for April.I believe they still have females left for this particular Maran. They have a lot of very beautiful unusual breeds. I was lucky enough to get the last female for April 11th hatch on the Silver Penciled Rock. a rare breed that's very beautiful. limit is 1 per person on them...if you don't mind the Golden cuckoo Maran you can likely still get females for April. They still lay the dark eggs and have a friendly disposition. They are unique looking. Hope this helps you out. best wishes

We are not really sure what type of Marans we want. We are just looking for a backyard chicken flock. My husband just likes the idea of the chocolate colored eggs. =) The ones we were going to order were listed as Cuckoo Maran and by the pictures they look like mostly black in color. Golden sounds very pretty. Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[keesmom]

So you know, hatcheries don't breed Marans for the egg color. While they usually are darker than most brown eggs, they are far from chocolate. Cuckoo Marans look similar to barred breeds. There is a subtle difference in the black/white pattern which is why they are called "cuckoo" instead of barred.

 

[Jensownzoo]

My littles are 3 days old today - when is it OK to start giving them treats? I've been sprinkling a little chick grit in their food since I got them on Monday.

I waited until they were a week old, and then I did dice the food pretty finely so it had no issue passing out of the crop. Remember since they are tiny to only give them a tiny amount of treats...you can increase as they grow.

When is it ok to start holding and cuddling them??

I gave mine a few days hands-off after I brought them home to adjust to the changes first. Just keep the initial sessions short and infrequent until they get used to handling.

 

[Pattycat]

I have a question on lighting. I have a heat lamp directly over my chicks, and a 100 watt light bulb in the coop for general lighting. Does the main coop light need to be on 24 hrs/day, or can it be turned off at night?

Oh, you can turn it off at night. The light from the heat lamp is all that is necessary for them as they use it for warmth.

 

[Pattycat]

When is it ok to start holding and cuddling them??

Remember when holding not to kiss and to wash your hands after holding. I hold mine everyday to get them used to me. I now have chickens that think they are lap dogs.

 

[jessica5113]

Anyone know where to order baby chicks from that does not have a minimum of 25?

. Try cacklehatchery.com they allow you to make small orders for a fee.

 

[mamatoes]

Remember when holding not to kiss and to wash your hands after holding. I hold mine everyday to get them used to me. I now have chickens that think they are lap dogs. 

No kissing? Disease?

 

[ginnypoe]

. Try cacklehatchery.com they allow you to make small orders for a fee.

Also Murry McMurry is very reputable and I believe their minimum is 15.