First time raising chicks; any suggestions or things I should know?

[JodiLynn]

I have 13 baby chicks that should be arriving this week. We have converted half of our horse barn into a coop & nursery (th ough we still have stuff to do so excuze the messy pictures!) Are there any suggestions or thoughts about new baby chicks. I have six 20 week old chickens so I am not completley a newbie. Any thoughts, suggestions, or advice is greatly appriciated!

​

Picture one is our nursery coop, the heat lamp is connected to a digital thermostat that keeps the temperature between 97.2 - 98.2. Is this ok for the little ones?

​

This is the main chicken coop (the nursery has a small door into the bog coop but will be kept shut until the babies are big enough to move to the big coop.

​

The wires still have to be hung up but this is the basic setup. Paper towels for first day then pine shavings?

​

Anouther shot of the nursery. Thanks in advance for any advice or help with my little newcomers!

 

[Melabella]

I am not one to give advice, my flock of 10 little ones are a week old today. One thing I have found to be so wonderful was a suggestion I read on HenCam.com website who is member TerryG on here. She suggests putting in a small clod of dirt with a nice big dandelion or other weed attached local from the area where your flock will be investigating when they go outside. Not only does it allow the chicks to experiment with some greens to peck at and get some microbes from the soil, it also entertains your chicks wonderfully! She feels this has helped establish the flock, and minimize boredom and pecking issues that even young chicks go through. When I put that clod in there, ( I put a fresh one every day), you would have thought I bought them to an amusement park, they ran around peeping and having a blast. So cute to see them starting to act like big girls, starting the scratching behavior, trying to dust themselves with what gets spread on the floor. Too cute. Yesterday I was caught without my phone to video tape, but one of them plucked an earth worm out of the soil, and you should see the celebratory lap she did around the brooder, until the other 9 caught on, then all hell broke loose! Poor earthworm was pulled in several pieces, I think everyone got a taste!

I am way jealous of that coop in your barn! Looks awesome! Is that where the girls will be when they are all grown as well?

Good Luck with the new batch, what types are you expecting? Post pictures!

Ciao,
MB

 

[sumi]

Your coop and set up is very nice

As for advice, have a look at this thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

It'll cover the topic better than I can

Enjoy your babies!

 

[chickens 4 ever]

Make sure that the temperature is not to hot because she could get dehydrated.... You can find more
facts on how to keep it at the right temperature.

 

[JodiLynn]

Melabella, thank you so much for sharing your story! I cant wait to try your advice. About what age is recommended to start this? Thank you so much for your compliments on the barn, I am a newlywed and my husband is an engineer. I asked for a simple coop and I feel as if I got a hen palace! I am so very excited!And yes the babies will go into "the bigger coop (2nd photo) when old enough. We free range during the day as we are fortunate enough to have 15 acres, although it took the horses awhile to decided if they liked the chickens...haha! I currently have White crested polish (blue & black) a buff orpington (big mama turned out to be a big daddy so we ordered some ladies for him) a columbian wydonette (sp?) X, and a mystery chicken who took up residence in our barn a year ago. She was our neighbors down the road and their pup killed off the 5 others and somehow Chicken (thats her name, my 4 yr old nephew named her) made it to my place where she lived off of horse feed until I decided to start feeding her and from there my love for chickens began!

I ordered 1 gold crested polish. 2 buff laced polish, 6 Americanas, and 3 Buff oringtons.

Sumi thanks for the link, I had previously looked over that document and thats where I took off from. Though I just read it again just in case.

 

[JodiLynn]

Buff Orpington**

 

[Melabella]

JodiLynn,

Terry said on her website that you can put that in the first week! My chicks are in their second week, and every morning when I clean the brooder and put down fresh paper towels I go out with my garden spade and pick out a fresh new large dandelion with a generous piece of earth attached. The new thing is fighting over the earthworms that always seem to be in the clod of earth. We have horses too, and there are never a short supply of dandelions, and earthworms right next to the manure pile! I am a bit worried about how the horses are going to recieve the chickens, but I know it'll work itself out! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading up on Terry's website also, between BYC, and her website, I have learned alot in my few short weeks as a chicken owner. www.hencam.com

Also, my little brooder pen isn't going to hold my girls very long,, 9 days old, and they can allready fly up to the edges! They fall off, because it's only a cardboard width thick, but I am going in search of a huge big box when I go to Best Buy today! Good Luck with your chicks, I love the story of the stray chicken finding a home on your place. I also have two Columbian Wyandotts, how are their personalities? I loved how pretty they are and chose two of them for my little flock!

MB

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

I would secure the lamp with more than just the clamp.
At about 2-3 weeks they will be testing those wings and getting out of that bin! They could bump into it... those clamps are not the greatest
My 2 week old wanted something to roost on too.

PS I am totally jealous of your set up!!!

 

[JodiLynn]

Melabella, thanks for all of the information! Mine are just dolls and I love taking care of them...just so precious! The columbian wyandotts are wonderful. Mine is so gentle and sweet to all of the other chickens even my polish. She is curious and mello and loves to be held. She is by far a favorite on our farm and she also lovesss watermelon. She also thinks my painted toenails are watermelon and tries to get them ... our horses seem fine around the chickens but get upset when they steal their feed. Our chickens walk 3 acres to get to the horse pasture to clean up the horse grain dropped.

Backyardfarmmom, I did that. I notice the little stinkers already flapping around. They now have a secure chicken wire/pvc pipe tope that I had the hubby build. Thanks for the advice and compliments. I have a wonderful new hubby who is an engineer, I gave him a hammer and thats what I got back. Very funny!

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Backyardfarmmom, I did that. I notice the little stinkers already flapping around. They now have a secure chicken wire/pvc pipe tope that I had the hubby build. Thanks for the advice and compliments. I have a wonderful new hubby who is an engineer, I gave him a hammer and thats what I got back. Very funny!

Oh good! Congrats! Can I borrow him?