First TIme With Chicks...and loving it.

[dmadden3]

My boys and I have been talking about having chickens for over a year(since I started going to a farm and spending $4 on a dozen fresh egss) My husband finally got on bard about 2 months ago. We now have a hen house built with fencing around it and it was time to go get the babies. We found a local farm that raises them--went and brought home 6 chicks all pullets last Saturday. They are 3-5 days old with one being about 10 days. We lost one Labor day--by an accident. Cant have an odd number so I found a local man who raises them-- went and got 3 more--you all know how addicting they are-- so 8 in all. Yesterday morning we woke up and checked on them--on of the little white 7 day old Delawares was dead--looked like she got smothered on the bottom of the pile. Yesterday after lunch we checked on them--on of the Barred rock--7 day olds were dead--looked like the same thing. So know we have 2 New Hampshire Reds-4 weeks, 1 rhode island red 2 weeks, 1 gold laced wyandotte-2 weeks, and 1 delaware and 1 barred rock 11 days. They are all in the garage in 2 separate brooders--trying to keep the youngers separated. Is it possible that they did suffocate or possibly something else. And at what age is it safe to put them outside in the henhouse permanently?

Oh yeah--one more thing-- we also are breaking the law--not aloud chickens here in our part of TN. But my researched shows that New York City can have unlimited. How crazy is this?
Thanks to all. Glad to be a part of the chicken raisin' family--even though it has been sad at times.
Donna

 

[UGAchick]

Welcome to chickens! I am sorry to hear about your babies! Sometimes if chicks die for any reason, the others stand on them and peck at them, so it can appear that they were smothered when they died for some other reason. Because you have now lost several I would suspect that something else is killing them. Do you have heat on them (like a lamp)? What are you feeding them?

I am also raising chickens illegally, but have found that hens are quiet and small and mostly undetectable if you keep them camouflaged in the backyard.

Good luck!!

 

[punky rooster]

your going to love it!

I'm sorry about the chicks you lost though

 

[oldchickenlady]

Hey dmadden3, I am just south of you! I live in the country between Fairview and Leiper's Fork. I have 12 chickens that I bought back in April and just got my first egg last week! if you would like to try some older chicks you could try here www.poultryhollow.com They have all ages of chicks from just hatched to just about laying age. What kind of set up do you have? Do they have enough heat and room? If they are cold they will 'pile up' to keep warm, this just applies to the youngest ones, not the 4 week old ones. Sometimes you never figure out why they die. I started with 3 day olds that I kept in my living room in a big rubbermaid stock watering tank. I had a heat lamp on one end and a blanket over the other end so they could get closer for warmth or move away if too warm. My husband wan't too happy about it at first, now he is pretty hooked on them too! They have all thrived and now I have a flock of free ranging, bug killing, egg producing yard art! Now...my flower bed looks pathetic, but I have pretty birds and no ticks! Yah! Here is a pic of my rooster (that wasn't supposed to be) Rudy Roo.

But this is what I started out with.

Do you have a fenced in backyard? How are you going to keep the neighbors from knowing?

 

[dmadden3]

Hi OldChickenlady-- To quickly answer your question--We are doing much to hide the chicks since I can't see many neighbors from my yard. The chicks are pretty far away--in a fenced in area surronded by woods. The neighbors probably don't know that we aren't aloud to have any--so I sure won't educate them on that fact. I found Poultry hollow--that's were we got our first 6--of which we now just have 3 and got a few more to make up for the loss--lost one yesterday--disapeared from the yare--hawk I guess. Now we are in need of covering the coop and I guess needing a few more--now there is 5. Oh well--luckily they are all adorable and way to cute--I can;t see having to many chickens---oh yearh--except that we aren't suppose to have any.

 

[mignavrod]

Hi dmadden3,

I am also new at it, and also illegal, lol. I am in urban miami dade county, but a relatively big yard though. I have 5 RIR and 1 orphington; they are almost three weeks old and I got them at one week old. I am sorry for the lost ones, but stick to it. They sure are fun.

Migs