First-timer needs some advice- my chicks are coming up on six weeks...

[kurui]

1. My roo is developing his wattles, but one of them seems uh, quite a bit bigger than the other. More accurately, one of them is hanging freely and the other one seems more... stuck under his chin, as it were. Is this normal? I tried taking a picture but he just gets too fascinated by the camera to let me take a decent one of his face... haha I can try again later.

2. I haven't been able to convince them to eat the more adult feed rather than their chick starter unless I soak it. Is there a trick to getting them to eat the stuff beyond just not providing an alternative? I'm sure I worry too much but I don't like the idea of taking away the only stuff they seem to reliably eat (beyond their treats). Admittedly if it's soaked they will pig out completely!


Thanks!

 

[HighStreetCoop]

At six weeks you should just be beginning to transition them to grower, so just do it slowly by mixing starter and grower and you'll be fine.

 

[kurui]

Oh that's great to know- so I'll just keep providing both for now.

At this age if they kind of form a little snuggle pile, it's not because they still need the heat lamp, right? They don't seem in any distress at all and they're preening rather than just squeezing together as tightly as they can... I'm probably projecting really hard but it seems more like they enjoy sitting in the same spot rather than it being a necessity but I'd rather know now if the lamp needs to go on!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Watch the chicks and let them tell you what they need. If they are acting normally, they are doing fine. If they are crowding together, fluffing up, looking miserable, and giving a very plaintive peeping sound they are cold and need some heat.

My brooder is in the coop. One end stays pretty toasty and the other end can get really cold when the temperature drops. Since my chicks get to play in cold temperatures they get used to cold temperatures and can handle it really well by six weeks. If yours have been raised in tropical temperatures they may not be able to handle cold weather as well. But then they might. That’s why you need to watch them and let them tell you what they need.

 

[kurui]

My brooder's still indoors- during the day they're out in a run. I live in rural spain, but it's definitely not been tropical temperatures at all until fairly recently- it's been going up to 25C during the day but dropping to 9C at night, but until two weeks ago I'd be lucky to get a daytime temperature of 12C. They've only been going out during the day since it warmed up and stopped being so windy.

They're very active apart from these snuggle-naps they take together even in the evenings once I've brought them inside. It seems like they tire themselves out and decide to have a snooze together because of that? Even when they're having a nap they hardly stay still very long, they're preening or poking at their bedding to check if there's any food. Maybe if next time they're doing it I turn the lamp back on I can see if they rush to sit under it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many decades ago I spent three months, January through March, outside Cadiz in El Puerto de Santa María. It was surprisingly cool, even way down there until March. Then it started to show that if could get hot. I did enjoy that area and the people. They wouldn’t let me practice my Spanish, instead saying “let me practice my English” when I tried to say something. Yes, my accent and pronunciation was that bad.

You can offer the chicks heat if you wish, but even then watch them. Too much heat can be dangerous. If they get as far away from it as they can then it is too warm.

 

[kurui]

I turned their light on to give them the option of sitting under it if they wanted, and they went to go check it out... but before long they were back up beside me, Doodledoo clambering onto my lap.



It seems like they're not cold, they'd just rather hang out with me. Awwwwwww