Getting my Chicks tomorrow! Advice?

[Starith]

Hello all!

Super excited to be here! I am going to be getting my first chicks tomorrow! Leghorn Crosses! To be fair, I had two baby Roosters when I was younger, but to be fair, my dad helped me with a lot (I also had to send them to my Friend's Farm. Broke my heart!)! I am hoping they'll be hens - the wonderful lady who I am getting them from says she believes they are! I am just wondering if anyone has any tips.
They are two weeks old. I have set up a tub for them for now, with some sticks for perches and papertowel for ease of tub cleaning. I also bought them a toy! I'd love any advice!

 

[saysfaa]

Congrats!

Mine hatched two weeks ago today. They are flying 3' high off the top of their water jar that they easily hop onto. Or over 18" high on a 3' horizontal launch from the floor. These are the only chicks I've had so I don't know if it is typical. They are Australorps and brown leghorns, the leghorns are quicker to check something out or run from it but both br jumping and flying about equally.

What kind of tub are you thinking? Mine started in a bathtub on puppy pads (highly recommend them in a tub) but could hop/fly out of it by day 5 by way of the 3 or 4 inch high box they slept in.

Mine aren't showing much interest in the stick they have that I thought they might like to roost on. They like to groom, scratch in dirt clods, take dust baths, tug and pull on any loose thing (like the bath towel hanging over the door to their space), and run/jump/fly.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If this breeder isn't trained to sex chickens, it's 50-50 as far as gender, so you might want to get more than 2 to ensure you get at least 2 girls.

Make sure you have a secure cover for your brooder. When I brooded in a tub I used hardware cloth duct taped to a cardboard frame that was weighed down with bricks to prevent escapes.

 

[Starith]

Thank you to both of you! I ended up securing the tub with another weighed down tub AND I got three, hopefully they're all girls! They are SUPER active, eating and drinking plenty. They are actually using the sticks and they're making quick use of the makeshift heat bag I made out of a sock and rice! They'll all cuddle on it. So sweet!


Do they look mostly Leghorn?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've never had Leghorns so can't say if the breed is correct. Once they're older you can post photos on the Breed & Gender forum and folks can sex them for you.

Did the breeder happen to have any sort of guarantee policy if there are boy(s) in the group?

 

[Starith]

Yes. She has 16 more sooo if mine are boys and she has hen's we'll do a swap.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

They could be Cornish Cross... a meat breed... you said they are 2 weeks old, correct?

@JadeFarms @Overo Mare

 

[JadeFarms]

If those are 2 weeks old then they are meat birds.

 

[Starith]

Shh don't say that. Everyone says that. They will die sooner then yeah?

 

[JadeFarms]

Shh don't say that. Everyone says that. They will die sooner then yeah?

They can develop leg problems and heart problems and they will need a certain diet to keep them alive. The longest I’ve gotten one to live is 2 1/2 years.