Got my babies today! Yay! *pics*

[Kim_1970]

They are all doing well so far. Eating, drinking and very active.

And boy oh boy are they eating a lot! LOL For such little birds they sure to shovel it down.

I was wondering, when I go near their brooder they all scatter in various directions peeping wildly. How do I go about getting them used to me and not being so frightened when I get near?
Is it because they are so new in life and dont know what to make of me yet or should I be handling them often?

Thank You

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

My oppinon on making the chicks friendly to you is touch them everyday and carry them..


My own pullets, hens and roosters come running to me and jump on my arms and when I sit down they fight for whos gets to the highest point..


Truly,
RIRs

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Local TSC sold my husband 6 chicks...said they were RIR. Well, 2 of them have racing stripes and one has the reddish color like yours, the other three are a golden color and wing feathers that have come in are off-white. I can't remember now which (long day in the garden pulling weeds and screening the compost pile

) but some have very soft brown wing feathers. Four have the start of tail feathers...the reddish one doesn't nor another. I had a visitor who has raised chickens and she said they were Buff Orpintons. I guess I will wait to see what we have.

I put feed in the palm in my hand several times a day and offer it to the girls. They have gotten so use to me that they come to eat; the reddish one started right away jumping into the palm of my hand. Now others are copying so it has turned into a game of "King of the Mountain". I try to pick up each one several times a day. If they are afraid, I hold them close and reassure them that all is well and they calm down right away.

Good luck with your babies! My husband has made arrangements to buy 5 Silver Lace Wyandottes on April 17th when they arrived at another feed store 40 miles from us.

Has taken 3 years to convince him to get chickens but it just took a few hours before he was ga-ga over them!

 

[Kim_1970]

I put my palm in their brooder this morning with food in it and you are right... they were all over it!
Hopefully if I keep that up, they wont runnnn forest ruuuun every time they see me.

 

[Chickn chick 46]

They sure are cute! They are probably a bit startled by you when you approach. Think of you in their terms....big. We handled them 2 or 3 times a day for changing out papers and cleaning the brooder. The kids handled them and they got used to all kinds of noise being in such a high traffic area of the house. The dog barking, the vaccuum running, the cats curiosity

kids in and out of the house etc, etc My husband was working in the hen house on the roost with hammer, nails, and circular saw and they all came in to see what he was doing. They were getting right in his way, he wasn't amused but I sure was

And of course treats when they are a bit older. Have fun with them they are adorable

 

[easttxchick]

Congrats on your new babies-very cute.
As far as the PolyViSol, I don't give it unless it looks like they need a jump start.
Your babies probably came out of TSCs Assorted Reds bin, didn't they? If so, they are probably Red Sex Links, RIR, Comets or Production Reds-something along those lines.
Have fun with your new babies!

 

[Kerilou]

Quote:
Yes, talk to me about these pellets...are these the TSC Cozy and Fresh pellets that I have read about?? I made a notation on my brooder/chick supply list about these...
Your babies are so cute!! I am getting some from a hatchery in mid-may and I can't wait!! A cousin of mine went to TSC the other day and they sold out of 200 chicks within a couple of hours! She had to drive to the next TSC 60 miles in the other direction to find some!! INSANE!

 

[Kim_1970]

Your cousin sounds as crazy as me. Thats what we did. We bought 6 at one TSC. Brought them home, then drove about 45 minutes to the next TSC down south of us. They sold out in a few hours so when we got there, they were gone. We decided to head up to DE to the next TSC which was about 60 or more miles away. And ended up with 6 more. We had hoped that each TSC had different breeds but they were the same.
Its ok, I dont mind that they werent the breeds I had wanted... they are still awesome and adorable!

The Equine Fresh is doing well. It doesnt smell and they have been on the same pellets for day 3 now. They have been walking around just fine, scratching, and running. They once and awhile peck down on a pellet but then leave it alone and head over to their food. The pellets are too big for them to eat right now. None of the pellets have broken down into sawdust yet. 12 chicks, 54 gal tub and 1/3 bag of pellets. So far so good in my opinion. They are not getting it in their water but they do get their food in their water now and then. Its not dusty like shavings can be. I was at TSC tonight (I practically live there with all the stuff I get there. LOL) and decided to grab another bag while I was there. I am going to change it out tomorrow morning so I can see what it looks like on the bottom to give me an idea of what its doing and how long I can leave it.

Not much chick poop visible on top of it either and all chicks are clean.

So far it gets my thumbs up.

As for the polyvisol, I think I need to get it and give it to the tiniest chick. She sleeps a lot a lot a lot. I rarely see her being active. On day 3 I can already tell the others have grown and it doesnt appear that she has. she is very docile and I dont know if its lethargy or she is just calm?? I have seen her eat and drink but not as often as the others. She is not as active. I am worried about her though. So my animal-mom instincts are telling me she needs a boost.

When I went to both TSC's the sign said "Assorted Pullets" nothing about what breeds they might be. The other two bins, that were empty and had not had anything in them yet said "Assorted Bantams" and "Assorted ducks".

They are all too cute for words.

New picture from tonight