Got my Peeps Today!

[BantyRooster]

The set up looks good. How long do you plan to keep the chicks seperated?

 

[Winsor Woods]

Well, we still weren't sure just how much of a size difference was allowable to prevent any trampling. My main reasoning for not moving the SLW was two fold. First the remaining ones appeared to be doing ok, and secondly, if the ranch store did have a bad batch, I wanted to keep them separate. So I guess I don't have an answer to your question specifically, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Dan

 

[BantyRooster]

In your original post I think you said the SLW were a week old and the GLW were three. Looking at the pics I'd say both sets of chicks are a week or less. The GLW dont have any shoulder feathers showing yet, and they would at three weeks.

I have a couple thoughts. One, the chicks were already together so if there was some sort of bug they've all been exposed already.
Two, in my experience the first couple days is when you lose chicks if you're going to lose them.

I would suspect that the loss of the chicks was due to over heating, mixed with the shock of being moved.

I don't think there is too big of a size difference to mix your chicks, especially in this case, both Wyandottes. If the smaller chicks were say, bantys, then I wouldn't mix them.

If it gives you peace of mind to keep them seperated then do so. If it were me and the SLW were acting fine, eating and drinking, running about and not acting lethargic, I would not hesitate to put them all together in the apple crate.

It will be easier for you to keep one crate clean than two, and it will be easier to have one brood raised together now, rather than try to mix them later after they've been raised as two seperate flocks.

Keep me posted. Thanks.

Mike

 

[cmom]

Here is a pic of some of my chicks at about a week old.

 

[BantyRooster]

CMOM,
Nice looking set up you have there.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

Nice set up Dan. Another thing that works well is an old pack and play childrens playpen. You can clean, fold, and store it later and it has good ventilation.

 

[jacyjones]

The orchard box set up looks good. I would personally try and put the light over one corner so they have room to get away from the heat in the rest of the box. If they are never in the warm corner than raise the lamp as they will not need that level of heat.
My brooder was a big strong cardboard box with the front folded down halfway to allow the air to move around. I put lino pieces in the corners to round them off. this was out in the stable and the lamp was over one corner. I raised the lamp gradually but they soon out grew it anyway. They then had a corner of the stable with a cardboard separator, still with the lamp in the corner, and I gradually extended the area week by week. My chicks are nearly 6 weeks and now have the full area of 12' by 6' and for the last week the lamp has been off in the day. Last night they were without the lamp for the first time and are fine this morning!! Not babies anymore!

 

[Winsor Woods]

Thanks for all the responses. All the peeps are still alive and appear healthy. I'll try moving the light to the corner of the orchard box. Once I have the doors on the outdoors coop, I'll be able to move them out to the coop. The orchard box will fit inside the coop so that will be a great transition for them I think. I talked it over with my wife about putting the chicks back together and we're going to watch the SLW for another week and then revisit the issue. Today I noticed that two of them do have some mutes stuck to their tail end, but it's not blocking the vents yet. The portion of the mute that is stuck to the rear is dark brown in color. They were clear of this yesterday so it's a new presentation. It's not like the mute that was pasted up earlier in the week. That one was white. I'll spend some time observing and see what the mute looks like when it's expelled. Right now the stuff stuck on the bird looks like it was pretty runny stuff that got mucked up in the down and dried. It doesn't really have the form or shape that I normally associate with a mute.

Dan

 

[BantyRooster]

Windsor Woods,
How are your chicks doing? Update us, please...

 

[Winsor Woods]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Just got busy here around the house.

Let's see. Today the SLW's and the GLW's will be mixed back in with each other. The GLW's are getting feathers everywhere and there are two that have noticeable combs coming in while the other four don't have anything to speak of. I'm thinking that I got two roosters....maybe?

The SLW's are growing fast now. They have really gotten to the point that I'm feeling comfortable that I can mix them back in. I'll watch them closely, though.

I had made another post here at BYC and someone found a development timeline for chickens. I noticed that the egg tooth is gone within a few days. The SLW's still had a tad bit of that egg tooth when I got them so I think it was just too much happening too soon for them as they were so very young.

I'll see if I can post some pics later of the combs and also of them all together in the same brooder.

I also put the brooder light on timers. It's been really hot here during the day. I think the Golds are almost to the point where they don't need it all that much.

In another couple weeks, I'll move the orchard box out to the coop and run an extension cord out there for the brooder lamp. That way I can ease them into their new diggs.

Dan