Got Some Chickies!!!!

[EricaD]

Soooo, I was planning to wait until the summer, but the coop is going up next weekend and our local farm store had Salmon Faverolles, so I went for it!

I picked up 2 each of White Leghorns, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Light Brahmas, 3 Salmon Favs, and 1 each of Americauna and Barred Rock (they only had 1 each left). I plan to go back on Friday to get another Americauna and Barred Rock.

We've set the chicks up in my daughter's bathtub, lol, and they're doing great! DD placed some stuffed animals in with them and several of the chicks are sleeping under them

I have the red heat lamp for them, but they're staying off to the sides - they don't seem too hot, but I'll keep an eye on them. They have tons of room to get away from the heat, and the light is about 18" up. One chick had a poopy butt so I washed her up and she went under the lamp to dry, but the rest are piled up in the corner having a snooze.

They're so darn cute!

Right now I only have medicated starter feed and water. What else should I get for them? What other foods are suitable? They're just tiny, a few days old, assuming the hatcheries ship 1-day old chicks?

I'll post pics this week. Love our chicks!

 

[FirewifeJess]

For a while you shouldn't need anything else for them! As soon as you start treating them with other things though you'll want to supply some chick grit, either mixed in with their chick starter (like lightly salting your own food) or provided "free choice" in another feeder (I use a bird cage feeder hung on the side of the wall). They LOVE meal worms starting around 1-2 weeks old (when they're smart enough to figure out that they are treats, LOL!), but only do treats in moderation. Right now their main sustenance should be their chick starter. You could always pick up some Apple Cider Vinegar to treat their water with (it's full of good minerals and vitamins and keep bacteria to a minimum in their water and their bodies), 1Tbsp per gallon but only in plastic waterers not galvanized or you'll poison them. What is their bedding now? We used paper towels for a week and then switched to white wood shavings. Paper towels are nice when they're tiny because you can just add a new layer of paper towels every 12 hours or so for a few days and then roll it all up and out of there when you think it needs doing. That's all I can think of for now, have fun with your babies!

 

[EricaD]

We have them on pine shavings and our waterer is plastic, and I have ACV (with mother) here at home and will add it tomorrow!

I'll pick up some grit this week - can't wait to start giving them treats

 

[FirewifeJess]

It's so fun! Wait a couple/few weeks before giving them real live worms from the garden/yard though, the can get sick at such a young age if they eat them now. I think I started letting my kids gather real worms around 3.5 weeks old, and only in moderation (maybe 3 a day for my flock of 11, LOL!) And yes, the ACV with mother is the best and I think it really helps their guts out. Some people even do probiotics and/or yogurt for their birds. I've yet to try the yogurt, but that's only because I haven't actively sought out plain yogurt at a specialty shop yet. Apparently chicks LOVE it!

 

[EricaD]

Pics!!!

I do have one chicken who has a bald patch on her back and near her eye. No broken skin or blood, but I see her constantly biting and scratching, so I need to research mites and pick up some DE tomorrow.

They're so FREAKING cute! They played their first game of keep-away over a piece of pine shaving, lol. I could watch them all day.

There are already a few who are mellow and like to be held (barred rock, americauna, wyandottes and the light brahmas) and some who hate being held, lol (salmon favs and leghorns).

 

[FirewifeJess]

Adorable!! And your daughter has AMAZING eyes! She's absolutely gorgeous. Have fun with your babies!

 

[EricaD]

PS - the brooder is my daughter's bathtub, with pine shavings and I'm feeding them medicated chick starter feed, although in a couple weeks I want to switch them over to something organic and non-GMO (preferably corn free because I'm allergic to corn).

For heat I use a 250w red heater light from the farm store, with a ceramic light fixture, and they seem comfortable and I see them running around, seemingly happy

 

[FirewifeJess]

Sounds like it's all going really well! We have also had a great first time chick experience and my girls are 5.5 weeks old now. I wish I'd thought about the bathtub idea...brilliant! And cheap! LOL Where do you live? I use Scratch and Peck feed which is local here in WA state. It's not quite certified organic yet, but it's non gmo, soy free and corn free. It's locally grown and milled, LOVE it!

 

[EricaD]

Oh, thanks!

Her eyes are beautiful - people comment all the time, since she was a baby. They're Elizabeth Taylor violet blue, and huge. Funny story: when I had my first ultrasound the tech looked worried and said, "your baby has the biggest eye sockets I've ever seen on a fetus..."

LOLOLOL. At the time it freaked me out, but I see she was right!

Here's another, with 2 of my best girls

 

[EricaD]

Sounds like it's all going really well! We have also had a great first time chick experience and my girls are 5.5 weeks old now. I wish I'd thought about the bathtub idea...brilliant! And cheap! LOL Where do you live? I use Scratch and Peck feed which is local here in WA state. It's not quite certified organic yet, but it's non gmo, soy free and corn free. It's locally grown and milled, LOVE it!

That's exactly what I'm planning to get! I just went to a store in Tacoma that carries it, but they were out of the starter...grrrrrr...I want to use the corn-free, soy-free.