The Buffest Orpington
Chirping
- Apr 8, 2020
- 25
- 93
- 94
Just wanted to introduce myself, since I'm new here and new to raising chickens in general. I've wanted to raise chickens for a while, and finally took the plunge (in a small way) by buying four buff orpington chicks at Aubuchon Hardware this past Saturday.
Sadly one of the chicks didn't last the first night (and actually passed away in my hands - talk about a crash course in survival of the fittest!). She was scrawny and lethargic out of the box and wasn't moving around like the other chicks. I got her to drink some electrolyte probiotic water, and then some of the same water mixed with a little organic apple juice, and she actually did perk up for a few hours, walking around with the others, but then went downhill again. Buried our first chick the day after we got her, which was tough.
But happily, the other three are flourishing! Here they are in their brooder at about 1 week old:
Looking forward to building their coop soon, and will have some help from a builder buddy. Planning to go with the Downeast Thunder coop design, which seems appropriate for chickens living in Maine.
The coop design : https://www.downeastthunderfarm.com/free-chicken-coop-plans/
I'm definitely open to any input on that coop, or coops/runs in general!
I would love to add some more chicks soon, as 4 was really my minimum, and 3 just doesn't seem like enough for two adults and a toddler. As you all probably know, chicks are in short supply right now though, so it may be some time before I can get some more Orpingtons!
I'm also wondering about putting chicks on sand in their brooder. I have a bag of Quikrete all-purpose sand I'm thinking of using, but I'm not sure whether or not it's safe for chicks. I also don't know if I would need to give them chick grit or not if they were on that sand. I know this is an intro thread, but any insight on that topic would be very appreciated, as I know sand can be great, but I don't want to risk the girls' health.
Lastly, I found BYC through Google searches about various chicken breeds, raising tips, etc. This site definitely seems like a great resource! I look forward to chatting with you all over the months and years to come.
Sadly one of the chicks didn't last the first night (and actually passed away in my hands - talk about a crash course in survival of the fittest!). She was scrawny and lethargic out of the box and wasn't moving around like the other chicks. I got her to drink some electrolyte probiotic water, and then some of the same water mixed with a little organic apple juice, and she actually did perk up for a few hours, walking around with the others, but then went downhill again. Buried our first chick the day after we got her, which was tough.
But happily, the other three are flourishing! Here they are in their brooder at about 1 week old:
Looking forward to building their coop soon, and will have some help from a builder buddy. Planning to go with the Downeast Thunder coop design, which seems appropriate for chickens living in Maine.
The coop design : https://www.downeastthunderfarm.com/free-chicken-coop-plans/
I'm definitely open to any input on that coop, or coops/runs in general!
I would love to add some more chicks soon, as 4 was really my minimum, and 3 just doesn't seem like enough for two adults and a toddler. As you all probably know, chicks are in short supply right now though, so it may be some time before I can get some more Orpingtons!
I'm also wondering about putting chicks on sand in their brooder. I have a bag of Quikrete all-purpose sand I'm thinking of using, but I'm not sure whether or not it's safe for chicks. I also don't know if I would need to give them chick grit or not if they were on that sand. I know this is an intro thread, but any insight on that topic would be very appreciated, as I know sand can be great, but I don't want to risk the girls' health.
Lastly, I found BYC through Google searches about various chicken breeds, raising tips, etc. This site definitely seems like a great resource! I look forward to chatting with you all over the months and years to come.
