*HATCHARIES* Where, who, and dependability.

[KodaBlue]

Hello!
I recently ordered chicks from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio.
I live in SW Idaho.
I did two orders a week apart.
The first order was 6 chicks shipped out Monday and I received them at my local post office on Wednesday morning.
My second order was 7 chicks shipped out Monday and I got them Tuesday afternoon!
Very fast.
All the chicks were alive and energetic.
I gave them poultry nutri-drench in their water for the first couple of days.

Those chicks are now 2-3 weeks old and doing fantastic!
Sadly I lost one partridge rock to an obstructed crop.
Breeds:
3 Black Australorp
3 Partridge Rock
3 Speckled Sussex
2 Silver Penciled Rocks
2 Easter Eggers (Meyer gave me two that look completely different which I was very pleased about)
One EE even has fluffy cheeks!
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EE
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The chicks recently graduated to my prefab coop which is their grow out pen.
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I removed the divider to two of the nesting boxes and ran an extension cord to plug the Premier 1 heat plate into.
It’s a 12”x12” and fits perfectly.
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I love using a heat plate instead of a heat lamp because it’s not a fire risk and the chicks feather out faster and get used to the dark at night.

I’d also like to make a plug for Naked Neck/Turken chickens.
I have four and I love them!
They are supposed to be cold hardy and good layers.
I got mine from TSC and I believe they source their chicks from Hoover Hatchery.
Mine are 4.5 months old now.
And since you asked for pictures...
NN pullet- Agatha
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NN pullet- Emily
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NN cockerel- Angus
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NN cockerel- Loki (aka my Bubelah)
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He was younger here but I love this photo
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Good luck to you!
I hope you find a source for your birds that you’re very satisfied with.
Keeping chickens is fun, challenging, rewarding and entertaining!

Awe!!! All sp sweet haha I've never seen a naked neck before! They are definitely unique! How does that heat plate actually work if you dont mind me asking?

 

[CannedMonster]

Awe!!! All sp sweet haha I've never seen a naked neck before! They are definitely unique! How does that heat plate actually work if you dont mind me asking?

The legs are adjustable to different heights as they get older.
The chicks go underneath to get warm just like a mother hen.
It’s not radiant heat like a lamp.
It doesn’t heat the air; the chicks get warm through contact with the heat plate surface.
After the first week I like to set mine up so that one side is higher than the other. The chicks can choose to go under the lower or the higher side.
The dome top is removable and just keeps them from walking/sitting on the top and pooping all over it.

I’ve used this and a heat lamp and I will never use a heat lamp again.
These chicks are calmer and quieter than the ones I raised under a heat lamp.
I like that they don’t have a light shining on them 24/7 too.
I bought this on Amazon for about $70 I think.

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Oh my a blue andalusian! So pretty! Are those cold hardy? What color eggs do they lay?

Blue Andalusians are not cold hardy, and they lay white eggs.

 

[KodaBlue]

Blue Andalusians are not cold hardy, and they lay white eggs.

Oh darn. Well I suppose I can always admire from afar

 

[Pugsabi]

Oh my a blue andalusian! So pretty! Are those cold hardy? What color eggs do they lay?

Blue Andalusians are not cold hardy, and they lay white eggs.

@littleprairieheartsfarm is right. Andalusian's are heat hardy birds that lay white eggs.
I'm down here in Texas and I wanted something that can take these 100+°F Summers. So many chickens are cold hardy more than heat hardy. I'd love an orpington or a Cochin, but I didn't want a self roasting bird.

 

[av8torcrj]

The legs are adjustable to different heights as they get older.
The chicks go underneath to get warm just like a mother hen.
It’s not radiant heat like a lamp.
It doesn’t heat the air; the chicks get warm through contact with the heat plate surface.
After the first week I like to set mine up so that one side is higher than the other. The chicks can choose to go under the lower or the higher side.
The dome top is removable and just keeps them from walking/sitting on the top and pooping all over it.

I’ve used this and a heat lamp and I will never use a heat lamp again.
These chicks are calmer and quieter than the ones I raised under a heat lamp.
I like that they don’t have a light shining on them 24/7 too.
I bought this on Amazon for about $70 I think.
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I second the A++ rating for the heat plate brooder. I've had my 50 bird unit for a couple weeks and will NEVER EVER go back to a heat lamp. Love, love, love the thing and the birds do too.

 

[KodaBlue]

I second the A++ rating for the heat plate brooder. I've had my 50 bird unit for a couple weeks and will NEVER EVER go back to a heat lamp. Love, love, love the thing and the birds do too.

So when I do bring my chicks home and put them in the brooder I just put the heat plate in and that's all i need??

 

[av8torcrj]

My experience: placed the new birds into the brooder, dipping their bills in water before release. They get all cray cray running around, drinking and starting to peck at most anything looking for food ( I put down a white paper towel and sprinkle it with feed which helps differentiate it from the shavings, works great). Once they venture under the brooder plate and sense the warmth, boom, that's it, they migrate to it naturally.

So the long answer to your short question is yes, a proper safe brooding area, food, water and the heat plate. And when I say proper and safe, look at every possible nook, cranny, wedge, hole or possible trap. If chickens can find a way to get in trouble, they will find it... promise.

 

[CannedMonster]

My experience: placed the new birds into the brooder, dipping their bills in water before release. They get all cray cray running around, drinking and starting to peck at most anything looking for food ( I put down a white paper towel and sprinkle it with feed which helps differentiate it from the shavings, works great). Once they venture under the brooder plate and sense the warmth, boom, that's it, they migrate to it naturally.

So the long answer to your short question is yes, a proper safe brooding area, food, water and the heat plate. And when I say proper and safe, look at every possible nook, cranny, wedge, hole or possible trap. If chickens can find a way to get in trouble, they will find it... promise.

X2
I will add that paper towels or puppy pads are a good “bedding” for the first week or so.
Sometimes chicks put on shavings right away start eating the shavings.
I’ve lost two chicks to obstructed crops and it’s almost impossible to fix so I just don’t do the shavings right away anymore.

 

[KodaBlue]

My experience: placed the new birds into the brooder, dipping their bills in water before release. They get all cray cray running around, drinking and starting to peck at most anything looking for food ( I put down a white paper towel and sprinkle it with feed which helps differentiate it from the shavings, works great). Once they venture under the brooder plate and sense the warmth, boom, that's it, they migrate to it naturally.

So the long answer to your short question is yes, a proper safe brooding area, food, water and the heat plate. And when I say proper and safe, look at every possible nook, cranny, wedge, hole or possible trap. If chickens can find a way to get in trouble, they will find it... promise.

Would it be a bad idea to use like straw or hay right away? Cause my neighbor sells straw and hay bales for dirt cheap. Its basically just his pastures left untouched until he cuts and bundles it. Pine shavings for some reason I can't find a big enough "bag" or bundle of it.