- Thread starter
- #31
lol ill look into it
HELP!!! 101 on chicks ANSWER PLEASE!!
- Thread starter Iheartchicks<3:)
- Start date
When I first read the original question on this thread I was a little miffed. I have been reading this site in every category for a while and will continue. I don't have chickens yet but I plan to. And like everyone else I want to be prepared. But... as I read through it I realized that a good way to ask the question might would have been "outside the basic and usual care instructions, what have you learned through experience that you would like to pass along to others or what do you wish you would have known"
Even though I didn't "get it" initially I think this has been a great thread. I had read about vitamins but didn't know what kind everyone was talking about till now. I had seen a couple of pics with stuffed animals but hadn't read where anyone mentioned that the chicks really liked them till now. I had read about ACV with the mother and I knew what that meant but I didn't know you could get it in health food stores. I was worried about whether or not I should "grow my own". I have bookmarked many web sites as I have read through BYC and tonight I added the first aid site to it. I have the Storey's book but through my reading I have discovered experiences that folks have don't necessarily agree with some of the things in that book. Thanks everyone and thanks Iheartchicks for asking the question.
Lori
Even though I didn't "get it" initially I think this has been a great thread. I had read about vitamins but didn't know what kind everyone was talking about till now. I had seen a couple of pics with stuffed animals but hadn't read where anyone mentioned that the chicks really liked them till now. I had read about ACV with the mother and I knew what that meant but I didn't know you could get it in health food stores. I was worried about whether or not I should "grow my own". I have bookmarked many web sites as I have read through BYC and tonight I added the first aid site to it. I have the Storey's book but through my reading I have discovered experiences that folks have don't necessarily agree with some of the things in that book. Thanks everyone and thanks Iheartchicks for asking the question.
Lori
Forgot to mention that chciks make lots of dust so if you have them in your house be prpared for that.
I second the nod for the Storey's Guide. Very good book. Amazon.com has several good books on chickens, but Storey's really is the bible.
My personal bit of advice is to remember to elevate their water as they grow. In fact I put my waterer on a piece of scrap plywood that I can replace or scrape off as it gets dirty. When they get bigger, I put it on an overturned skillet or a rock or anything stable that will elevate the water up above the litter. It just helps keep poop and bedding, etc out of their water.
I also like the hanging range feeders for the same reason. Use a piece of chain from the hardware store to suspend your lights and feeders (if you are using range feeders). It allows you to just move them up or down a link or two to adjust temperature and height. The cheap dog tie-out chain works well and you can buy it buy the foot. I usually just hang it off a wood screw driven into a beam over the brooder.
Make sure you have enough room in your brooder to allow your birds to move away from the heat as needed. I also try to put their food and water so that they can access it from the cool or warm side. I have mine in my garage and the temps vary throughout the day, so your birds need the ability to move to where they are comfortable. Just make sure you try to minimize any drafts.
My personal bit of advice is to remember to elevate their water as they grow. In fact I put my waterer on a piece of scrap plywood that I can replace or scrape off as it gets dirty. When they get bigger, I put it on an overturned skillet or a rock or anything stable that will elevate the water up above the litter. It just helps keep poop and bedding, etc out of their water.
I also like the hanging range feeders for the same reason. Use a piece of chain from the hardware store to suspend your lights and feeders (if you are using range feeders). It allows you to just move them up or down a link or two to adjust temperature and height. The cheap dog tie-out chain works well and you can buy it buy the foot. I usually just hang it off a wood screw driven into a beam over the brooder.
Make sure you have enough room in your brooder to allow your birds to move away from the heat as needed. I also try to put their food and water so that they can access it from the cool or warm side. I have mine in my garage and the temps vary throughout the day, so your birds need the ability to move to where they are comfortable. Just make sure you try to minimize any drafts.
Hello, I was a newbie to this also untill about 3 weeks ago. I will share some of the stuff I learned, hopefully this will help!
- Check the water throughout the day, the will roost on it, and get the beddig in it.
- When you fill there water let it get to room temp before giving it to the, The cold water will give them a chill
- Clean out the feeder alot through the day.
- when you first get them: dip their beaks in the water and shoe them where the food is.
I hope this Helps
- Check the water throughout the day, the will roost on it, and get the beddig in it.
- When you fill there water let it get to room temp before giving it to the, The cold water will give them a chill
- Clean out the feeder alot through the day.
- when you first get them: dip their beaks in the water and shoe them where the food is.
I hope this Helps
Here is some help for you. Go to the site listed here and you will find your answer. It is a website but it is broken for you. You'll find what you need without going nuts. Knowledge is power.
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- #37
Quote:
Your very welcome.... Yes i should've been more specific..
Your very welcome.... Yes i should've been more specific..
i'm new at this too. my chicks are now 10 days old.
here are the things that i learned from doing despite having spent sooooooo much time on this website for months before they arrived:
-the nipple waterers are for chicks too. they take all the headaches out of watering the chicks. the chicks took to them easily and immediately. for my initially 8 but now 7 chicks i drilled 2 nipples into the caps of two small disposable bottles of water and then wired them so they hang and i can easily adjust the height as they grow, which is almost everyday. i fill them up with water and ACV every other day and that's it. A guy named Neil is selling them on here. that's the cheapest way to get them. just do a search.
-if one or some of the chickies don't make it, it hurts really bad. i had one start looking sick on her second day here. she wasn't really growing and she wouldnt drink water. i tried a lot of different things to get her into gear but after 6 days of her listlessness, she died in the night. those 6 days sucked. instead of watching the others be crazy chickens, i spent all my time just staring at her and willing her to live. that was really hard. before they came, i figured that since they were just chickens and i had 8 of them that one dying would be sad but understandable. stupid.
-they don't make as much noise as i thought. sometimes they peep and sometimes they don't. peeping is mostly reserved for when one of them finds something she thinks is special and runs all over the place trying to choke it down before someone steals her prize OR like when one of them jumps and lands on top of another, which is a frequent occurrence OR in the first few days when they peck each other a lot before they figure things out OR when you pick one up and she isn't so sure that's a good idea.
-pine pellets sure do eliminate that dust problem that everyone talks about. we had them in the shed initially but i got tired of sitting in a musty room on a crate so we moved them into the living room without a problem. there is a slight barnyard smell but it's not so strong/offensive and they aren't gonna be here for all that long. no dust in my living room. and though BYC people had me nervous with their talk of the chicks eating the pine pellets and the pellets expanding in their stomach and OH GOD OH GOD. this didn't come to pass and they hardly even peck at the pellets at this point.
here are the things that i learned from doing despite having spent sooooooo much time on this website for months before they arrived:
-the nipple waterers are for chicks too. they take all the headaches out of watering the chicks. the chicks took to them easily and immediately. for my initially 8 but now 7 chicks i drilled 2 nipples into the caps of two small disposable bottles of water and then wired them so they hang and i can easily adjust the height as they grow, which is almost everyday. i fill them up with water and ACV every other day and that's it. A guy named Neil is selling them on here. that's the cheapest way to get them. just do a search.
-if one or some of the chickies don't make it, it hurts really bad. i had one start looking sick on her second day here. she wasn't really growing and she wouldnt drink water. i tried a lot of different things to get her into gear but after 6 days of her listlessness, she died in the night. those 6 days sucked. instead of watching the others be crazy chickens, i spent all my time just staring at her and willing her to live. that was really hard. before they came, i figured that since they were just chickens and i had 8 of them that one dying would be sad but understandable. stupid.
-they don't make as much noise as i thought. sometimes they peep and sometimes they don't. peeping is mostly reserved for when one of them finds something she thinks is special and runs all over the place trying to choke it down before someone steals her prize OR like when one of them jumps and lands on top of another, which is a frequent occurrence OR in the first few days when they peck each other a lot before they figure things out OR when you pick one up and she isn't so sure that's a good idea.
-pine pellets sure do eliminate that dust problem that everyone talks about. we had them in the shed initially but i got tired of sitting in a musty room on a crate so we moved them into the living room without a problem. there is a slight barnyard smell but it's not so strong/offensive and they aren't gonna be here for all that long. no dust in my living room. and though BYC people had me nervous with their talk of the chicks eating the pine pellets and the pellets expanding in their stomach and OH GOD OH GOD. this didn't come to pass and they hardly even peck at the pellets at this point.
- Thread starter
- #39
Awww im sorry! and thanks for the tips!
Your profile says north Wa. Do you mean Wa State? We have a few good info resources. Kohl's downtown B'ham... ask for the chicken expert. I find it easier to address a specific question, you will get plenty of opinions on this site. AND I love some chicken books. Everyone has their favs. mine is "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" Good Luck and Have Fun
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