HELP 1ST OWNING CHICKS DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO

[manaberokuro]

I need help i was given these japanese chicks 1 last friday and i dont know how old they are and i dont know temperature needed for them please help me...and i put cardboard because they have been eating the newspaper and some big pieces please tell me if they be ok even if they ate pieces.

Thank you in advance

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

First--deep breath. You aren't going to kill them.
Second, read this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

They look to be a few weeks old, so temperature isn't as critical. Give them a heat source, and watch them. If they huddle together under the heat, they need it closer for more warmth. If they stay away from the heat, they are too hot. Give them fresh water and chick starter 24/7. Keep them clean--you may want to put some wood shavings in there for them, but the paper will work too. That's pretty much it. They're not as fragile as they seem.

Read and post in the https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks (Raising baby chicks) forum if you have more questions. You'll be fine.

Congratulations on the new babies, and welcome to BYC!

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

They look about maybe 4 weeks old. Are you keeping them indoors or outdoors? If the temp is lower than maybe 50, you'll need to give them a little bit of supplement heat in the form of a heat lamp with a 75 or 100 watt regular lightbulb. As long as they seem comfortable, the temperature if fine. If they are huddled up, they are too cold. If they are trying to get away from the heat and are panting, they are too warm. They will need chick starter to eat. You can buy a small 25 pound bag at most feed stores or at TSC. Some farm stores will allow you to also buy it by the pound, but it is generally less expensive if you get it in a bag. You do not want to give them layer feed or an all corn/scratch grain diet right now.They will also need a chick water container, which can also be purchased at the feed store for less than $5.

They are probably eating the cardboard and newspaper because they are hungry and maybe bored. You can also give them bits of cut up lettuce or cabbage, grass clippings, a little bit of scratch grains or mealworms to curve their boredom.

 

[manaberokuro]

Hi i am from Montreal Canada i was given those do you know what japanese breed they are and theyre sex can be determined at a young age? I am keeping them indoors and the temperature in my room is 29 celcius 84.2 F i keep sweating lol but i dont want them to get cold Thank you for gold information i wish they not rooster

 

[manaberokuro]

They tend to pick their own wings too i dont know if its normal but they dont rip feathers they just look like cleaning themselves i dont know

 

[manaberokuro]

Thank you very much for your information and excuse my english.

 

[manaberokuro]

Do you think i need a lamp if i keep the room heat high? Because the on i have is for aquarium and 15 watts

 

[Zrcalo]

oh wow. naw. you dont need a lamp at all. My room is 83 and I have two 3 day old chicks who are just fine in my room with no heat source.

 

[tec27]

3-4 weeks. 90 degrees roughly. could be less. they will tell you whats too hot and whats too cold.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

You must be sweating! No, you don't need another heat source. You might do better keeping your room cooler and seeing how they react. At three weeks of age or so, they can handle cooler temperatures as long as they have a warm place to go if needed. If they were with a Mama Hen, they would run around out in the cold and only come back underneath her when they got cold, so they don't need to be hot 24/7.

You could put a small light bulb (20 watts) over just one side of the aquarium and see how they act. Then you could keep your room colder and not spend so much money on the heating bill.

If you would like to know if they are pullets or cockerels, you should take a side photo and a close up of the head of each chick and post it in the "what breed or gender is this" thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this and someone will take a guess. It may be that they are too young to sex yet--in that case, you'd just wait a few weeks and try again. There are instructions in a sticky thread found in a light blue box at the top of that forum on exactly what photos to post for breed and gender ID, too.

Again, best wishes.