help a newbi

[buffedbarredandbrahmed]

how do i know if everything is going good. how do i tell if they are disstressed.
they are chrirping alot ,there is food missingthey get fresh water 2times aday and it never runs out. i change there paper daily they are in a container in a warm place . they are trying to jump out of it. i hope this is good because this my first shot at it

 

[lil' Okie]

Well hopefully someone else will reply that knows more than me. But I'll give it a shot,... how old are your chicks? Maybe they're too warm. Or maybe theyre bored, some marbles in the water dish or some little toys hanging for them to play with

 

[go-veggie]

You sound like I sounded a couple months ago! I bet everything is just fine. If you are able to and you want more peace of mind or advice from the people here, you could post a picture or 2 of the chicks and the brooder they're in. Just an idea for you to make you feel better about how they're doing. Good luck!

 

[Guitartists]

Do you have pine (NO cedar) shavings or some other soft surface down for them to walk on? Newspaper can cause slippery footing for young chicks.

Mine are two weeks old and are trying to roost on the sides of their brooder box. Maybe yours are just trying to create some fun

 

[go-veggie]

Quote:
Mine were trying to roost on the sides of the rubbermaid bin brooder they were in too. Boy do they grow fast! You know what, I had the best brooder floor set up ever...I put grit paper under their food on part of it and either paper towel or those absorbent cage liner sheets on the other part. My new chicks come in the morning and I am going to do that again. That grit paper worked out so great! After having guinea pigs for so many years, I just could not open one more bag of pine shavings!

 

[ibpboo]

Everything sounds good to me. You'll need a top soon, some kind of wire, because, yes, baby chickies love to try and escape. They'll sit on the top edge of the container and fly around and chirp and eat, drink, poop. They sound happy!

 

[go-veggie]

Quote:
I have my brooder bin inside of a wire dog crate in our house. It's great because I never have to put a top on the bin, they get great air flow and I hang the light up from the top of the crate-it works awesome! It keeps our cats and kids out too!

 

[wilds of pa]

Also make sure there heat lamp isnt to hot or cold for them..just keep full feed and water 0n them 24-7 and make sure the bedding stays nice and dry..you dont want any wet feed in there as mold can start...

Charlie

 

[buffedbarredandbrahmed]

thanks ppl i am just getting getting back i have been out with a bad case of poison ivy
i get that stuff very bad
i have one more question I ordered 2 buff orpingtons 1 barred rock 1 light brahama from ideal i went in with some one cause i just wanted a few. i lost one of my buffs out of no where. I wake up at least once a night to check on them i woke up at 2 oclock in the morning went in she was peeping alot had plenty of water and food the temp is about 87
degrees. am i doing ok. the barred rock somtimes just sits there somtimes. when i first started this post the barred rock had just been sitting there for atleast 20 min while the others ran and played. i let them out to run around for a few hours everyday and now she is running around. i did notice a little bump between her chest and neck. maybe i am just paranoid since this is my first run. thanks and sorry for the long post


j&k&k

 

[Chirpy]

Hi and Welcome to BYC!

Sounds like you're doing everything right except the paper. As mentioned, chicks should not be on newspaper as it's too slippery and can cause leg problems for them. If they are on paper towels then that's great. Most people use paper towels over pine shavings in the brooder. They take the paper towels away after about a week so they are just on the pine shavings.

This time of year I'd be more concerned with them being overheated than too cold. If they are huddled under the heat lamp - they are cold, if they are spread out or huddled far away from the heat lamp - they are too hot. If they are moving and sleeping all over the place then they are just right.

The marbles in the water are used to keep the chicks from drowning - not for playing. Chicks can actually drown in their waterers so people use marbles or small rocks so that the chicks can reach in between them to get the water but can't fall in and drown.

The little lump you noticed sounds like her "crop". That's where their food goes and after they eat you'll see it much larger than the rest of the time.