Hot Wings, Nugget, and The Colonel

[chicchcks]

Hello, I'm a first time owner of three chickens named, from top to bottom, Hot Wings, Nugget, and The Colonel.

So far it's been a great experience! The three of them are about a couple weeks old, a mix of polish and something else... I'm guessing silkie. The dealer I bought them from isn't really clear about the details and have stopped responding to my texts since I bought them. Oh, well!
Since I'm a newbie at chicken keeping I decided to make an account on this site, everyone seems so nice and helpful. I'm very eager and excited to watch my chickens grow and I won't be able to do it without asking many questions and doing tons of research, so, I'll be in your care! Please guide me well.

The chicks currently graze the front and back yard during the day (sometimes the inside of the house), then returns to their cardboard box after dusk where they spend the rest of the night under the warmth of their heatlamp.
I them on a diet of mixed grains, but I am worried that they are not getting the nutrition they need. It is quite hard to find ready made feed and so I mix them by myself. I live in an area where keeping chickens is illegal... so there aren't many stores to buy feed from.
Their feed is a mix of:
Corn meal - 2 parts
flax seeds - 1 part
split peas - 1 part

I ground them up since they seem to ignore the peas and flax. The list is lacking I know, but I also give them two or three from the choices below daily:
Mealworms - 10 worms
Yogurt mixed with cooked rice
A scrambled egg cooked in olive oil, and fresh grated garlic mixed in
Wild bird seeds: millet, quinoa, sunflower, wheat, oats, etc.
Sprouts: quinoa, mung beans, soybeans, safflower, white millet, wheat, buckwheat, alsika, sweet clover

Sometimes I coat/add coconut oil to the above(except the eggs). I also add raw ACV to their water: a gallon of water to a couple or three teaspoons of the ACV. And since they range, and our front yard is crawling with ants, they peck a lot of those.
I would really appreciate feedback on how good their diet is. So if you would, please?

In their box I laid out beddings of shaved aspen and change them every two or three days, depending on how dirty it looks. The box have low sides and I often catch Nugget roosting on it. All three have a bald spot on their right shoulder just above their wing, and I am so worried that they don't have enough space or are stressed out. At nigh they get active at random intervals, and I hear a chick that sounds distressed like it's being attacked though when I look it's too late to tell if that is the case and when I watch them for long periods of time It doesn't happen. Could anyone help me figure out what is happening and what to do to prevent these?

Lastly, a bit about myself. My name is Nappa, 21 years old. I got the chicks after I saw my friend's neighbour's pet silkie named Chicken love! It was a lone friendly rooster that does quick little hops when it gets excited. I was then convinced that chickens are great pets to have! I also have a bunch of mental illnesses. So, I am also keeping the chickens for therapy.

I apologize about the extensive introduction, and I really hope some of you would have answers for me. Thank you for reading even just a bit of this. I really appreciate it.

 

[GitaBooks]

Welcome to BYC! I love the chick names, especially The Colonel.

They are very adorable. I look forward to seeing how they turn out as they grow-up.

Sounds like an amazing diet! They are probably thriving on it! I just buy the cheap store-bought stuff, because we don't have much money but do have 58 chickens! I wish I could give them such a varied, healthy diet. Make sure they are getting plenty of protein and vitamins.

The bald spots are normal on maturing chicks, so if they don't look swollen or sore, it probably is part of the molting/growing in new feathers process. My chicks cheep loudly sometimes when they can't see and fall off of a perch or can't find their way to a preferred perch. They also cheep loudly if they are too cold.

Chickens make amazing pets, and are great therapy animals. I suffer from anxiety and sometimes depression, among other things, and having a living, breathing animal that needs you on your feet each morning, to get off the couch in the afternoon and to get some fresh air in the evening certainly keeps me active, healthy, and focused on something. I find it very nice.

As for it being illegal to keep chickens in your area, you and your friend could try to petition to make it legal. A lot of people are doing this and succeeding in changing laws! It is amazing.

Best of luck!

 

[chicchcks]

Welcome to BYC! I love the chick names, especially The Colonel.


They are very adorable. I look forward to seeing how they turn out as they grow-up.

Sounds like an amazing diet! They are probably thriving on it! I just buy the cheap store-bought stuff, because we don't have much money but do have 58 chickens! I wish I could give them such a varied, healthy diet. Make sure they are getting plenty of protein and vitamins.

The bald spots are normal on maturing chicks, so if they don't look swollen or sore, it probably is part of the molting/growing in new feathers process. My chicks cheep loudly sometimes when they can't see and fall off of a perch or can't find their way to a preferred perch. They also cheep loudly if they are too cold.

Chickens make amazing pets, and are great therapy animals. I suffer from anxiety and sometimes depression, among other things, and having a living, breathing animal that needs you on your feet each morning, to get off the couch in the afternoon and to get some fresh air in the evening certainly keeps me active, healthy, and focused on something. I find it very nice.

As for it being illegal to keep chickens in your area, you and your friend could try to petition to make it legal. A lot of people are doing this and succeeding in changing laws! It is amazing.

Best of luck!

Oh my 50+ chickens! I wish I had a big enough space for that many chickens! Thank you, what you said made me a lot less worried if I am treating them right