i’ve got questions

[Alyssa-Bee]

great idea in reference to the coop.

as for the temps. what should the ideal temp be ? someone told me it looks like nugget might be around 2-3 weeks old

I don't think she is quite at the two week mark. Maybe 1.5 weeks? The temp should be around 85-90 Fahrenheit. If she is huddled under the lamp, it is too cold, if she is trying to stay away from it or panting, it is too hot.

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

Make sure if/when you get some friends, that they are girls,too. Lots of chicks sold as sexed pullets(girls) are not 100% accurate. You can look into auto sexing and sex link chicks who can be the most accurate when sexed at hatch. Although, I guess chicks are pretty hard to come by at this time of year, so not time to be picky!

 

[rosemarythyme]

great idea in reference to the coop.

as for the temps. what should the ideal temp be ? someone told me it looks like nugget might be around 2-3 weeks old

I agree with maybe 1 1/2 weeks, 2 weeks tops. So temperature on the warm side should be around 80ish, and in the 70s on the cool side, and ideally you want to see her not spending all her time huddled directly under the lamp, nor as far away as possible. Food and water should be on cool side (which is what you have right now).

 

[ladizzlee]

checked the temps this afternoon the floor on the lamp side is 92 and cool side is 81. it seems to hang out mostly in the middle of the tub.

 

[rosemarythyme]

checked the temps this afternoon the floor on the lamp side is 92 and cool side is 81. it seems to hang out mostly in the middle of the tub.

That's exactly the behavior you want to see, that the chick does not only stay under the heat (too cold) or completely away (too hot). Somewhere in the middle is perfect.

 

[ladizzlee]

so i’ve been reading... dust baths lol. when do i start this and what do i do exactly ? i’m going to attempt to do some research on that now.

also what else can i give the nug to eat. all it eats now is the chick feed and a piece of banana two days ago

 

[rosemarythyme]

so i’ve been reading... dust baths lol. when do i start this and what do i do exactly ? i’m going to attempt to do some research on that now.

also what else can i give the nug to eat. all it eats now is the chick feed and a piece of banana two days ago

Especially while they're babies, chick feed is the best thing for them. It's too easy to overfeed treats while they're still tiny.

Dust bath really can be anything the chick can roll around in - plain dirt, for example. Don't use anything that has fertilizers or other potentially toxic add ins.

 

[ladizzlee]

Especially while they're babies, chick feed is the best thing for them. It's too easy to overfeed treats while they're still tiny.

Dust bath really can be anything the chick can roll around in - plain dirt, for example. Don't use anything that has fertilizers or other potentially toxic add ins.

okay but what i just put like a plate of dirt in there ? lol

another question what is chick grit or “scratch”??? i’m reading through a food forum now and those words come up often

 

[rosemarythyme]

okay but what i just put like a plate of dirt in there ? lol

another question what is chick grit or “scratch”??? i’m reading through a food forum now and those words come up often

Yes, a small tray of dirt would work fine.

Grit are tiny rocks that chickens use to break down what they eat, in lieu of teeth. There's different sizes of grit, so you need to provide grit to suit the age of your bird.

Scratch is a mix of seeds and grains for chickens to "scratch" around for. It's the equivalent of chicken candy. A little bit is ok once the bird is older, but don't overfeed scratch as it tends to be high in fat and low in protein.

 

[ladizzlee]

Nugget got a new friend, Strip. i also think they’re from the same family since hubby found the second one in the same spot