Ideal Poultry - Shipping Wednesday *06/27/12* - Anyone Else??

[debir1966]

I am getting so excited, in just a few more days, we will have our chickies!

Anyone else getting chicks this week, from Ideal or anywhere else (including hatchings)? I would love to have some "raising" buddies!

We are setting up the first brooder tonight, just cardboard boxes. We are going to use pine shavings with paper towels on top at first.

We are not using medicated chick starter but going to use a small feed-store self mix. It already has grit and everything else they need in it.

I am planning on trying to get them to use chicken nipples, we still have to make the bottles with the nipples up and hangers, but just in case, we went ahead and got two little chick waterers.

Also, we are not using a heat lamp, I splurged and got the Brinsea EcoGlow 50.

I will get pics of everything as we get it set up. I can't wait to get the shipping email and hoping the chicks are here by Friday!

I ordered 20 laying chicks, 10 meat chicks and 5 turkeys! I don't know if they will all come in the same box or two seperate or if we will get any packing peanuts if they ship them in two boxes. Planning on asking them when they call (at least, I have heard they will call... I may call them LOL). It is pretty warm here, so I don't think packing peanuts will be needed actually.

I still need to pick up some Apple Cider Vinegar. I have not found any natural locally and don't want to pay the exorbitant internet prices for it!

Hope I get some buddies to share along on our chick raising journey!

Debi

 

[CAjerseychick]

Am petrified we werent sure we could get my chosen chicken breed-- Black New Jersey Giants-- so we went ahead and ordered 15 vaccinated hen chicks from CA hatchery--should arrive July 11 or 12th or so--
I think I understand the basic principles of chick raising but never have before-- we have a coop and are building a temporary run (our septic is being redone and it is complicating our coop/run design) on Wed...we have a feeder and waterer but not for chicks and were going to do the litter with paper towel method too-- have a huge box 4x4ft I think which should be enough for 15 chicks and are going to get a heat lamp soon--will check back with you and compare notes-- I think I have too many chicks (I will start another thread for that)--

 

[CAjerseychick]

PS I have found good cheap organic apple cider vinegar at Trader Joes if you have one in your area (waay cheaper than the food coop)...

 

[debir1966]

Hi CAjerseychick!

I love the Black Jersey Giants also, and wanted to get a couple hens, but they didn't have them when I ordered from Ideal. I got the Black Australorps instead and eventually want to still get a couple Jersey Giant hens.

Your 4x4 box should be plenty big for quite a while! We are planning on keeping the chicks in the house for a week or two, then they are going into a bigger brooder out in the barn, then into the new chicken house we are currently building until they are big enough to free range and join the 10 chickens we already have.

I know I have too many chicks LOL, but I would have ordered more if they would have had the other breeds I wanted. My husband has already said we should have planned on building the new chicken house bigger hahaha - it is going to be 8x12 - he is going to build it so we can add on later when *not if* needed

 

[captainroo2]

We are getting 32 chicks on wednesday; Ii got an e-mail yesterday teling me they had shipped. We are getting them from Ideal, and this is our first time ordering chicks from anyone. We ordered 20 Buff Orphingtons, and 12 RIR, all females... We are already setting the area up for their arrival. Two Heat lamps, two brooders (one is a carboard lawnmower box) the other is a metal watering trougth from TSC.

We have the 'Food Gel' powder ready for them, plus Medicated starter food... and are praying a lot.

We have 18 chickens already, and (8) 6 weeks old chicks that our broody hen hatched.

 

[debir1966]

captainroo2 welcome!

I am jealous you will be getting chicks tomorrow! Did they say if they were shipping one or two boxes since you are getting 32? I am wondering about our order of 30 chicks and 5 poults if we will get one or two.

I am just going to set up two cardboard boxes for now, but my husband wants to do some plastic tubs. That is fine with me if we can fandangle them together because I just have the one Brinsea and so whatever we use has to have an adjustable-able wall between the two brooders to share the Brinsea!

I ordered the one big Brinsea before I read that turkey poults can/might? pick on chicks.... I had originally just planned on keeping them together for the first 2 weeks.

The 50 chick Brinsea is HUGE.. I wish now that I had gotten two of the smaller ones, but will have to make do and be inventive LOL.

What I have left to do is put the chick brooder together and find at least 1 more quart jar for now incase I need to use one of the normal waterers instead of the chicken nipples. I will be keeping the poults in with the chicks for the first week as I have read that the chicks will help to teach the poults to eat and drink.

Eventually I want to build a permanent starting brooder structure as I plan to raise chicks quite often. Several times a year for meat chickens and a handful of chicks a year as replacements layers.

I am also trying to incubate 20 turkey eggs my Dad surprised me with a while ago. No clue if it is going to be successful or not, we will be doing our first candling this coming weekend. I do know that if I ever decide to incubate eggs again, I am going to do some modifications to the old Brower incubator that my Dad brought with the turkeys. I am going to add a fan and an auto turner!

 

[captainroo2]

Thanks
They said in their e-mail that it could be seperate boxes, but not positive. We are all excited about their arrival tomorrow. My wife and son (45) are jumping up and down. Like I said earlier, this is our first time with having day old chicks shipped, and it will be a new experience.

Good Luck and god bless.

 

[CAjerseychick]

Hey all its the first time for me ordering too (and of course right after I ordered, I found an ad on Craigslist for Jersey Giants-- the first one ALL YEAR- so got those too)...
We built the Purina Coop-- I think it is only designed for 8 standard hens-- my dad is in town (he is much handier then me)-- so we are going to knock off one side and try to at least double the size....
And we will see how many adult birds I actually end up with...
What was the apple cider vinegar for? I am certainly going to start with medicated feed, and diatamateous (sp?) sand....
But anything else?

 

[debir1966]

captainroo2: my daughter (5) and son (14) are almost as excited as I am LOL. I am wondering about "packing peanuts", extra roos to keep the chickies warm if you have less than 25 per box. Did they give you call also or just an email that they shipped? This is basically my first experience as well since it has been since the late 80's that my Mom last did an order! This is my first order. We used to raise alot of chicks when I was a kid, but that has been many years ago LOL.

CAjerseychick: here is a great link about ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) : http://poultrykeeper.com/health-suppliments/apple-cider-vinegar I really wanted to have some on hand, but we don't have a Traders Joes, we live in a very small town somewhat remote from a big city. I am going to pick some up this weekend when we go shopping in the valley.

I can't wait to get my email tomorrow, I am as nervous as a hen on eggs *wink*

 

[galefrances]

I just got my chicks today from My Pet Chicken. I already had two chicks from them who are two weeks old now. So total of 12 chicks. I have them in one large brooder with a divider in between so they don't mix yet. Two lamps, two sets of feeders and waterers. My living room is a mess with pine shavings everywhere! They're on medicated starter feed until they are 8 wks. I mix in a little parakeet gravel for grit in their feed if I give them treats. And I change, change, change the waterer all day long. Anyone know how to keep them from throwing pine shavings into their water? I tried elevating the waterer, but they still manage to get it in there.

I'm open to any advice. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I should have stay with just a few to start out.