Illinois...

[Faraday40]

Hi All! So glad I found you! Thank you Justso for directing me here!

I'm a newbie in the far west Chicago suburbs. I received (6) "4-9 week old" pullets the last week of February from McMurray. I think they were pretty close to 4 weeks old but you guys can probably tell me better...
View attachment 1344788

So on April 1st I lost one of them. Today they would be close to 11 weeks old if they were 4 weeks old when I received them.

So today I received a "started pullet" who could be 15 - 22 weeks old from McMurry. I'm sure you guys can tell me approx how old she is...
View attachment 1344795

That's a terrible picture!!! So I have her next to but separate from the others with her own shelter, food and water. I will probably bring her in the house at night since the run addition is not as critter proof as the main coop, and since winter will not go away!!

View attachment 1344798

So what I am wondering is since my existing flock are all young, and obviously younger than the new hen, will it be easier to integrate her into the flock? Or will that not matter?

I'm in DuPage and only about 30 min from you.

You should have no troubles integrating your flock. Whenever the number of the younger birds outnumbers the older ones, it's pretty easy. (ie, I have a handful of 2 wk old chicks that we didn't sell, so I added them to the big brooder full of babies. They all play nice together.) If reverse & adding just 1-2 babies into an older group, the bigger ones may gang up. It can be done, but it takes longer. When in doubt, always use the look but don't peck method. Better to intro slowly & safely than deal with pecking & added stress.

 

[scayne62]

I am from 6 Miles west of the Indiana border and 25 miles north of Danville IL in the little town of Hoopeston. Just got our first flock and are getting ready to transition them into the coop....if I ever get it finished with this questionable unreliable weather.

 

[Faraday40]

I am from 6 Miles west of the Indiana border and 25 miles north of Danville IL in the little town of Hoopeston. Just got our first flock and are getting ready to transition them into the coop....if I ever get it finished with this questionable unreliable weather.

The weather's been rough up here too, but I'm trying to make the best of it. I built a "snow chicken" last week = which my chickens quickly ate.

 

[BReeder!]

NEED HELP
This group had been great over the past few weeks, so I am hoping you can assist me once again. One of my Brahma chicks has wet poop. It's brown and wet. Sorta like soften milk chocolate for comparison. Any idea what may be going on?
I got all 5 birds when they were just a few days old. 2 brahma, 1 cuckoo maran, 1 gold laced wyandotte, and 1 spotted sussex. Only the one brahma is having wet poop. I started them out on medicated chick feed until they finished a 5 lb bag and then switched to a non-medicated chick feed. 2 weeks ago I introduced grit and oyster shell together in small quantities sprinkled in the bedding. Bedding is pine shavings. Brooder is 2ft x 4ft. I removed the the heat lamp nearly a week ago now after bringing temp down 5 degrees per week. Brooder is in the garage which stays in the mid 60s thanks to a garage heater. Chicks have not explored outside yet - I was really hoping to move them this coming weekend but am worried now about this brahma's health.

 

[Faraday40]

NEED HELP
This group had been great over the past few weeks, so I am hoping you can assist me once again. One of my Brahma chicks has wet poop. It's brown and wet. Sorta like soften milk chocolate for comparison. Any idea what may be going on?
I got all 5 birds when they were just a few days old. 2 brahma, 1 cuckoo maran, 1 gold laced wyandotte, and 1 spotted sussex. Only the one brahma is having wet poop. I started them out on medicated chick feed until they finished a 5 lb bag and then switched to a non-medicated chick feed. 2 weeks ago I introduced grit and oyster shell together in small quantities sprinkled in the bedding. Bedding is pine shavings. Brooder is 2ft x 4ft. I removed the the heat lamp nearly a week ago now after bringing temp down 5 degrees per week. Brooder is in the garage which stays in the mid 60s thanks to a garage heater. Chicks have not explored outside yet - I was really hoping to move them this coming weekend but am worried now about this brahma's health.

Is every poop like that or just once in a while. Chickens make cecal poop about once in every 10 poops. It's more liquidy and stinky..... and perfectly normal. To find out, put the chick alone in a plastic tote with paper towel floor. You'll get a nice droppings selection to look at.

Changing feed can also cause it- which you just did. Some are more sensitive to such changes. She could also have eaten something - like some found molding feed - and it's causing some gut issues. You could also check out the date on the feed bag. (usually a tag sewed into the seam of the bag) If the date is more than a month ago, then the old feed could be a big contributing factor. I'd hold off on oyster shell until they get close to laying.

Does the chick seem lethargic, puffed up like she's cold, and/or have blood in any of the poops? (I'm thinking cocci.) Medicated feed is a preventative but won't cure it they have it.

Any pasty butt? (poop stuck to vent area) That can cause some problems too.

Anyway, those are some ideas to look into.

 

[BReeder!]

Is every poop like that or just once in a while. Chickens make cecal poop about once in every 10 poops. It's more liquidy and stinky..... and perfectly normal. To find out, put the chick alone in a plastic tote with paper towel floor. You'll get a nice droppings selection to look at.

Changing feed can also cause it- which you just did. Some are more sensitive to such changes. She could also have eaten something - like some found molding feed - and it's causing some gut issues. You could also check out the date on the feed bag. (usually a tag sewed into the seam of the bag) If the date is more than a month ago, then the old feed could be a big contributing factor. I'd hold off on oyster shell until they get close to laying.

Does the chick seem lethargic, puffed up like she's cold, and/or have blood in any of the poops? (I'm thinking cocci.) Medicated feed is a preventative but won't cure it they have it.

Any pasty butt? (poop stuck to vent area) That can cause some problems too.

Anyway, those are some ideas to look into.

I switched the feed a few weeks back. They pounded through that first 5 lb bag quickly. I will check the date on the current fed bag. No blood. No pasty butt currently - both brahmas had pasty butts frequently during the first two weeks but then it went away.

 

[Justso]

I am from 6 Miles west of the Indiana border and 25 miles north of Danville IL in the little town of Hoopeston. Just got our first flock and are getting ready to transition them into the coop....if I ever get it finished with this questionable unreliable weather.

Let's fi

Hi All! So glad I found you! Thank you Justso for directing me here!

I'm a newbie in the far west Chicago suburbs. I received (6) "4-9 week old" pullets the last week of February from McMurray. I think they were pretty close to 4 weeks old but you guys can probably tell me better...
View attachment 1344788

So on April 1st I lost one of them. Today they would be close to 11 weeks old if they were 4 weeks old when I received them.

So today I received a "started pullet" who could be 15 - 22 weeks old from McMurry. I'm sure you guys can tell me approx how old she is...
View attachment 1344795

That's a terrible picture!!! So I have her next to but separate from the others with her own shelter, food and water. I will probably bring her in the house at night since the run addition is not as critter proof as the main coop, and since winter will not go away!!

View attachment 1344798

So what I am wondering is since my existing flock are all young, and obviously younger than the new hen, will it be easier to integrate her into the flock? Or will that not matter?

good to have you!
What a great coop!

 

[Justso]

I am from 6 Miles west of the Indiana border and 25 miles north of Danville IL in the little town of Hoopeston. Just got our first flock and are getting ready to transition them into the coop....if I ever get it finished with this questionable unreliable weather.

Welcome!
You MUST be getting better weather than me, it's snowing again tonight. Please send your weather up here!

 

[BReeder!]

just wanted to share some pics of our girls.
I am in Plainfield, IL. Anybody have opinions and when to move the birds outside. I was intending to do so this weekend - good willing my one brahma starts pooping fine again. They are 6 weeks old now. The weather has been all over lately. They are staying around 65 degrees right now in the garage. It ids supposed to be in the low to mid 50s this weekend. Is that too low still? Would a 10 degree shift in temp be hard on the birds? Night time can still dip into 30s right now. Will they be fine in the coop at these temps? Any harm in waiting 1 mlre week?

 

[Faraday40]

just wanted to share some pics of our girls.
I am in Plainfield, IL. Anybody have opinions and when to move the birds outside. I was intending to do so this weekend - good willing my one brahma starts pooping fine again. They are 6 weeks old now. The weather has been all over lately. They are staying around 65 degrees right now in the garage. It ids supposed to be in the low to mid 50s this weekend. Is that too low still? Would a 10 degree shift in temp be hard on the birds? Night time can still dip into 30s right now. Will they be fine in the coop at these temps? Any harm in waiting 1 mlre week?

By 6 weeks they should be pretty much all feathered out. Being outside during the day - no problem. Technically, they should be able to handle the cold but you may want to put them inside the garage on those colder nights (like mid to low 30s). Some of it depends on how they were kept warm. A broody hen or heat plate or "mama heating pad" seems to make the chicks handle the cold & temp swings a little easier than chicks raised with heat lamps. It always surprises me when I see chicks only a few days old running about when there's snow on the ground. Right now, I have chicks that will turn 1 week old tomorrow. They've been in the unheated garage all their life without complaints. (Of course they have an adopted mama keeping them warm.)