Introducing Myself Again---Wanting to Share

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Doughnut

Doughnut

In the Brooder
10 Years
Mar 8, 2009
28
2
34
Oregon
Hello everyone. I introduced myself awhile ago but haven't posted since then. Thanks to this wonderful forum of knowledge I decided to buy 12 baby chicks. I picked the cuties up last Friday so it has been four glorious days of mothering them. Well, sadly one baby passed away Friday night, so there are only 11 now. But they are doing great.

I monitor the heat very carefully. Change their water three times a day. Clean their food container twice daily. Clean their pine shavings twice daily.

This is the first time raising/having chickens and I want to make sure I am doing everything right.

Anyway, the chicks are 3 Americaunas, 2 Mottled Houdans, 3 Silkie White Batams and 3 Gold Laced Polish.

I do have a question. After doing a lot of research I am confused about wether to pick up the babies and get them used to being handled or not touching them until they are older. I've read that handling them will cause stress and could kill them.

Hope you don't mind if I ask more questions. I want the babies to be healthy and happy.

Thanks.
 
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Hello and welcome! I left my chicks alone to get acclimated and rest on their first day. I figured their tiny little bodies were already stressed to the maximum. The second day I started hand feeding them, I'd also get my finger in the brooder and scratch around at the pine shavings. I've been handling them (for short periods) every day since they were three days old. Their loud chirping is probably a good indication they are stressing out.
 
Hi! I'm also fairly new to this. My chicks are now 8 wks old and just moved to their coop a few days ago. We also gave them a day to rest and then started handling them. They seemed to scamper away from me every time we reached into the brooder but since they have been in the coop, they are totally different!. They don't mind being picked up or petted. I wonder if when in the brooder pen they only saw our hands reaching down from above and maybe saw us like birds of prey? Anyway, they are quite different and actually pretty friendly since the move. I think the handling helped.
 
Ask away or use the search feature. There is a wealth of knowledge here. We'll even answer questions not asked.

I noticed you said you are cleaning the pine shavings twice a day. Does this mean you are changing them out twice a day or just removing the wet spots and raking them? I don't use pine shavings so I don't have the first hand experience, but I've noticed many people remove the wet spots and stir the shavings regularly but only change out the shavings when they get dirty or damp. It will depend on the size brooder and number of chicks, but often once a week for changeout is a number I see posted.

Good Luck!!
 
I left my chicks alone to get acclimated and rest on their first day. I figured their tiny little bodies were already stressed to the maximum. The second day I started hand feeding them, I'd also get my finger in the brooder and scratch around at the pine shavings. I've been handling them (for short periods) every day since they were three days old.

I did the same. I used a modified kitty scoop to clean up after the girls and eventually they got so used to it they would jump on it and go for a ride.

The special girls, the selected girls that were handled frequently, slept on my lap and hung out in the kitchen with me. Not quite like the ducklings but cute nevertheless.​
 

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