Introducing the Ideal Dozen

[aart]

Oh, What Fun!

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh, What Fun!

Quality time with my 15yo.

He's thinking of naming his Cochins Alfredo, Nugget, and Kabob -- in keeping with our tradition of giving all chickens food names.

 

[Tre3hugger]

The ideal dozen are lookin good! Interesting breed choices. Look forward to seeing them grow!

 

[3KillerBs]

The ideal dozen are lookin good! Interesting breed choices. Look forward to seeing them grow!

The main order was supposed to come from Welp on June 2nd with more of my beloved Blue Australorps, some Delawares, and some others but it was delayed (see here).

I'm still experimenting with finding the breeds I like best so I've got the Langshans and the Marans here. DH wanted barred birds and I picked Dominiques because he works at an American Revolution historic site and they're a historic breed and the 15yo wanted Cochins.

He *really* wanted bantam cochins but I talked him into the full-size for now after having several people here tell me that the bantams were so docile and submissive that they weren't likely to fit into the flock well. I don't have facilities for a separate flock of only bantams right now.

 

[3KillerBs]

All the little backsides are clean and dry now. I'm putting them to bed with the 150w bulb since it's going to be much warmer tonight.

Of course I'll check on them when I wake up.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

They’re super cute!!

 

[3KillerBs]

4:49am. I approach the brooder. I realize that they're not peeping and my heart drops.

The door screeches open, grating against the metal awning.

12 chicks, loosely grouped in the vicinity of the heat lamp, blink sleepily in the light of my headlamp.

Some of them peep softly as I move them off the thermometer so I can read it. 65 ambient. 95 under the 150w reptile night bulb.

 

[3KillerBs]

These are not the chicken tenders you were looking for.

I needed to capture and contain the chicks so that I could take up the paper towels and inspect all the little pasty butts. What better container than the old breader container that the deli had gotten rid of? (I scored a pickle bucket and two of these big containers this week).

I only had 3 messy behinds to clean up this time.

Here's the remodeled brooder with training perch, huddle box, and a place for the wet mash dish.

Speaking of that wet mash, I need to find something better for it than the jar lid. Rectangular by preference so they can all eat at once because it's a madhouse when they spot it. Once the first chick starts to peck they all pile on.

I'm going to give it several times a day until the pasty butt is gone and then not more than once a day -- probably midday when it's hot.

 

[3KillerBs]

We also scored a beat-up picnic fly from DH's work this week so I'm going to set that over the brooder for some shade. It's a bit over 90 in there even with all the vents open and the heat lamp unplugged today. 89 ambient so not much I can do other than get some shade over the roof and keep the wet mash coming.

 

[3KillerBs]

SHADE!