Just a general question from a newbie

[siobhan118]

Hi all,

We acquired our new chicks last week and as this is our fist flock I just wanted to check to see that we are doing everything right. We have 4 silkies and 4 brahms, all in a brooding box in our house. We are keeping it nice and warm with a 250 watt bulb and everyone is doing well. We are feeding them organic 20% chick starter and adding the save a chick vitamins to their water. All seem to be doing really well and are active and eating. We've had a little bit of pasty butt but I've been keeping up with it by doing daily "butt checks"

Am I missing anything??? Any tips on what else we should be doing or expecting in the next few weeks?

 

[ButchGood]

Your doing good. Just watch your chicks, they'll tell you when things aren't quite right. The brooder temps you here about. Throw that stuff out. 100 degrees to start and 5 degrees cooler every week is IMHO poppycock. That's to hot. Watch them. if they are piling on top of each other under the light they are to cold. If they are staying away from the light and spread out they are to hot. If they are milling around scratching and acting like chickens, everything is just right. Some folks say keep your birds inside until they are 6 to 8 weeks old...again I say poppycock. I start taking my chicks out at 5 days old. Just watch them. If they get cold or uncomfortable they will let you know with distressing PEEPS. When mine are 2 weeks old they spend most of their time outside. Weather permitting they will spend the night. I put a temporary fence and a shelter in the main chicken run so my grown flock gets use to them. By 3 weeks they are outside 100% of the time. and at 6 weeks they are part of the flock. I have never lost a chick to stress or disease. I lost one last year to a snake at 8 weeks old. The chick was to big for the snake to eat but small enough to be killed. The save a chick in the water is good for the new chicks for the first couple days to help reduce stress. After that just add a little apple cider vinegar with the mother to the water. Not much, just a splash. Don't stress about them to much. They are tough little birds, tougher than some will give them credit for. Just watch and listen to them. They'll let you know what they need.

 

[siobhan118]

Thanks for the info. We love are new flock and our excited to learn and see them grow.

 

[ButchGood]

Yeah, chickens are a blast. Next thing you'll need to learn is chicken math. For instance. When building a coop and run, at the very least, double the size, because you will want more chickens. Trust me.

 

[SobbaChickens]

.....just add a little apple cider vinegar with the mother to the water. ....

??? what is "mother"

I'm a newbie too We're excited about our flock as well

-Katie

 

[SobbaChickens]

Yeah, chickens are a blast. Next thing you'll need to learn is chicken math. For instance. When building a coop and run, at the very least, double the size, because you will want more chickens. Trust me.

shhhhhhh lol This thought has crossed my mind a million times since getting my 6 chicks but I keep telling myself "NO NO NO!"

 

[ButchGood]

shhhhhhh lol This thought has crossed my mind a million times since getting my 6 chicks but I keep telling myself "NO NO NO!"

You better do it. Get it done now. I doubled mine when I started and I had to build 2 more chicken pens and a turkey pen this year. 6 = 13 in chicken math

??? what is "mother"

I'm a newbie too We're excited about our flock as well

-Katie

Get Braggs ACV. Or any other organic ACV that has Mother on the label. Mother of vinegar is the slimy, gummy, jelly-like substance or layer of film that can form on the top of or in the liquid of apple cider vinegar. It can sometimes make the vinegar look cloudy. Sometimes, it's wispy and looks a lot like a little spider web. Its a strain of bacteria that is very good for the immune system

 

[siobhan118]

So I take it that the general ACV that I get at the supermarket isn't what I want for my chicks? As far as chicken math goes, well we were originally going to start with just 4 but we doubled that to 8 already.

 

[nxb161]

Walmart sells ACV w/ Mother. That is what I've been using. I think they've only been selling it there the past 6 months or so.

 

[SobbaChickens]

Thanks ButchGood! I hope my Walmart sells it.

-Katie