Just a hello

Date sort Score sort
yorklady

yorklady

Songster
May 12, 2012
149
7
114
I am a new member to Backyard Chickens. We got our first chickens almost a year ago. Two white leghorn pullets and a white leghorn cockrel. I wanted brown eggs too so we added a Rhode Island Red hen. Then 4 more hens that were sold to us a Rhodies but I have since found that they are more likely Red Stars. All of our hens are lovely creatures but our rooster Brewster loves to flog us and is way more aggressive than we would like. This weekend we bought 3 chicks that we are brooding and will now have to move them to a separate house and pen when they are old enough because I am worried that the older flock won't accept them until they get older. The three new chicks are a Buff Orpington pullet, a Lemon Cuckoo Orpington and Black Copper Marans from a straight run. We are hoping for one hen and one cockrel. I am as nervous as a new mother over raising these chicks. They are darling little critters and are very alert, eating and drinking well and make little chirps. They sound very content but I am a nervous Nelly. Any suggestions for a successful brood would be much appreciated!!! Thanks for having me as a member.
 
Hello,
Yes keep them separated from the other chickens until they are completely feathered out.
Baby chicks need to be kept pretty hot. Think sauna! The first week of their lives they require an air temperature of 95 degrees, the second week 90 degrees, and so on - going down by 5 degrees per week until they're ready to transition to "outside". A 250-watt infrared heat lamp is the best way to achieve this, placed right in the middle of their living area and suspended off the ground. The height of the light will depend on what it takes to achieve your target temperature. We recommend a red heat bulb for a few reasons: one, with a bright white light constantly glaring it can be hard for them to sleep. The red light is darker and provides them some respite. Two, red lights help prevent them from pecking one another.
Also Bedding I like pine, I think its easy cheap and gets the job done.
Chick feed I use medicated starter others may not agree with that, we use that for the first 8 weeks of the chicks life after that we give them what the rest of the chickens get! I hope this answers some of your questions, enjoy the babies they grow up fast!!!
yippiechickie.gif
 
Thank you for the response. It sounds like we are off to a good start. Their brooding pen is 95 degrees We have a laser thermometer that gives a very accurate reading and I am using a red infrared bulb. I used a white bulb the first day but it seemed way too bright so we changed to the red bulb which seems to be much better. The chicks brooding tub is on my antique table in the kitchen and seem to be right at home. We probably only have a month or so to decide what we are going to do for housing them until they are old enough to incorporate them with our older flock!. We have two small dogs, a Havanese and a Yorkie who love our other chickens and wait to be picked up so they can see the new chicks!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom