Last Minute Questions

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lbfdap21

Songster
Dec 1, 2021
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Hi BYC! My first ever poults are set to ship out on Wednesday and I am anxiously/excitedly awaiting their arrival. In the meantime, I'm reading through as many new BYC threads as I can trying to make sure I have everything ready to go, and its brought up some new questions for me:

- Is it too soon for me to fill the brooder with bedding? I'm planning on using sand, although I will put paper towels over that for the first day or two.

- I bought these nipple waterers, but then read elsewhere that the babies are not strong enough to use nipples for the first week or two. Do I need to get a tray style waterer as well to start them off?

- What heat setting should the MHP be at? I got this one from Amazon.

- How high off the ground should I set the waterers and feeders? Since I've never had birds before, I'm not quite sure how tall they will be.

- I bought Nutri-drench to put in their water. How many days should I give that to them?

- Are there any other supplements/first aid items I should have on hand before they arrive?
 
lbfdap21 said:
- Is it too soon for me to fill the brooder with bedding? I'm planning on using sand, although I will put paper towels over that for the first day or two.
Click to expand...
Put the bedding and the waterer in the brooder a day ahead of time and get it warmed up for them.
lbfdap21 said:
- How high off the ground should I set the waterers and feeders? Since I've never had birds before, I'm not quite sure how tall they will be.
Click to expand...
Set the waterer and the feeder right on the bedding. Poults naturally peck at things on the ground. I sprinkle a high protein turkey or game bird starter directly on the sand bedding I use. My poults will usually start eating within 15 minutes of being place in the brooder. It may take them several days to figure out the stuff in the feeder is the same food. I continue to sprinkle feed on the bedding until I see them eating from the feeder.
lbfdap21 said:
- What heat setting should the MHP be at? I got this one from Amazon.
Click to expand...
I use a GQF brooder heater set so that the temperature at the bedding level is 90°F for the first week.
lbfdap21 said:
- I bought Nutri-drench to put in their water. How many days should I give that to them?
Click to expand...
At least the first week.
 
lbfdap21 said:
- What heat setting should the MHP be at? I got this one from Amazon.
Click to expand...
I have the same from 2016. I had it on high the first week, but the brooder is a galvanized stock tank in the basement.
When they act hot go to medium...
Make sure there's no way they can get between the heating pad and frame or hung up between cover. I put a zipper travel size pillow case over the whole thing with the cord coming out where the zipper closes.
I would set it up so you can see what needs tweaking.
 
I'm going to hang the MHP from the vented "roof" of the brooder so (A) I don't have to worry about anyone getting stuck between the frame and wall of the pool and (B) make it easy to adjust the height. Hopefully this is not a terrible idea??

Follow up question: how do you keep track of which poult is which?
 

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