looking after chicks really young chicks

[skippy56]

Hi there, I am fairly new to chooks. I bought 6 hens amost 2 years ago and it is about time to buy some more. I bought Australorp and Barnevelder hens as they are not broody and I just wanted eggs (and beautiful pets of course). The hens were 10 weeks old when I picked them up and they were too old to be completely comfortable with me. They run around my feet but run like crazy if I need to catch them. So this time around I would like to buy some younger chicks. However, I can't put a heat lamp in their coop as it too far away from a power source and I can't purchase eggs as my girls won't sit on the eggs. Any help would be very much appreciated. I'm sorry if my question is really stupid.

 

[Mahonri]

That's why I have a very, very LONG extension cord that goes to my coop.

I'm on the waiting list for our electrician to come put power into my coop.... we saw him at the grocery store and he hopes it can happen by mid October!

 

[cmom]

If you are starting out with baby chicks you will probably want to put them in a brooder. which you can make out of plastic tubs, kiddie pool, cardbord box, laundry basket. I bought a small mesh wire brooder. and put it in my barn with a 60 watt bulb on top.I didn't introduce them to the coop ontil they were approx 6 weeks old. I will try to add a picture

 

[cmom]

 

[cmom]

I put several sheets of news paper in the bottom and everyday I take out the top poopy sheet of paper.The bottom of the cages are wire. the paper goes in the tray under the bottom of the cages so the poop goes through the wire. I have a shoe box lid in the brooder with some pine shavings in it that they like to scratch and lay in. After a couple of weeks I put a wood dowell through the cage approx 2" off the bottom for them to practice roosting on. I don't have my brooder stacked. I took the wire off the lamp and laid it on top of the cages with a 60 watt bulb. I put the lamp over the area where the shoebox cover is. Also I have a small plastic waterer and a trough feeder.

 

[cmom]

Here are pictures of the waterer and feeder I use.

 

[Shogun99]

What Cmom posted was very good, and you can go the even cheaper route by letting them run around in a cardboard box with a heat lamp and then a waterer and feeder until they're ready to join adult chicken society. If I were you (unless it is too cold where you are)...do that and keep them in the garage like I do (I use a kiddy pool covered in Newspaper), then put them in the coop when they've got their feathers and are ready.

If you keep them in the garage, take them outside for an hour or so so they can get used to the great outdoors!

 

[HaileyandJoliesMom]

We use a extra large dog kennel for our brooder. I picked it up at a garage sale for $10. Also try craigslist.org or your local newspaper.

 

[Chicabee19]

cmom...

That metal feeder is sort of what I was looking to put in my coop when I get my 3 hens.

Do you think it would work, or will older birds knock it over?

thanx!

 

[cmom]

I like this idea. I wish I had thought of it.

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From my experience. I changed to a hanging feeder. I use the deep litter method in my coop.They didn't knock it over but were getting a lot of litter in the feed. When they were young, it worked very well