Lost two so far and one on a steep down word slope.

[BigRedRoo]

 

[neverbdone]

Nice

 

[ivan3]

Thanks for that boost. I was also thinking I should expand the brooder ... I can open the doors and use a closet door to make another wall, move the lights farther out so its on the edge of the cabinet. Thanks for the idea on shirts and towels as I have hunting dogs we have Three laundri tubs full of towels and thats allot cheaper than using paper towel. Moths would be fun if I can catch them. They seem to have really opend up to the meal worms. The first time I put two in and they all ran from them. Today I put a few in their on my hand and a couple liked them. but not a whole lot of interest. So I just tryed again but this time I put like 25 or 30 of them on my hands and before the minute was up they were going crazy running around eating them up and acting like true birds. At what point can I take them off of towels and put them on shavings?

Change to the chips whenever (if they are already well adjusted to the regular starter there is little chance they'll try to eat the chips). Tossing damp meal worms onto the crumbles can speed up their ability to identify the feed. This is how they'll look, sleeping, if happy with the temp.

 

[BigRedRoo]

I think I need to make the box larger today. They are going crazy for the meal worms. But when I changed the towel this moring two of them decided it was going to be fun to pull the towel back and I watched them eat shavings before I could stop it and cover it back up.
I dont know what to do to get them to stop eating shavings except to just let it happen and leave lots of fresh food and mabe some meal worms on the feed to encorage them eating the feed and forget about the shaving long enough for them to move onto better things. any thoughts?

 

[BigRedRoo]

So I pulled the towels off and they all started eating the shavings. Ive coved it all back up and expanded the hutch but this is driving me crazy. Why r they eating the shavings. its not like they pick it up and drop it either. I Had one pick up a shaving as big as it was and tryed to eat it. At first it was kinda funny but now its just down right dumb. I left them for five minutes but they didnt stop. I put meal worms on their feed and they didnt even bother. now the meal worms have dissapeared into the feed!

 

[BigRedRoo]

 

[ivan3]

Have you actually seen any of them glomming down crumbles from the feeder? Usually, once they get started, they'll be observed `wolfing' it down. Dump the feed that is infested with meal worms (remove worms, place them on a square of tin foil and place back down in brooder - sometimes the shiny material will attract the poults to what's on it - often, this method is used to get them to start eating their regular crumbles), don't want those worms becoming Darkling Beetles.

Have never had any poults that were obsessed by chips.

 

[BigRedRoo]

Ive got lots of bettels thats not a problem, Ive got a meal worm farm on the go with a few thousand worms and beatles. Yes Iv watched them scarf the food from the feeder and even had then eat a few hundred meal worms out of my hand. Ive never had anything be so obsessed about eating shavings. Anythoughts on what the shaving might do to them? .... anyone?

 

[ivan3]

Shavings can cause crops to become impacted/sour, can also cause internal puncture wounds. We have used Suncoast Brand chips for years. So far, those poults hatched by hens haven't gone for them. Example of size of those chips below (along with a `Cicada Killer'). You might try changing out and using sand. They will eat sand, but not so much they'll harm themselves (more like grit intake). Only problem with sand is that without a high ridge around brooder floor the stuff will get out and about. ed: corrected info.

 

[BigRedRoo]

That was my theory on the whole thing now Im lost I dont know what to do. ill try again tomorow and see what happens