mail ordered baby chicks

[kim10261]

i have only been raising chickens for 6 months,i bought 6 baby chicks in april they were 3 days old and 3 turned out to be roosters so I ordered 15 female baby chicks from Ideal,and they are suppose to be mailed this Monday...I cannot tell you how nervous I am, hoping and praying they make the trip okay,i do have a question when setting up their water should I put sugar in it or should I put sav a chick probiotics or sav a chick electrolyte...it says 1 packet mixes into a gallon of water,i do not suppose that 15 baby chicks will drink a gallon of water in 1 day so could I just mix some in a quart of water?any tips you guys can offer will sure be welcomed,i have the brooder all set up and before I pick them up I will turn the red light on so it can be warming everything up,and I will take 1 chick out at a time and dip their little beaks in the water what else do I need to do besides let them rest for a day before interacting with them...gosh I cannot believe I am so nervous I suppose because of them being shipped and so young,Ideal is in texas only 1 state away so it should be a quick travel for them

 

[blynn025]

I always go with Pedialyte myself. I never ordered more than 4 chicks at a time and it's easier to deal with the pedialyte, which is basically the same thing. I go with a 3 to one ratio. 3 parts water 1 part pedialyte. Then you can store any unused portion in the fridge. Plus, if any chick starts going down, you can warm the pedialyte (so it's room temp if its been in the fridge) and feed pure pedialyte until the chick starts coming back. I've brought two back from the brink that way. When they start doing better I mix their food with yogurt and they bounce back in no time. Hope this helps

 

[sarahandbray]

I actually save my old gallons of orange juice or milk. Clean them out, then mix the mixture in that. I used the Quik Chik from McMurray but also have used Sav-A-Chick from TSC. I used it for several weeks and never had a chick with pasty butt and lost no chicks at all.

Good luck!
Sarah

 

[HighStreetCoop]

i do have a question when setting up their water should I put sugar in it or should I put sav a chick probiotics or sav a chick electrolyte...it says 1 packet mixes into a gallon of water,i do not suppose that 15 baby chicks will drink a gallon of water in 1 day so could I just mix some in a quart of water?

Yes. Each pack divides up into four heaping 1/4 teaspoons pretty easily. Open the pack, add one 1/4 tsp scoop of each to the quart jar, fill with water and you're good to go. I've been doing this since last Thursday with good results. My 10 chicks go through about half the quart each day.