Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[Blooie]

Here are Phoenix (in the back) and Blizzard, in front. Ah, would that all chicks were so easy to tell at 4.5 weeks old! Phoenix is the one we found "dead" in the run. Looks pretty good, huh?

Sweetie Pie (now known as "Wilbur" for some dumb reason. Our Cream Legbar roo.

Blizzard and Yokel.

 

[junebuggena]

My most recent batch of chicks, 2-week old, have almost outgrown supplemental heat. The pad is on the lowest setting, and room temp is about 60*. They barely use their cave.

 

[Blooie]

My most recent batch of chicks, 2-week old, have almost outgrown supplemental heat. The pad is on the lowest setting, and room temp is about 60*. They barely use their cave.

Doesn't take them long, does it? Love the one of the roost acting like the whole place belongs to him/her! We just went out and checked on ours since it's the first time the portals have been opened and left that way for good - they are all in their brooder, some on top of MHP, Sluf peeking out from underneath, and 3 of them sleeping about a foot from the cave. It's a relatively warm night compared to what we've had - 40 degrees - and they are so content.

 

[dyorto]

Very cute pics of all the chicks.

 

[COChix]

Here are some shots of our six week olds, fully integrated with the adult flock and thriving.

Here is what I found tonight at bedtime, they are practicing roosting. Figured I would go back later and see where the ended up, as roosting time in our coop is fairly brutal at bedtime. My guess was they would be on the floor.

Sure enough they ended up right where their brooder use to be....maybe tomorrow night they will be brave and stay on the roosts.

 

[Liddy]

Awwwww...what cuties they all are! Thanks for sharing.

I will be thinking of them tomorrow while I am pulling together five more brooders for whatever the two surprise packs from Cackle contain next week. I figure the kiddie pool will serve for any ducks, any poults can go in with my EE chicks, and the rest can be spread out over four new 2` by 4` brooder accommodations. UPS brought my 4 new heating pads yesterday from Amazon. I got the Grow Gel and the soda bottle nipple caps last week. Today I came home with plenty of hardware cloth. Time to charge the drill and set up the assembly line!

I love being able to make things for myself. These past two years have been so empowering! I love my new Life With Chickens!!

 

[Blooie]

Awwwww...what cuties they all are! Thanks for sharing.

I will be thinking of them tomorrow while I am pulling together five more brooders for whatever the two surprise packs from Cackle contain next week. I figure the kiddie pool will serve for any ducks, any poults can go in with my EE chicks, and the rest can be spread out over four new 2` by 4` brooder accommodations. UPS brought my 4 new heating pads yesterday from Amazon. I got the Grow Gel and the soda bottle nipple caps last week. Today I came home with plenty of hardware cloth. Time to charge the drill and set up the assembly line!

I love being able to make things for myself. These past two years have been so empowering! I love my new Life With Chickens!!

Yayyy! Um, you really are going to have a lot of fluffy hineys running around your place, huh?

@COChix Isn't it funny how they act like big shots all day long, and when night time rolls around they still revert to being helpless little babies?

Great pics!

 

[junebuggena]

Now, I need to take a picture to show you all were my 6 week olds have chosen to sleep. First thing tomorrow, promise. You won't believe it, till you see it.

 

[Blooie]

Now, I need to take a picture to show you all were my 6 week olds have chosen to sleep. First thing tomorrow, promise. You won't believe it, till you see it.

I ain't a good waiter.

 

[COChix]

@COChix
 Isn't it funny how they act like big shots all day long, and when night time rolls around they still revert to being helpless little babies?     Great pics!

Thanks. Yes, it is funny to watch some of the behaviors unfold. But hey, the older girls ruthless when it comes to roosting space at bedtime, even though there is more than enough roosting space.

I am throwing this out to the group, some behavior I am seeing which has me wondering if it could be a cockerel. So the white chick, who was the last to hatch and was the smallest until recent, has now taken to jumping up on the stump that I feed the flock their ferment from. It is the first up on the stump when I bring food into the flock and the adults let it eat first, while I place feed in the other two feeding stations. The other two chicks get chased off the feed a lot. Tonight I observed it not getting chased off the feeder at all and it stayed on the stump the whole time while eating and was untouched by the adults. Anyone else experience any like this while raising babies? also I am sure the old hens know right away who is males vs females. Do they treat them differently as babies? I can't say I noticed this last year, but I also integrated the chicks much later.