Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

Chicks should receive supplemental heat until they are at least six weeks old, and fully feathered. Can they survive without it? Possibly, but they will very likely be uncomfortable and overly chilled if the temps drop.

 

[1muttsfan]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

Here is the link to the Learning Center article on raising chicks for the first 60 days. The Learning Center has many useful articles on many topics.

 

[amberlovegrove]

How old are they?

Chicks should receive supplemental heat until they are at least six weeks old, and fully feathered. Can they survive without it? Possibly, but they will very likely be uncomfortable and overly chilled if the temps drop.

They are just a few days shy of 6 weeks and have been in the garage with a little heat lamp for the past few weeks

 

[1muttsfan]

Sounds like they are ready. Just check on them if the weather gets cold and make sure they are not piling up on top of each other.

 

[dyorto]

I made a small pop door for my chicks and let them have some interaction with the bigs.

It went pretty well. 2 of the older ones gave a few of them a good peck to put them in their place, 2 others acted like they were trying to teach them what was good to eat, the last seemed totally indifferent. They all seem to know how to get in and out.
I wonder how long it will take for them to try to get a peek in the big coop.

 

[bigmrg74]

Hi! Is anyone around Monroe Mi?

Off the top of my head, I might be currently closest to you in Tecumseh.

 

[bigmrg74]

I tried to search through all the pages here for an answer but didn't see it.. So here it is- I plan on putting my chicks outside today.. Only problem is, it's still supposed to drop down into the mid-30s a few nights again this week! Will they be okay out there without a heat lamp? I'm afraid to put a heat lamp inside of our small coop made of wood! My gut feeling says they will be just fine, but I guess I just need a little reassurance I'm doing the right thing!

Have they spent any time outside already?? I usually set my chicks up in a little play pen outside on nice weather days to give them a chance to start figuring out how to fluff themselves up and get exposed to stuff, maybe see the big girls for a couple of hours.

 

[rachelsflock]

Hi! Is anyone around Monroe Mi?

I'm up by Detroit. Welcome.

 

[rachelsflock]

A lot of times if you have a local grain elevator or locally run feed mill, you can get feed for less than the stuff from tractor supply, and it's generally more locally grown and fresher. For example, locally to ME is a farmer that also sells non-GMO feed for the same or less than what regular dumor from tractor supply sells for. Some people ferment whole grains, some do fodder in the winter. There are a LOT of choices.

I wish this was the case down here where I live. I can choose from Dumor, Purina, Organic ($20/40lbs), or two local not-organic feeds for $17/50lbs, one of which you have to pay for in cash. Now I haven't rooted around every option within forty minutes yet, but I'm getting close. I'd love to be wrong, but so far not much luck.

 

[Outdoorlover]

In a few weeks, once the hen house outside is done, I'll be getting rid of the coop and run that I have in my basement, I thought I'd ask you guys before putting an ad on Craigslist

We bought it 6 weeks ago, to keep the baby chicks wile we build their permanent outdoor home. We paid 300, we'll be asking half price...the coop has never been used, the chicks only use the run..if interested pm me