My 3 day old chicks

[rt0026]

I made what is according to my wife a very rash decision. I bought 15 buff orphington chickens because I have always wanted chickens. I want to egg the eggs, be friend with them, but still try to find a way to eat them when they stop laying eggs.

It is cold in texas so I have them in my room in a storage container. I keep it about 65 degrees in the house. I use an ECOGLOW 20 heater. It does not feel very hot at all when i put my hand under it, but they say the way they heat is different.

I have (below) coming in the mail as a new inflatable brooder. They will have to go out in the garage where it is cold, but I am going to have a 250w red heat lamp set up to make the temp 90 degrees or so.

I imagine about 5 weeks I will have a coop made for them with a large fence around it inside of my fence and then I will put them outside. This breed is good with cold.

https://www.overstock.com/Sports-To...XW3zI3u9GgdQiuYKDLc-UaAsz28P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

I did not know about cleaning pasty butt, but two of them got lot of poop dried on their buts and now that area is pink like it has no hair. I got a bowl of water..put baby shampoo in it, I took a q tip, put it in the water/soap and rubbed the vent area and got a wet paper towel, then pulled a little if there was not too much torque.

I will end up selling some to get down to 12 as 15 was the minimum order.

I dipped the beak and sometimes head in their water and they all seem to be drinking.

It is very hard to tell who is not drinking & eating since I have 15. I only notice when one is less active than the others and check on it.

They peck each other sometimes

I scatted food all over on the first day and then cut some disposable cup to put food in. They seem to be eating.

I put stuff in their water that the hatchery sold me.

I use paper towel taped together over the brooder and I change that every day to keep no smell in the room.

I use Purina medicated chick starter


Here are some pics

http://imgur.com/a/bR72x


Thanks for reading

 

[perchie.girl]

Keep in mind once they start laying eggs you will get an average of five eggs per week when they first start out.... most chickens.... I hope you like eggs.... LOL. 45 eggs a week

My first go round with chickens i had four and couldnt keep up.....

deb

 

[rt0026]

I plan to sell the eggs for five dollars each. I can't explain it though.

 

[rt0026]

and I have no buyers yet

 

[perchie.girl]

I plan to sell the eggs for five dollars each. I can't explain it though.

and I have no buyers yet

Makes sense.... check into the laws regarding egg sales too... Most areas of the country allow eggs to be sold from your farm without a license... I checked into it a while back and in California you have to have a shell egg license in order to sell at farmers markets.

Not necessary if you are selling hatching eggs.

have fun

deb

 

[3riverschick]

Thanks for reading

--------------------------
Hi,
The Science Of Feeding Grit To Poultry
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/891051/the-science-of-feeding-grit-to-poultry
the 2nd page of the PDF in post number 4 has feeding instructions for the right size grit at the right age.

Considering the words in bold in your quote. Not good idea for the 250 red. use an incandescent instead. the 2 kinds of bulb heat differently. the 250 red is designed to heat objects in its realm of influence. the incandescent just gives off heat as a result of being on. too much fire danger with the 230 red. The birds will be fine at 80 to 85 degrees. can use a GE 85 watt white incandescent without a Teflon coating. bulbs with a Teflon coating will outgas carbon dioxide and kill the birds. go to Walmart and pick up a hygrometer. it ill measure both the temp and the humidity in the brooder. lets you know if the heat makes he humidity too low which low humidity can cause pasty butt. now go to tractor supply or your local feeds tore and buy the smallest bottle of Bovidr labs Poultry Nutri-Drench. Give each chick one drop only by mouth. If the chick is needy, repeat one drop only by mouth every 8-10 hours until perky. This supplement will prevent pasty butt. http://www.nutridrench.com I have never had a sick or dead chick when raised on the Drench water. Put it in the chick's water for the 1st 2 weeks to get them off to a strong start. The water should look like very weak tea.
Cargill makes a real good Naturewise medicated chick starter crumble. Should be 18-22 percent for Orpingtons.

Best,
Karen