- Sep 12, 2013
- 80
- 10
- 33
I just wanted to come on here and post a little about my chicks, partly to brag, partly to ask if I'm doing it right. 
I have 14 (started out with 16) chicks and it's my first time ever raising chickens. They are all 18 days old, if I'm counting right, though they were only 12 days in the below picture.
The above picture includes Charlie, who I'm afraid died this past Friday.
I've lost two chicks, including Charlie. The other I lost the first day they arrived via mail from the hatchery. I think that one may have been our "free rare exotic", just from the way the others are looking just like pictures of their breed (of course, she could have been one of our Easter Eggers and one of them could grow up into something else - not 100% sure). Other than them, everyone else has seemed to be doing just great. Even Cotton, who has barely gotten bigger than the day she arrived. (I've been reading a lot on here today about runts and the general consensus seems to be if they're eating, drinking, and pooping then just let them be. She's doing all three, so I'm waiting to see if she'll "sprout" as she gets older. I am going to take some of the suggestions I've seen here and give her some scrambled eggs and pull her out once a day or so to make sure she's able to eat and drink without the bigger girls barging in.) Cotton and Cora, my Faverolles, both had pasty butt off and on the first week or so, but it's long since cleared up and they seem to be doing well.
So, those are the issues. The positive parts are amazing. They have such personalities! My Buff Orpingtons seem to enjoy just sitting near me. One of my Barred Plymouth Rocks, Georgie, likes to climb up and sit on me, as does Kanga, one of the Delawares. They love when I bring them treats, like lettuce, strawberries or meal worms. I love watching them. I just finished covering our old dog crate with chicken wire and later this week, once it's toasty warm out, I'll take them out for supervised exploration of the outside. We're also working on finishing up the coop and run so they'll be ready when the flock is ready to move.
I've already started to get some beginning opinions of the breeds I got (for ME - not saying any breed isn't grand!) and I don't think I'd get Faverolles again. They're more skittish than the others, and of course with Cotton being so small I'm concerned about their health. The Rhode Island Reds are very standoffish, and I kind of want my layer hens to be a little tamer so I can examine them for health reasons. The Barred Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, Delawares, and Buff Orpingtons all seem to be VERY personable and charming. The Easter Eggers are interesting and full of personality, too, but seem more temperamental than the other girls. Of course, these are just beginning opinions. Long-term health, laying capacity and duration (both months and years), adult personalities, etc. will all influence those opinions over time.
The brooder I'm using is the Puppy Playpen and it's working out fairly well. To hold my heat lamp and the water bottles I'm using an old garden-waterer tripod. I've also put in two sticks on which the chicks practice roosting. I also need to figure out a way to cover the top - soon the chicks are going to be big enough that I'll need to be concerned with them flying out of the brooder. I have to get a picture to share here, but I haven't been taking as many pictures as I thought I'd be - I keep forgetting my phone and spend all my time watching/interacting with the chicks. Oh, and I found that nipple waterers are WONDERFUL! They would foul the water within 5 minutes (if not sooner) of my cleaning out the waterer and filling it back up. The nipple waterers are amazing!
I do have one issue with the nipple waterer, though, and it's to do with Cotton. She's so much smaller than the other girls that I have to have one of the two bottles I have low enough that she can reach it. This means the other chicks are constantly triggering it with their backs. I'm thinking of adding a third bottle so the big girls have two their height and Cotton has her own. Has anyone else had to deal with a runt like this?
Anywho, despite the sad loss of the two chicks, and my near constant worry over Cotton, I am loving this adventure!
I have 14 (started out with 16) chicks and it's my first time ever raising chickens. They are all 18 days old, if I'm counting right, though they were only 12 days in the below picture.The above picture includes Charlie, who I'm afraid died this past Friday.
I've lost two chicks, including Charlie. The other I lost the first day they arrived via mail from the hatchery. I think that one may have been our "free rare exotic", just from the way the others are looking just like pictures of their breed (of course, she could have been one of our Easter Eggers and one of them could grow up into something else - not 100% sure). Other than them, everyone else has seemed to be doing just great. Even Cotton, who has barely gotten bigger than the day she arrived. (I've been reading a lot on here today about runts and the general consensus seems to be if they're eating, drinking, and pooping then just let them be. She's doing all three, so I'm waiting to see if she'll "sprout" as she gets older. I am going to take some of the suggestions I've seen here and give her some scrambled eggs and pull her out once a day or so to make sure she's able to eat and drink without the bigger girls barging in.) Cotton and Cora, my Faverolles, both had pasty butt off and on the first week or so, but it's long since cleared up and they seem to be doing well.So, those are the issues. The positive parts are amazing. They have such personalities! My Buff Orpingtons seem to enjoy just sitting near me. One of my Barred Plymouth Rocks, Georgie, likes to climb up and sit on me, as does Kanga, one of the Delawares. They love when I bring them treats, like lettuce, strawberries or meal worms. I love watching them. I just finished covering our old dog crate with chicken wire and later this week, once it's toasty warm out, I'll take them out for supervised exploration of the outside. We're also working on finishing up the coop and run so they'll be ready when the flock is ready to move.
I've already started to get some beginning opinions of the breeds I got (for ME - not saying any breed isn't grand!) and I don't think I'd get Faverolles again. They're more skittish than the others, and of course with Cotton being so small I'm concerned about their health. The Rhode Island Reds are very standoffish, and I kind of want my layer hens to be a little tamer so I can examine them for health reasons. The Barred Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, Delawares, and Buff Orpingtons all seem to be VERY personable and charming. The Easter Eggers are interesting and full of personality, too, but seem more temperamental than the other girls. Of course, these are just beginning opinions. Long-term health, laying capacity and duration (both months and years), adult personalities, etc. will all influence those opinions over time.
The brooder I'm using is the Puppy Playpen and it's working out fairly well. To hold my heat lamp and the water bottles I'm using an old garden-waterer tripod. I've also put in two sticks on which the chicks practice roosting. I also need to figure out a way to cover the top - soon the chicks are going to be big enough that I'll need to be concerned with them flying out of the brooder. I have to get a picture to share here, but I haven't been taking as many pictures as I thought I'd be - I keep forgetting my phone and spend all my time watching/interacting with the chicks. Oh, and I found that nipple waterers are WONDERFUL! They would foul the water within 5 minutes (if not sooner) of my cleaning out the waterer and filling it back up. The nipple waterers are amazing!
I do have one issue with the nipple waterer, though, and it's to do with Cotton. She's so much smaller than the other girls that I have to have one of the two bottles I have low enough that she can reach it. This means the other chicks are constantly triggering it with their backs. I'm thinking of adding a third bottle so the big girls have two their height and Cotton has her own. Has anyone else had to deal with a runt like this?
Anywho, despite the sad loss of the two chicks, and my near constant worry over Cotton, I am loving this adventure!
