My first little group of chicks and they are too cute!

[I_Love_Chickens]

So yeah today I decided after much research that i'm ready for them and got all my supplies, heat lamp, food, water dish, food dish, bedding, the works. And of course my 10 little Pullet chicks. I got 5 brown ones, 2 black ones, and then 3 yellow ones. Question though, do the yellow chicks grow up to be white? ha. Just curious because i've never seen yellow chickens. ha. They are the cutest bunch and they are extremely comfortable with being handled. I have had lots of caged birds like parakeets, cockatiel, and a lovebird, and it takes forever for them to adjust. Not these chicks though. They let me hold them and fell asleep when I held them against my chest. They are tooooo cute! I'm in love. Its really fun because I live in the middle of a decent sized town. I have HUGE backyard though. I decided i'm too lazy to build a coop so i'm going to build the nest boxes and all in my attached garage to my house. The garage door is so small and my car is really wide so I about knock off my mirrors pulling her in the garage so I just never use it. So I might as well. I can put ramps up to the window so they can go in and out and I can do chickenwire around the window outside so they can run around outside and not have me worry about them getting out or attacked by other animals. Yup this is going to be fun. Its an odd hobby for a 22 year old but I think they are the best and look forward to watching my chicks grow. If I do well with these then i'm going to get more. I'm sure I will. They already love me and I love them.

Chickens rock. So yeah I created a web page for them on myspace. Go check it out. Heres the page: http://www.myspace.com/nateschicks (I have some pics of them up and am going to continue to update them as they grow.) So thanks. Sorry this was so long. I'm just so excited. So one more question, do baby chicks use that grit to process their chick food? I didn't know if they are too small to use it or what. So thanks. -nate

 

[TheBigWRanch]

I'm 22 also. Yellow chicks can turn out white, or buff, sometimes other colors! You have to wait for their feathers to start coming in to tell for sure. Did you ask anyone if they knew what the breeds were when you bought them? Chicks can only use grit as small as Canary grit, chicken grit is way too large. What are you feeding them? If they are only eating chick starter, they won't need any extra grit, it is already in their food. How high off the floor is the window? I am afraid it might be too high for them while they are young. Can you cut a hole in the wall near the ground? How big do you plan on making the outside run? Have fun with the new chicks!

 

[dlhunicorn]

If they are only eating chick starter, they won't need any extra grit, it is already in their food.

You are correct that they need no grit...however this is not because it is in their feed...the chick starter is just so fine that it needs no grit to process it.​

 

[Foghorn]

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!
I just got my first chicks a week ago. (7). I got another 13 yesterday and I could see how addicting this is going to get. I just bought an incubator! What does THAT tell ya? I look at my coop I just built and want a BIGGER one! There are just so many great and interesting looking chickens! I'm not even talking about the bantams, which I'm sure I will want to get some day.
I hope you have fun with your new friends! Enjoy. Let us know what breeds you have there. Post more pics and I'm sure you'll get help from others here who will do their best to let you know what you have. Good Luck!

 

[equine chick]

Cute chicks you got there nate! I don't have mine yet. but i'm already addicted to this hobby. I think the garage would be fine as long as it's protected from predators getting in.

 

[BeckyLa]

Congratulations on your new chicks! Awesome hobby, isn't it? I just thought I'd mention a couple of things. First, although they don't need it now, I'm sure in a week or so you're going to give in to the temptation to give them extra treats. We all do. Maybe a cut up tomato or a worm you found. That's when they will need grit. I always keep a pan of loose dirt mixed with a little sand in the brooder. Once they get used to it being there they love to play in it, dust bathe, and it provides that extra grit they need to digest treats. Also, for your outside run. Do them a favor and don't use chicken wire. All it's good for is to keep the chickens in, it will not keep preditors out. Chicken wire is so thin that a preditor can rip right through it. It's better to use 1x2" welded wire so the squares are small enough that a critter like a coon cannot get it's grimey (sp?) paws through and grab a chicken. Have fun with your new pets and welcome to the addiction.

:

 

[I_Love_Chickens]

Thanks for all the help you guys, your too cool. Yeah as far as the window in my garage, I got to thinking about it too. It is a little high. So I think I might take off the storm door and just leave the wood door there and cut a hole in the bottom, like a pet door.

And the outside run yeah I did read somewhere that chicken wire is no good. So yeah definately I will make it out of that thicker wire. I made a home made bird cage out of it once so I know the wire you talking about. And the size of the outside run is yet to be determined. Might be just enough room to begin with because the more wire I buy, the more money it will cost me. So I might just add on to it as I go. I don't know. As far as the yard, i'm not using it. I'm adding an above ground pool in this summer but that wont even take up a 10th of the yard and this is a full sized pool. I live in the middle of a town but I have a HUGE backyard so thats always good. I would let them roam in my backyard but my fence between me and my neighbors house is knocked down and he would call the city on me if I purposely let them out and they went in his yard. Ha. He doesn't like me for some reason. I think hes honestly mad that he rents his house and me, at age 22, managed to own my house. And its on the good side of town. Its cheaper to pay house payments here than it is to rent. I was paying $450.00 for my 2 bedroom apartment and now only pay $225.00 for my 2 bedroom house with the oversized backyard and attached garage. Anyhow. Yeah the garage is attached and thats where the coop is going to be, i'm too lazy to build one and I don't use the garage so there you go. And its a concrete floor and the garage is well insulated and the only thing i've seen in there is the occasional bug and i'm sure the birds will knock those out.

Should be fun. My lovebirds cage is right next to my box of chicks right now and she doesn't know what to think of them. She is chirping at them and them at her and its funny. There get at the edge of the box to look up at her and then she gets closer to look at them and they just have never seen other birds so its funny somehow.

Well I thought so anyway. ha. I'm still so surprised that the baby chicks are so friendly, they snuggle right up to me when i'm watching tv and they fall asleep while i'm holding them. They are too cute! And yes I can see where this can get addictive. My garage is narrow but long enough, i'm sure it could easily house 20-30 of them with no problem so I might step it up to 20 later on. I don't know about 30 though. Ha. When they get bigger 30 might be more than I need. I dunno tho. So anyways thanks for all the advice with the housing and food and all!!!!! Love you. -nate

 

[BeckyLa]

Good! It sounds as though you're using common sense in this. There is one thing I'm concerned about though:

I live in the middle of a decent sized town

and

He doesn't like me for some reason.

I hope you have done your homework concerning zoning laws and are absolutely certain it's not against the law for you to have them. It's so sad to become so attached and then have a nasty neighbor be the cause of you're having to get rid of them.

:​

 

[I_Love_Chickens]

Thanks so much for the concern but yes i'm pretty sure it is legal. We have donkeys and horses in them middle of town too. Plus i'm making my garage the coop and that side is clear on the other side of my house so he won't have to look at it and I have a small creek on this side that they are going ot be on so no one will have to look at the chicken run. Thats the only thing that will really be outside is the run so my neighbors won't really say anything as long as my chickens stay caged up.

My backyard is so huge that he probably won't even hear them clucking. Ok maybe a rooster but they wake up early anyhow. I bet if I let his little girl come over and pet them sometime then he wouldn't say too much anyhow. Our grandparents have a farm right outside of town here so if anything I could set a coop up out there. I'd just have to travel 20-25 minutes to see and take care of them. But thats fine. So one way or another we are covered.

Thanks so much for pointing it out though. I am constantly learning about these little chicks and love whatever help I can get.