Need help asap

[PirateGirl]

@Mandy0922 Once you take care of your chicks, can you take a few photos of the little red coop you have? A picture of the inside, the floor, the roost bars (if there are any) and something that shows where the ventilation is up high (if there is any) and post them in a new thread in the coop section. Let's make sure your coop will be just perfect for your chicks to move into as soon as the weather improves. There are lots of people on here with coop building experience who can chime in and offer suggestions of modifications if it needs any. Also take a minute to go into your account (upper right corner of the page) and add your location, just the state will work if you are in the US. I hope your new chicks are warming up! They are certainly cute at this age. I bet you're excited to have them, even if it can be a bit overwhelming at first!

 

[Kat C]

I think someone recommended the wire floor to rid the coop of feces but I'm not a big fan. Birds raised on wire and no outdoor access won't get worms or coccidiosis but that isn't really natural. Scratching and dust bathing is the good thing about having chickens outdoors.

Exactly and healthy chickens who get some dirt to play in are probably more resistant go worms and coccidiosis. I have several hens who follow me around when I refill water. They wait for me to dump out old water so they can drink it off the ground. If I spill some out for them they fight over it. Dirt is not "dirty" it is a source of grit, and minerals and each teaspoon of dirt is full of life "A single teaspoon (1 gram) of rich garden soil can hold up to one billion bacteria, several yards of fungal filaments, several thousand protozoa, and scores of nematodes, according to Kathy Merrifield, a retired nematologist at Oregon State University. Most of these creatures are exceedingly small; earthworms and millipedes are giants, in comparison. Each has a role in the secret life of soil." http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/secret-life-soil-0 The vast majority of that life in the soil is not harmful and much is probably beneficial and certainly provides nutrients.
Good for people too
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html
"In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma."

 

[Shezadandy]

Right now your babies still have a bunch of fuzz - some obviously have more feathering than others- our rule of thumb is when the head feathers out- by then the body has feathered- that's the ugly stage- fuzzy head, feather bodies. Thanks for posting and looking for help, and for doing the right thing for your chickies!

 

[bruceha2000]

Our baby chicks (raised with mommas) start eating bugs and worms in a few days after birth.

The difference being that when Momma is raising them outside they are also finding grit. It the chicks are getting anything other than starter they also need grit.

 

[Mandy0922]

I think someone recommended the wire floor to rid the coop of feces but I'm not a big fan. Birds raised on wire and no outdoor access won't get worms or coccidiosis but that isn't really natural. Scratching and dust bathing is the good thing about having chickens outdoors.

They don't stay in the coop it's only for them to sleep in the rest of the time when it's in like the 80s out they're in the open part on the ground

 

[Mandy0922]

Thank you everyone for all of your advice I ended up placing plywood down to cover the wire floor and put bedding all inside the coop and got a heavy duty heat lamp and even wrapped plastic around the bottom of the coop to make sure no draft comes up from below. I'd lovvve to be able to keep them indoors but me my husband and our 4 year old daughter live with his parents and his mom absolutely will not let me keep them indoors so I have them set up in their coop and I'm gonna be looking for someone that lives near us that also has chicks to see if we can keep ours with theirs until ours are old enough the be in the outdoor coop

 

[Shezadandy]

The difference being that when Momma is raising them outside they are also finding grit. It the chicks are getting anything other than starter they also need grit.

Also, Momma Hen is breaking down various food sources for her babies with her beak so they're chick sized.

 

[bruceha2000]

@Mandy0922 They are old enough to be out in a coop, as long as it isn't drafty and they have access to heat. A Mama Heating Pad cave is perfect for that.

 

[Kat C]

The difference being that when Momma is raising them outside they are also finding grit. It the chicks are getting anything other than starter they also need grit.

Not sure what you mean, but I doubt they need grit to eat eggs, or meal worms or any other insect. They don't need it for starter which is pre-ground grain. What they need grit for is to grind up whole grain.

We feed our chicks grain that I run through the blender and now am fermenting. Every day they get a dish of greens (usually sorrel and kale) cut up fine along with some egg, and some fruit or tomato or cooked pumpkin. Friend gave me some low quality pecans so they are getting some of those ground up. I turn dirt in the pen for them and gave them a shovel full of termites when just a few days old. Our chicks do well.
Even if chicks aren't outside you can give them dirt to play in and they will get grit if they need it. Last year we raised some meat birds in a pen not on dirt for a few weeks. Every day I would put in a fresh pan of dirt and they couldn't wait for me to set it down. Dirt is a treat to chicks who are not on a dirt floor pen or free ranging. When our chicks get to 3 weeks they and mom join the flock and see what other neat things there are out there in the natural world for them to find.
Our flock of 60 get 2 to 3 gallons of cut up greens every day. They have 1/4 acre but have destroyed all the grass. Greens are not a treat, they are a vital part of a chickens diet.

 

[lazy gardener]

Please get a thermometer to check the temperature of the coop often. The temp should not get above 80 - 85* directly under the heat lamp. With your warm day time temps, you are going to need to be extra diligent to see to it that they neither get over heated or chilled. Please read the articles about brooding chicks. You can find lots of educational material in the learning center.