Waters-flock
Chirping
I am a very new chicken mama (about six hours) and I have the silliest questions. I have been researching and tried to be prepared for pasty butt, splay legs, chicks that weren't thriving, but weirdly (thankfully), none of that has happened (yet). I was concerned because it took four days to get to me - so I assumed I would have some issues to deal with. Well, I got 8 girls (we hope) and they all appear to be doing fine. Drinking, eating, and pretty active. So here are my questions -
1) First dumb question - chicken poop all looks pretty messy to me. How do I know what looks normal and what isn't normal? They really do poop all the time.
2) I'm trying to watch the chicks so I can make sure all of them are eating, drinking and getting out but it is hard because I have two similar chicks of each type. Is it weird to just hang out and stare at them or is that what you have to do to figure out that they are all okay? For example, I think one of them stays under the brooder more than the others but I do see her getting out exploring. Some are just more curious, I think.
3) When I first got them, they were all chirping a lot. When I put them in the brooder, they were still chirping but not quite so loudly. One chick was consistently chirping very loud (not sure which one it was) but the rest got quieter. Now even that one stopped chirping much. They all huddle under the brooder together (I think sleeping) and when one comes out, they all seem to come out, and when one goes back, they all seem to go back. And as the day goes on, they are getting more and more curious. Can I assume this is normal?
4) I notice that they peck at each other periodically but I don't think anyone is getting hurt. They peck at everything - the ground, the brooder, the water and food containers, and so on. I think this is just exploring, right?
5) I picked each of them up when I first got them to check them over, and show them where the water and the brooder was - but now I am leaving them alone so as not to stress them out any further. Should I leave them alone for a day or two?
6) Do they just sort of fall down when they fall asleep? I saw one under the brooder with her eyes drifting closed and she just sort of landed. Another girl bumped her and she got up right away. This is normal, right?
I know - these are not big issues but since I've never had chicks before, some of this logical stuff is confusing to me. Thanks, Elsa
1) First dumb question - chicken poop all looks pretty messy to me. How do I know what looks normal and what isn't normal? They really do poop all the time.
2) I'm trying to watch the chicks so I can make sure all of them are eating, drinking and getting out but it is hard because I have two similar chicks of each type. Is it weird to just hang out and stare at them or is that what you have to do to figure out that they are all okay? For example, I think one of them stays under the brooder more than the others but I do see her getting out exploring. Some are just more curious, I think.
3) When I first got them, they were all chirping a lot. When I put them in the brooder, they were still chirping but not quite so loudly. One chick was consistently chirping very loud (not sure which one it was) but the rest got quieter. Now even that one stopped chirping much. They all huddle under the brooder together (I think sleeping) and when one comes out, they all seem to come out, and when one goes back, they all seem to go back. And as the day goes on, they are getting more and more curious. Can I assume this is normal?
4) I notice that they peck at each other periodically but I don't think anyone is getting hurt. They peck at everything - the ground, the brooder, the water and food containers, and so on. I think this is just exploring, right?
5) I picked each of them up when I first got them to check them over, and show them where the water and the brooder was - but now I am leaving them alone so as not to stress them out any further. Should I leave them alone for a day or two?
6) Do they just sort of fall down when they fall asleep? I saw one under the brooder with her eyes drifting closed and she just sort of landed. Another girl bumped her and she got up right away. This is normal, right?
I know - these are not big issues but since I've never had chicks before, some of this logical stuff is confusing to me. Thanks, Elsa