New chicken mom. My parents gave my 2 girls chicks for Easter & I've kept them alive so far!

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newmschickenmom

newmschickenmom

Chirping
Apr 6, 2018
22
72
69
Southaven, MS
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
  • I am a complete newbie when it comes to chickens. My parents gave my girls baby chicks for Easter last weekend.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
  • Four

(3) What breeds do you have?
  • Two Bantam chicks
  • Two Cornish chicks

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
  • From a friend that lives on a farm in Jackson, and raises chickens.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
  • My hobbies are mainly running, reading, camping, hiking, sports (playing and watching), going to movies, crafting and baking.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
  • I'm a single mother of two daughters ages 15 and 12. We have four cats. Two of them are eight years old, and stay inside only. The other two are 3 years old, and stay outside only. I am a legal secretary/personal assistant, and have been at my current job for eleven years and two months. I am 41 years old. My favorite vacation spot is the beach, but I also love going to state parks and enjoying nature for the day, or camping over the weekend with my girls. I absolutely LOVE college football. I joined this group because it was recommended to me by a friend who raises chickens. She said this was a great resource for all things chicken, which I need because I know absolutely nothing about chickens. I made a homemade brooder out of a rubbermaid tub to keep the baby chicks in that my parents gave to my girls. I am so proud of myself because I have managed to keep them alive for a week. I know that probably sounds weird, but with my busy life and lack of help, that's a true accomplishment. Now we are all kind of attached to these little chicks, so I want to make sure that I am giving them the best life possible.View attachment 1327420 View attachment 1327421[/ATTACH] View attachment 1327424 View attachment 1327425
 
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Hello and welcome to BYC.

Here’s a good link where you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/


There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.


Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread

Best wishes

Pork Pie
 
welcome to BYC! nice screen mod to the Tupperware lid!! a couple of things to keep in mind, if those yellow ones are truly Cornish cross, they are going to eat a huge amount of food and grow really fast. they don't tend to make good pets because they live life in fast forward, reaching many pounds in just 6-8 weeks and after about 9, their health starts to go down hill. some folks have found ways to keep them alive for a year or so, but it's tedious. I would rehome them or find someone who want to take them and process them for food. they are sweet birds, but just don't tend to live all that long. if you want to try and keep them, keep an eye on how the bantams are managing. especially that they get enough food and space. pretty soon, I'd suggest making the brooder larger and I'd be raising that lamp so it doesn't get too hot in there. if the picture of them staying away from the light is typical, then I'd raise the light so that they spend some time under it and some time away. the cx birds will get much warmer than the bantams. anyhow, I don't know if you were seeking feedback and hope you don't mind me offering it up. looks like they are doing great so far!
 
Birdinhand said:
welcome to BYC! nice screen mod to the Tupperware lid!! a couple of things to keep in mind, if those yellow ones are truly Cornish cross, they are going to eat a huge amount of food and grow really fast. they don't tend to make good pets because they live life in fast forward, reaching many pounds in just 6-8 weeks and after about 9, their health starts to go down hill. some folks have found ways to keep them alive for a year or so, but it's tedious. I would rehome them or find someone who want to take them and process them for food. they are sweet birds, but just don't tend to live all that long. if you want to try and keep them, keep an eye on how the bantams are managing. especially that they get enough food and space. pretty soon, I'd suggest making the brooder larger and I'd be raising that lamp so it doesn't get too hot in there. if the picture of them staying away from the light is typical, then I'd raise the light so that they spend some time under it and some time away. the cx birds will get much warmer than the bantams. anyhow, I don't know if you were seeking feedback and hope you don't mind me offering it up. looks like they are doing great so far!
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Thank you. I need all the feedback and help I can get. I got the sad news about the cornish hens yesterday that they would have to be culled, and my girls were so upset because they have really become attached to these little guys. So that's our first lesson that will end not so good I guess. I'm going to try to find some buff orpingtons to replace them because I was told they are very easy going birds that lay good eggs.
 
Mommaj89 said:
Congratulations! They are so much fun... We are going into our second year of chickens & growing our flock substantially this year... Once you start it's hard to stop!! Lol
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Yes they are kind of addicting. My oldest daughter and I both said we were surprised at how much we were already attached to them, and want more.
 

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