New Chicken (pullets) Momma

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PVILLAGO

PVILLAGO

Songster
Jan 14, 2021
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Fort Worth, TX
It has taken me 7 months and several medical issues to finally get my coop/run finished and ready for my pullets. They will be here Dec 20th. I'm excited and scared. I have read, researched for well over a year and feel like I've prepared for birth and getting the nursery ready. Now that all has been built, ordered and products stocked. I'm a bit anxious as to what I do when they first arrive?
I was told to leave them in the coop a few days before I let them into the run. I also am not sure the type food I need to give them. I a bought chick starter with a high protein. I have a few questions
1. Do I leave them in the coop for a few days before I let them out to their attached run?
2. What type feed do I feed them?
3. Do they need a heater in the coop?
4. Once they are acclimated to the coop and run can I remove the food and water out of the coop?
5. When they arrive do they need supplements ie., electrolytes or something to help ease their stress from traveling?
Any other helpful tips appreciated.
 
How old will the pullets be when you receive them?

1. That's what I would do, to easily home them to the coop (as long as there's ample space and ventilation for number of birds).
2. Chick starter should be fine. Did you buy medicated or unmedicated?
3. This is where I need to know the age of the birds. If they're newly hatched, yes you need to provide heat. If they're older and have been previously weaned off heat by the hatchery or breeder, no they do not.
4. Yes.
5. I like providing a little bit of stress relief at the start for new arrivals. My current choice is Poultry Nutri-Drench, which is vitamins plus some molasses to help perk up any birds that feel sluggish. It's a good product to have on hand for any birds that are a little under the weather without a known cause, as it'll help provide some vitamins and energy which is sometimes all they need.
 
rosemarythyme said:
How old will the pullets be when you receive them?

1. That's what I would do, to easily home them to the coop (as long as there's ample space and ventilation for number of birds).
2. Chick starter should be fine. Did you buy medicated or unmedicated?
3. This is where I need to know the age of the birds. If they're newly hatched, yes you need to provide heat. If they're older and have been previously weaned off heat by the hatchery or breeder, no they do not.
4. Yes.
5. I like providing a little bit of stress relief at the start for new arrivals. My current choice is Poultry Nutri-Drench, which is vitamins plus some molasses to help perk up any birds that feel sluggish. It's a good product to have on hand for any birds that are a little under the weather without a known cause, as it'll help provide some vitamins and energy which is sometimes all they need.
Click to expand...
Thank you Rosemary
 
rosemarythyme said:
How old will the pullets be when you receive them?

1. That's what I would do, to easily home them to the coop (as long as there's ample space and ventilation for number of birds).
2. Chick starter should be fine. Did you buy medicated or unmedicated?
3. This is where I need to know the age of the birds. If they're newly hatched, yes you need to provide heat. If they're older and have been previously weaned off heat by the hatchery or breeder, no they do not.
4. Yes.
5. I like providing a little bit of stress relief at the start for new arrivals. My current choice is Poultry Nutri-Drench, which is vitamins plus some molasses to help perk up any birds that feel sluggish. It's a good product to have on hand for any birds that are a little under the weather without a known cause, as it'll help provide some vitamins and energy which is sometimes all they need.
Click to expand...
I bought non medicated chick starter
 
3KillerBs said:
First thing, are they new-hatched chicks or started pullets?

New-hatched chicks NEED heat in their brooder (and can be brooded right in the coop (IMO, better than in the house)). Started pullets that are fully-feathered (4-8 weeks depending on circumstances), don't need heat and it can even be detrimental.
Click to expand...
started pullets
 
Pictures will help. Many times people try to use a coop that is too small for the number of birds - that can be a wreck. It is always a bit worrisome when someone new comes on here, they often have gotten a pre-fab coop/run set up for 6 birds. Those coops are not big enough for 6 full size birds.

Do not worry about keeping them warm, worry about keeping them dry and out of the wind. Wind shelter is what they need, and they will keep themselves warm. The first reaction to cold weather or a winter storm is to shut it up tight to trap the heat....worse thing to do, what you trap is the moisture. Damp chickens are cold. Keep the ventilation open.

Personally, I have never locked mine in the coop. My coop is a naturally good place to go to sleep, and most birds will find it near dark. One or two nights, near dark, making sure everyone gets in, and they figure it out. But I would keep them confined to the coop/run area. I let mine decide if they want to go out at night or not. If you get them in the late afternoon, I would just put them in the coop, and lock them in there that first night.

Enjoy, this is truly a wonderful hobby.

Mrs K
 

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