New chicks at the Post office! Feeding at first?

[chickengeorgeto]

.... I have the typical “chick feeder” ... in a circular tray with individual feeding holes... I have read... that for the first few days chicks can’t even eat from the chicken feeder and should be fed on strips of white paper...

While I give all my new chicks their first feeding on pieces of cardboard or plastic political signs, chicks will not have any difficulty eating out of the correct style of chicken feeder if it is within reach. Since my first chick meal consists of dry or uncooked rolled oats and finely smashed up hard boiled egg with an appetizer of granite chick grit, I feed at first on a piece of cardboard.

The reason I feed the first food on a piece of cardboard is because I don't have to worry about cleaning the cardboard when it becomes soiled from the boiled egg. I also get a real close up view of each new flock member and besides I get a kick out of watching my chicks do their first chicken things. Also remember that even day old chicks will scratch, spill, and scatter their chick starter all over Hades and half of Georgia. Therefor feeding on sheets of paper is in MHO not a long time option.

The marbles or stones should go inside the bowl that the baby chickens or peep drink from. If you really study it then you will soon agree that chicks are the dumbest birds on the planet. In nature chicks get most of their water by consuming drops of dew so the concept of a water bowl doesn't compute or translate into chicken 101. Therefor baby chicks are very prone to going skinny dipping in their water source and a wet chick is a chilled chick and even if the wet chick fails to kill it's dang fool self, chilled or wet chicks are not long for this world.

 

[PetesChicks]

I have an Easter Egger named Chippy because she looks like that! I ordered mine through a hardware store, the are from Murray McMurray. All were eating from a regular feeder when I picked them up.

Both EE have olive green legs, it wasn’t so noticeable at that age though. They are almost 6 weeks old now, you could really see the color at about 3 weeks.

 

[alexa009]

My easter egger lays brown eggs, pretty disappointing.

 

[Doc7]

Here are pics from two trips outside today in very warm weather. A playpen, and later on a visit to the real run. I can’t believe how many feathers they have when they stretch their wings out far at 5 days old. Loving my heat pad.

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

My easter egger lays brown eggs, pretty disappointing.

I bet...I have 18 EEs and I got lucky... Blue, green, orange, a pink speckled..I was afraid of brown or tan eggs..have enough hens that do that

 

[Kiki]

All of my Easter Eggers from Ideal lay blue.