New Chicks Today!

[Missyschix13]

Thank you TropicalBabies and Missyschix13! You are helping me through this!

I just went out to check on them. I noticed the noisy one has a flake of pine shavings stuck to her side. I picked her up and dipped my finger in the water thinking I could coax it off if I moistened it. She wasn't happy, so I put her back down. I was unsuccessful at removing the pine shaving, but apparently my sticking my finger in the water triggered something. One went to the water and got a few long drinks, and then the rest followed. They had a flock party at the water cup! I enjoyed it more than they did.

Now the noisy one has stopped her constant peeping. Was she thirsty all this time? I had dipped her beak several times this afternoon but she didn't get it until now. Who knows why and she won't tell me. haha

They seem to do everything as a flock! I see now how if one figures something out, the others follow. Amazing and I'm so glad I witnessed this before lying awake all night worrying about it.

A picture of the water party.

Haha! They look like workers around a water cooler! So cute! Maybe she was thirsty....guess we will never know. So glad they figured it out! That will help take one worry off your plate!

 

[TropicalBabies]

I offer it to mine after day 3. I am not so structured as you ♡ and sprinkle food and grit on their straight, in my case I use towels till they are a few weeks old. I offer feed in dishes after day one or 2 in brooder. They seem to teach themselves food better and faster finding it on the floor lol.
I do this cuz my broodies knock it out of the dish for their babies and well, I always try to follow hen wisdom as best I can.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As far as the temperature, as long as the brooding area is draft free, it should be fine down to 50 with the brooder plate, unless your brooder plate suggests otherwise.

Question about the waterer - do the cups refill automatically or do the chicks actually need to toggle a switch to activate it?

I was going to ask about grit. I bought some, but the bag says to give to chicks after they are two weeks old. These are probably younger than that, so should they not have grit yet? I saw one go after a gnat, so I suspect they will eat things other than the crumbles. Does this mean they need grit even if they are not two weeks old yet?

I give grit immediately, as mama hens would encourage their chicks to pick up grit as soon as they begin venturing from the nest site. Chicks may sometimes eat bedding or other inappropriate things like dirt, so the grit can help prevent impaction issues if they were to do so.

 

[KappyFlock]

Haha! They look like workers around a water cooler! So cute! Maybe she was thirsty....guess we will never know. So glad they figured it out! That will help take one worry off your plate!

Yes, that is a huge worry off my plate. I had moved the food closer to the brooder and water as someone suggested, and now I've seen them find both on their own. Phew.

The noisy chick has been quiet, but this morning when they emerged from under the brooder plate, while the rest of them were peeping calmly, she started up again. Once they started eating breakfast, she stopped. Maybe she is just super vocal.

 

[KappyFlock]

As far as the temperature, as long as the brooding area is draft free, it should be fine down to 50 with the brooder plate, unless your brooder plate suggests otherwise.

Question about the waterer - do the cups refill automatically or do the chicks actually need to toggle a switch to activate it?


I give grit immediately, as mama hens would encourage their chicks to pick up grit as soon as they begin venturing from the nest site. Chicks may sometimes eat bedding or other inappropriate things like dirt, so the grit can help prevent impaction issues if they were to do so.

The cups refill automatically. After they "found" their water, they have been drinking fine.

Thanks for the grit info. That makes sense. I'll sprinkle some grit onto the pine shavings. Does that sound right?

 

[KappyFlock]

I offer it to mine after day 3. I am not so structured as you ♡ and sprinkle food and grit on their straight, in my case I use towels till they are a few weeks old. I offer feed in dishes after day one or 2 in brooder. They seem to teach themselves food better and faster finding it on the floor lol.
I do this cuz my broodies knock it out of the dish for their babies and well, I always try to follow hen wisdom as best I can.

I like the idea of following hen wisdom, but I think I am not as wise as a hen so I have to rely on structure to know what to do. Thank you for helping me by sharing your wisdom. <3

Ok, I'll sprinkle a little grit onto the shavings. They do peck around in their shavings a lot. I think they would prefer to find their food that way too, the way you're describing. I had to show them the food inside the feeder, but they would have found it naturally had I tossed the food around on the shavings. They've figured out the feeder now but I do find it interesting that the broodies knock it out for their babies. I guess it makes more sense, because in nature they would be foraging, not searching for a feeder.

 

[KyCoop]

I don't have any experience with itty bittys but the food container looks dangerous to me. The hole is big enough for their whole little bodies to get through and get stuck inside the container.
I had a wild bird get stuck inside a feeder once. Made me think of it.

 

[KappyFlock]

They did just fine last night with the temp dipping to 53. In the early morning darkness I tiptoed out there to listen in on them. Content little peeps were coming from the area where the brooder plate is, so I knew they were under there and were happy.

This morning when I opened the coop, the light streamed in and that triggered them to come out for breakfast. The ate, drank, and went back under the brooder plate. Later I saw them out eating and drinking again. They seem to have heat, food, and water figured out, so I'm happy too.

Thank you for your help! <3

 

[KappyFlock]

I don't have any experience with itty bittys but the food container looks dangerous to me. The hole is big enough for their whole little bodies to get through and get stuck inside the container.
I had a wild bird get stuck inside a feeder once. Made me think of it.

Oh that sounds traumatic, having a bird stuck inside your feeder! Thank you for pointing that out. They can climb into the ports, but they don't get very far because there is a plastic partition preventing them from getting into the main part of the container. Each port is like a little cave with an opening only on the floor of the cave where the food is. Am I explaining this well? If there were no food in the container, the opening in the floor of the port would be exposed and they could use it to get inside the container, but since there is food there, the food is as far as they can get.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I think, because of the shavings it would be ok and maybe better to offer grit in a small dish next to feed. ♡