New Here!

[SarahBC]

Hi everyone!
My name is Sarah and my husband and I have 3 boys. We are new to having chickens and currently have 9 baby chicks we are raising. They are only 1-2 weeks old (5 are 2 weeks, 4 are 1 week).
We have:
1 americana named Mabel (hoping it is a girl)
1 Light Sussex named Blinka
1 Production Red named Eggo
1 Caramel Queen named Cleo
1 Rockette named Smoky
1 Hambright named tinkerbell
1 Copper Maran named Destartae
2 mixed (silkie/americana/maran) named Stripey and Shadow
We also have 1 10 month old maltipoo dog named Thor (he is 12lbs)

 

[CarpCharacin]

Welcome to BYC! We're glad you decided to join us!

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined us! Good luck with your chick's!

 

[feathermaid]

Have you got your coop ready? Those chicks will grow fast and they'll need a bigger space soon. Here's a few links that have some helpful info:
Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
How Much Room Do Chickens Need
Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!
Predator Proofing
Best wishes and have fun in your new chicken adventure!

 

[SarahBC]

View attachment 1752448
View attachment 1752450 Have you got your coop ready? Those chicks will grow fast and they'll need a bigger space soon. Here's a few links that have some helpful info:
Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
How Much Room Do Chickens Need
Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!
Predator Proofing
Best wishes and have fun in your new chicken adventure!View attachment 1752453 View attachment 1752453

Yes, the coop is ready. I feel like they need to go out there soon. I had no kdea how fast they change and the older ones are trying to fly (put wire over their brooder for now). I will look at those articles. Thanks!

 

[SarahBC]

View attachment 1752448
View attachment 1752450 Have you got your coop ready? Those chicks will grow fast and they'll need a bigger space soon. Here's a few links that have some helpful info:
Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
How Much Room Do Chickens Need
Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!
Predator Proofing
Best wishes and have fun in your new chicken adventure!View attachment 1752453 View attachment 1752453

So now that I have read those articles I feel like I am doing it all wrong! lol. I need to get them outside in the coop and I need to make a "mama hen" box and ditch the heat lamp! My kids take the chicks out in the warm sun (a few at a time to keep a close eye on them) and the chicks seem to love it.

 

[Cynthia12]

WELCOME! Love dogs. We have a couple. A mini Schnauzer..and a mini Goldendoodle. They are buds.

 

[feathermaid]

So now that I have read those articles I feel like I am doing it all wrong! lol. I need to get them outside in the coop and I need to make a "mama hen" box and ditch the heat lamp! My kids take the chicks out in the warm sun (a few at a time to keep a close eye on them) and the chicks seem to love it.

Haha don't stress... I thought the same thing with my first chicks! We're all here to share information and learn from each other. Using a MHP just makes it easier on you... the chicks figure out how much heat they need (or want) and you hardly have to do a thing.
I love to take mine outside for little "field trips" too, just like a mama hen would do. One will find a twig or flower petal and sprint around with excitement while the others try to steal it away, so funny! At 2-3 weeks old (outside in the coop now), my babies only use the heating pad during the night, the rest of the day they're out running around in ambient temps of 40s-60s F. I'm not sure where all this "need to start at 95F and drop 5 degrees each week" stuff comes from... my chicks must not have read that memo.

Do you have a dust bath for them yet? That's another fun necessity.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Sarah and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby.

Here are some links to key resources:

• List of guides on how to use the site - announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3
• Great resource for beginners = https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/
• Good starting point for browsing the site - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/
• Interesting feedback on how members manage their flocks -https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archives
• Excellent source of local information - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Sarah and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!