New member from Gold Coast, qld, Aussie

[kfc chickadees]

Hi. I'm new to this site and to raising chickens. We now have 3 about 7 wld (K, F, & C.... Lol). C/- of daughters day care- so still unsure if we have boys or girls yet. They are now in coop on patio as I have lamp on them still at nights. (Us this still needed?). Also advise on what to use for bedding and flooring when coop goes out back (hb wants to use sugar cane mulch) wkd be appreciated. Thx

 

[kfc chickadees]

My chickadees - K F & C!!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

They appear to be fully feathered, so they do not need any more heat. Have you stopped by our learning center yet? Lots of good articles on all the aspects of raising your birds...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

I am not sure about sugar cane mulch, but the bedding needs to be absorbant. You want the poop and moisture to have somewhere to go so they are not standing in their own waste. Pine wood shavings are good, grass hay or even sand. Much of this is covered in our Learning Center.

Enjoy your new chicks and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! TwoCrows gave you a good link. No idea with the sugar cane mulch, maybe try some of the Aussie threads to see if anyone is familiar with using it? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/598568/australia-six-states-and-that-funny-little-island and https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/186559/australians-where-are-you-all

 

[petrel]

Hello and Welcome!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

X2, sugar cane mulch may not be the best substance. Pine shavings, shredded paper or straw are all great materials. Avoid sand and newspaper.

 

[Michael OShay]

G'day, and welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Pine shavings make superb bedding for chicks. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your chooks.

 

[kfc chickadees]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. One other question I have is - is there an easy way to tell if I have female chicks or not??? If not at what age do roosters start getting loud and noisy (& need rehoming)

 

[drumstick diva]

When your chicks are around 8-10 weeks you could post photos of them at "what breed or gender is this."

I'm not good at guessing. G'day mate, and glad you found your way to the BYC flock.