New member - new to chickens!

[ecwdavis]

Thank you for all the links, I'll take a look.

 

[ecwdavis]

Hello everybody.

I am in Northern Arizona, and looking to start my flock with 3 Black Sex Link and 3 Black Austalorp females, my research so far, leads me to believe these types will do well in our climate - last into this year we ranged 109°F - down to 0°.

I would like to select chicks in person, rather than relying on postal delivery.

Does anyone know if there are breeders/suppliers in Arizona (the closer to Prescott the better), I could visit and collect chicks from, in the next few weeks?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[ecwdavis]

Update: I found a pet store in Phoenix that had the breeds I was interested in.

We ended up with 2 Australorps, 2 Black Sex Link, and 2 Rhode Island Reds. We brought them home yesterday.

The Austrolaups are 3 weeks, the BSL 2 weeks and the RIR 1 week.

The BSL have been teaching the others to scratch in the hay I have them bedded on (we have a bale of Bermuda my horse hates, and I did not want to throw it out).

I have found a height for the heat lamp that they seem to like, and they are eating and drinking well.

So, fingers crossed, they appear to be settling in well.

 

[ecwdavis]

Well, further developments...

We had 2 mornings that temps dropped into the mid 40s, so the heat lamp over the brooder was maybe a bit high for the RIR, as they are the youngest, and it appeared one of the BSL was not growing as fast as its hatch mate... and got pasty butt, which I washed, then applied a little vaseline to, and the chick seemed to be fine.

However, this chick became lethargic, despite the pasty butt clearing up, then in a few hours died.

To make matters worse, the two RIR chicks developed the same lethergy, and died within an hour of each other. Very distressing.

I wondered if the small chicks were affected by coming to the altitude here (4800ft - the chicks were purchased at a much lower altitude).

The remaining BSL and AUS appear unaffected by whatever killed the others. I am assuming because they are bigger and more developed.

So, the flock is much reduced, but, at this point, appears still to be doing well.

We put the coop together and located it in the pasture, just awaiting the occupants now.

The weather has been a bit behind itself too, with lower temps than we are used to for June, that just appear to be starting to climb to their usual heat (90's).

We also had a very cold and long winter. Everything seems to be a month behind now. We had frost 2 weeks after Mothers Day (we have a micro climate, being at the low point of the valley and Mothers Dsy is the start of planting here) - which has also affected the veg garden. : (

So, we have had some challenges.

Starting to aclimatize the remaining chicks to being picked up for more than a few seconds, and getting used to being called down to the feeder, so if I need to, I can call them to me in the future when required.

 

[DobieLover]

Well, further developments...

We had 2 mornings that temps dropped into the mid 40s, so the heat lamp over the brooder was maybe a bit high for the RIR, as they are the youngest, and it appeared one of the BSL was not growing as fast as its hatch mate... and got pasty butt, which I washed, then applied a little vaseline to, and the chick seemed to be fine.

However, this chick became lethargic, despite the pasty butt clearing up, then in a few hours died.

To make matters worse, the two RIR chicks developed the same lethergy, and died within an hour of each other. Very distressing.

I wondered if the small chicks were affected by coming to the altitude here (4800ft - the chicks were purchased at a much lower altitude).

The remaining BSL and AUS appear unaffected by whatever killed the others. I am assuming because they are bigger and more developed.

So, the flock is much reduced, but, at this point, appears still to be doing well.

We put the coop together and located it in the pasture, just awaiting the occupants now.

The weather has been a bit behind itself too, with lower temps than we are used to for June, that just appear to be starting to climb to their usual heat (90's).

We also had a very cold and long winter. Everything seems to be a month behind now. We had frost 2 weeks after Mothers Day (we have a micro climate, being at the low point of the valley and Mothers Dsy is the start of planting here) - which has also affected the veg garden. : (

So, we have had some challenges.

Starting to aclimatize the remaining chicks to being picked up for more than a few seconds, and getting used to being called down to the feeder, so if I need to, I can call them to me in the future when required.

Make sure that it isn't too hot under the lamp. Heat stress is one of the number one reasons for pasty butt. Don't try to set a fixed temperature under the heat. Watch for activity. If the younger ones need to warm up, they will just go under the lamp more frequently than the older ones.
Is your lamp off to one side? I would keep the temp under the lamp at about 80-85F and raise the lamp next week so it's between 75-80 and make sure the rest of the brooder is cool.

 

[ecwdavis]

DobieLover, yep the lamp is at one end, and I have raised/lowered it on their reactions.

Unfortunately we had two cold mornings, and I think the young ones got chilled - the others had more feathers so handled it fine.

The BSL was the only one that got pasty butt, and that appeared to be getting better, when the lethergu set in... that was then picked up by the RIRs. It could have been two different and unrelated things, or one thing that was passed on, and virulent enough that the RIRs went straight to the lethergy stage.

They never developed pasty butt at all and seemed fine, before they then became lethargic.

There was nothing that changed in the brooder, water changed twice a day (or if they pooped I'll in it), hay changed in the morning and food swapped out every 2 days, lamp up and down according to their needs, in an area big enough that gave them all a range of temps to pick from. I have washed my hands before and after haning them just in case I carried anything between our pets (3 cats and a horse).

It may have been something they brought with them, it is a mystery.

The rest seem fine, so fingers and toes crossed. The weather is heating up - so there may be times when tbe lamp is off, and I may put a fan near the brooder to push the air about when we get over 100, but not close enough that they get the wind on them.

 

[DobieLover]

we had two cold mornings, and I think the young ones got chilled

I think this is unlikely. I brooded my chicks out in the coop. I had 8 day old chicks ripping around in their brooder on a morning when it was 28F. If they got chilly, they ran under their brooder plate to warm up then ran back out.
I would lean more towards the young ones just failing to thrive. But be on the look out for any other chick acting lethargic. I would then immediately treat the entire flock with Corid water. In fact, you should already have Corid on hand as coccidiosis can kill chicks extremely fast. It is just one of those items you should have at your fingertips in case you need it.

 

[ecwdavis]

I do not have any Corid water, but I will get some, I may have to order on line if Tractor Supply does not have it.

Thank you for the info.

So far the x2 AUS and the 1 BSL are doing fine... in fact this morning when I came back out into the garage one of the AUS was perched on the top of the brooder corral plastic, where a corner of the chicken wite had bent up slightly.

Fortunately, she jumped back in with her pals so I did not have to chase her around the garage!

The AUS are starting their 6th week, and if the evening temps stay warm 60+ I may move them out to the coop, then follow with the BSL a week later... we will see.

 

[DobieLover]

I do not have any Corid water, but I will get some, I may have to order on line if Tractor Supply does not have it.

Thank you for the info.

So far the x2 AUS and the 1 BSL are doing fine... in fact this morning when I came back out into the garage one of the AUS was perched on the top of the brooder corral plastic, where a corner of the chicken wite had bent up slightly.

Fortunately, she jumped back in with her pals so I did not have to chase her around the garage!

The AUS are starting their 6th week, and if the evening temps stay warm 60+ I may move them out to the coop, then follow with the BSL a week later... we will see.

I'd move them now. They will be fine.