New to chickens and in Alaska starting today!

[chestypuller]

Welcome to BYC Chesty;

I'm in Alaska also, if you're near Anchorage and want a few more chicks, I have some hatching out Sunday. I also have a large shipment coming in the next two weeks.
If you're in the valley Wal Mart carries the Mill & Feed line of products and they have chick starter. Actually cheaper to buy it there then at the mill.

For brooder temps, watch the chicks. If they bunch up into a pile, they're to cold. If they line the outside of the brooder, they're to hot. What you want is some under the light, some outside the light, some running around, light peeping.

If you get overwhelmed shoot me a PM and I'll help you out. I've got about 70 in the incubator right now, just my test run before I fill it for the April 1 set. If you want to butcher a few in fall, better get a few more birds, once you get the eggs it's tempting to keep them. Yours should start giving you eggs mid August to early September.

To keep the shavings out of the water, raise it up a bit, about an inch right now, more as they get older. You'll also find they poo in the food, they like to climb up on top and sit there.

are you in Anchorage or the Valley? u giving away them chicks or what? i think i sure do need some more, can you put new chicks in a brood with 2 week old chicks? ya we want to butcher in the fall, and have eggs also

thanks for the water tip. we are going to build a large 5 gal waterer when we get the coop built

how do you keep them from poopin in the food? i figured this new fancy feeder would do that since its got a cover over allot of it. dang! didnt think about roosting on it.

 

[chestypuller]

also has anyone raised chickens with turkeys? or doesnt that work togeather? is there somewhere to get turkeys in alaska?

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

I'm in Anchorage now but keep the flock in Wasilla. THe incubaor and brooder is in Anchorage. I have a batch in the bator now as a 2012 test run, will run a few hundred through it before May is over. I'll throw you some chicks, no big deal to me, they're barnyard mixes. You can mix chicks a couple weeks apart, just have to watch to make sure everyone will play nice. This year I have hatchery chicks coming over a 3 week period so I'll be mixing in them 3 weeks apart. These chicks should hatch this coming Sunday.

I don't know a 100% effective way to keep them from pooping in the food, they like to climb up on top so they have a 'high" view and then nature takes it's course and poo gets into the food. I just cleaned them out every day.

Turkeys and chickens have been raised in the same area, kept seperate from the places I've seen. There is a gal out in the Butte with both but she kept them seperate entirely. I don't know where you would get turkeys short of a hatchery order, triple D shut down so that is no longer an option.

 

[chestypuller]

I'm in Anchorage now but keep the flock in Wasilla. THe incubaor and brooder is in Anchorage. I have a batch in the bator now as a 2012 test run, will run a few hundred through it before May is over. I'll throw you some chicks, no big deal to me, they're barnyard mixes. You can mix chicks a couple weeks apart, just have to watch to make sure everyone will play nice. This year I have hatchery chicks coming over a 3 week period so I'll be mixing in them 3 weeks apart. These chicks should hatch this coming Sunday.

I don't know a 100% effective way to keep them from pooping in the food, they like to climb up on top so they have a 'high" view and then nature takes it's course and poo gets into the food. I just cleaned them out every day.

Turkeys and chickens have been raised in the same area, kept seperate from the places I've seen. There is a gal out in the Butte with both but she kept them seperate entirely. I don't know where you would get turkeys short of a hatchery order, triple D shut down so that is no longer an option.

good info! hey you got a number or something so i can get with you sunday evening or monday night to pick some chicks up? if thats ok with you. i may want to ask some crazy chicken questions also.

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

they hatch sunday but I won't open the hatcher till Tuesday just in case there are some late hatchers. Shoot me a PM for phone number.

 

[chestypuller]

well dang it i dont think i like this stable news bedding, its shreaded newspaper, and dusty! think im going to switch back to pine shavings.

 

[PaintedWolf]

If you're still having problems with a messy water dish, you might want to try chicken "nipples." You can purchase them from farm supply companies like this one: http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/waterers/poultry-waterers.html, or on Ebay. They work great, and chicks take to them right away. I bought the push-in style, and stuck one in the cap of a 1L soda bottle, then hung it upside down on the side of the brooder. They love drinking from it, and you know you'll always have fresh water with no shavings or poop in it! They'll be great when you move the older chicks outside as well. You can just pop the nipples in the bottom of a bucket or PVC pipe.

 

[chestypuller]

im going to order them nipples. amazon.com got free shipping on them. hope they are good, red ones.

 

[PaintedWolf]

I think you'll really like them!

 

[chestypuller]

thanks to Rod i now have 12 additional chickens! wee! 15 total now.