new to site, and chick care~need advice

[krisendaaves]

hello. i am looking forward to meeting and talking with y'all. just got baby chicks from local seed store that couldn't inform me of their breed/sex. they seem very healthy. put newspaper, then pine bedding down. don't have red light yet, only have a 100 watt bulb, and one 60 watt, and thermometer reads 82, but it's very warm, and chicks are moving around, eating, drinking,, and sleeping. need to know what bedding is proper, and if red lamp is a must have. also, feeding them baby chick food from the seed store, but don't know if there is something else i should be giving them. i have been looking on the computer for info, but need to talk to a real live person. what if i have mostly roosters? have been told it's best to have only one or two. any adive you could give about what they must have in order to thrive, how to determine their sex and breed, would be much appreciated. i'm glad i found this site. thank you all in advance.

 

[QualityPolish]

Welcome to BYC So glad to you have!!
Well, it sounds like you're giving them the basics so really all you have to do is wait. What breed do you have? Any pics would be appreciated as well ^^
QP

 

[jeepguy982001]

Don't worry about the temp my last bunch of chicks i got liked it around 82-84 their first week. The chick food will give them everything they need. When you start to give them treats (I usually wait til their about 2 wks) you will need to give them some kind of grit i use parakeet grit you can get at any pet store. As far as the red light i think its suppose to help to keep them pecking at each other so much. I'm not for sure though since i've always used a red heat lamp. Anyways hopes this helps some.

 

[krisendaaves]

thanks, that info did help to make me feel better. wish i knew how to find their gender by looking at vents. tried with wings, no success.