New to the chick world!

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skomp4

skomp4

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5 Years
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Apr 4, 2014
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This is my first time raising chicks! So all the help and advice is welcome! I have to kids and they just love them! I want them to be friendly and ok with the kids around we would love for them to follow me around somewhat trained lol.... Is that possible? We have 7 hen pullets. I would like to keep th free range but I'm nervous the play/ outdoor family area is relatively close to where we are building the coop? Unless I put them in the middle of the field... Is this a concern I'd like too keep them away from the road. Also when is it best to warm them my guess is they are about 2-3 weeks old? Only have had them 3 days thanks!!
 
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Welcome to BYC!

You will need to get your chicks under a heat lamp, lowering the temp each week until they are 6 weeks old. Here is a great article in our learning center on brooding chicks, as well as the link to the learning center. Lots of great info that you will want to read....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Chickens so wander. So if you don't want them too close to the road, you will need to contain them for now and or build a run attached to your coop. Check out our coop pages for lots of great ideas....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

Good luck with your new babies and pullets! If you have any other questions feel free to ask!
 
Thank you! I will read up on that article! I have them all set with the heat light food water ex.. In a17" round galvanized wash bucket.... So it's just the next sept thanks for the link!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Congratulations on your new chicks! X2 on TwoCrows suggestion of checking out the Learning Center, in the Raising Chicks section there are three or four articles on raising chicks as pets or training them... yes chickens are trainable!
With free ranging them, they are going to wander, so if there are places you can't have them getting into, you will need to contain them somehow, you might look into movable electric poultry netting if you want to move them around a field... and predators are a big concern with free ranging, everything likes to eat chicken.
If you were wondering about worming them, most people worm once or twice a year, usually when they are molting or not laying eggs (some people throw away the eggs when they worm their hens since most wormers are off label and there are no real guidelines for laying hens)... usually chicks are not wormed routinely.
 
Help please my baby chicks are out if control!! Lol I doing something wrong?
I had them in a very large wash bucket after about a week and 1/2 they were fling/jumping out
I know have them in a 30gal tote and they are fling out squirming around like nuts I spend a lot of time with them and when it has been warm like 70-80 I take them out side... They are quite spoiled love grapes and my husbands fishing bait! Shhh... My little chicks are very active when I they her me coming they go even more bonkers this am before I went down for them they must have herd me? 6 of the 8 were out and making their way up the steps! I don't want them to fall down the steps and get hurt they are still little but feathering out quick the new coop is in the works and the dog just doesn't even care what they do walk all over him these crazy gals fit right in! But I'm running out of space for them in the house to many places to get lost.... Not ready to be outside yet unless I put the heat lamp in the coop?! Ahhh what to do?!
By the way thanks for all the awesome info on this site had help a lot!! :D
 
And is this normal behavior for such young chicks they are about 3 weeks now maybe a little older?
 

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