NEW to the chicken world. What do you think about my of chicks?

Chickmamaa209

In the Brooder
Oct 14, 2019
16
17
34
California
Hello fellow chicken owners. My mom recently gave me permission to have chickens and ready starting this amazing journey I'm planning on converting a shed into a coop & adding a large steeling wire dog kennel as a chicken run. I have been doing tons and tons of research and have learned a lot of information. So this weekend I went out to a feed store in the next town over and I bought some of every color they had (total 6) 1 rhode island red, 1 New Hampshire , 4 americanos 2 grey 2 black All supposed to be female but we'll see as they get older. I really wanted silkies, orpingtons, and plymouthrock but this was the only feeds tore around me selling chicks at the moment and I didn't want to wait until spring o next year to get my chicks. Bought them a heat lamp, tub and pine shavings, food/water tray. Purina chick started non medicated, chick grit, hydro hen a supplement for their water & "farmers helper ultra kibble for chicks" mix this in with there food 1:7 ratio for extra protein, veggies, minerals all that good stuff. How am I doing so far ? I have a decent back yard not too big and not too small id say medium size. Later in the spring I want to add a few more chickens to my flock probably around 4-5 more. another question non medicated or medicated feed for my baby? I don't want them catching anything from my back yard ive had a few dogs catch parvo I know that has nothing to do with chickens but who knows what else can be in the dirt
 
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I have never put them one medicated feed, but I did put together a chicken first aid kit that I keep expanding on

Corid
Valbazen
liquimycin
small syringe
vet tape
Popsicle sticks
straw
tweezers
scissors
Vetracyn ointment
Liquid vitamin b complex
Poli-vi-sol liquid without iron
save a chick powder
clean jug for mixing if need be for water and medicine

also have a couple things book marked on my computer so can easily find the information
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry
and cause I'm a hatch aholic
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

Welcome to BYC by the way, it will help if you at least put your state or country in your profile as it can affect your advice
 
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Hi, congrats on your new chicks!
How big is your brooder? Those babies will be big in about 3-4 weeks, and flying all over before you know it and will need more space than you think! Get that shed conversion ready asap! If you plan to add more in spring, consider a built-in coop brooder to make integrating new chicks so much easier. Your run should be at least 100 sf or bigger, unless you plan to free range during the day.

If you have a proper chick starter feed (purina is great) then hydro hen & "farmers helper ultra kibble for chicks" shouldn't be necessary, especially if you want to feed actual treats like mealworms or fruit/veggies, and those shouldn't exceed more than 10% of total diet. I always only offer my chicks plain fresh water. But do have Corid on hand in case you notice a bout of Coccidiosis. At about a week or so, you can bring in a chunk of sod from your yard to help them build immunities to their future environment, or even take them outside for short visits, even if it's cold, a mother hen would do the same thing. With winter coming, you need to help them get acclimated to the outside so they can make it through the colder months. It's not advisable to heat the coop in your climate.

It sounds like you've been doing some great research and you're starting with a nice mix of birds. I believe your "ameraucanas" are actually easter eggers though... I have 2 in my flock and they're my favs, one lays cream eggs and the other lays green.

Here's some links with other important info to keep in mind:

And if you'd like to learn about another way of brooding your chicks without the dangers of a heat lamp, and the easy integration thing, these links are extremely interesting:
Just sharing the information that was so valuable to me when I first started. Good luck in your new chicken adventure!
 
Hello fellow chicken owners. My mom recently gave me permission to have chickens and ready starting this amazing journey I'm planning on converting a shed into a coop & adding a large steeling wire dog kennel as a chicken run. I have been doing tons and tons of research and have learned a lot of information. So this weekend I went out to a feed store in the next town over and I bought some of every color they had (total 6) 1 rhode island red, 1 New Hampshire , 4 americanos 2 grey 2 black All supposed to be female but we'll see as they get older. I really wanted silkies, orpingtons, and plymouthrock but this was the only feeds tore around me selling chicks at the moment and I didn't want to wait until spring o next year to get my chicks. Bought them a heat lamp, tub and pine shavings, food/water tray. Purina chick started non medicated, chick grit, hydro hen a supplement for their water & "farmers helper ultra kibble for chicks" mix this in with there food 1:7 ratio for extra protein, veggies, minerals all that good stuff. How am I doing so far ? I have a decent back yard not too big and not too small id say medium size. Later in the spring I want to add a few more chickens to my flock probably around 4-5 more. another question non medicated or medicated feed for my baby? I don't want them catching anything from my back yard ive had a few dogs catch parvo I know that has nothing to do with chickens but who knows what else can be in the dirt
Welcome To BYC:frow

Do you have any photos of your chicks, the brooder and the conversion of your shed-to-coop that you wish to share with us?

It sounds like you are off to a good start and doing your homework!
The only thing I see, I would not mix the Farmer's Helper Ultra Kibble For Chicks with the feed. Offer it separate as a treat or if you feel it needs to be mixed with feed, then maybe add it 1-2 times a week. The label doesn't say "how much" to add to the feed, the instructions are not very clear. Is there more info on the bag? IF I were to use something like this, I would probably give at a ratio of 1:10 (2 times a week).

Hydro Hen...I would also "limit" that too or make fresh water available as well. It's basically just electrolytes with some probiotics. Read your label on that too...fresh water to be supplied as well. I do offer vitamins/electrolytes to chicks for the first few days (along with fresh water), then step that down to once a week.

I wish you success and lot of enjoyment with your new chicks! Keep up posted on how they are doing.

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