Newbie: bought 11 Silved Laced Wyandottes today - Freaked out !!!

[gryeyes]

Although using an aquarium is handy at first, that 'corner' thing is something to worry about. Maybe not with only 11 chicks, though. And the viewing would be nifty - not just from above. But the mess on the glass would make me nuts.

That's why I used a 54 gallon Rubbermaid bin. It was oval-ish (a long oval), I wasn't presented with messy viewing, and it's a whole lot easier to: #1 - swoop out the mess along the sides (no corners), #2 - lightweight and easy to DUMP when a full litter change is necessary. Very easy to clean. #3 - Really inexpensive. Not as cheap as "had it on hand already" like your aquarium, but great for me.

Plus, it made it easy to set up the heat lamp at one end, so there was a really warm end, a warm section and a cooler end for the fuzzbutts to choose what temp they needed at what times. Also, the water stayed cool at the end furthest from the heat lamp. (I've read that chicks/chickens prefer cold water to warm.)

 

[Shelly_WNC]

Oh I be the rubbermaid set up seems easier to clean, plus you can totally wash it out if necessary. Not to mention it would be light weight to move. Maybe next time I will get that set up. It takes my son and I to move our big glass tank around.

So far I'm LOVING the huge glass view ... as I lay down beside them and just watch the 'show' ... and sometimes they get curious and all come over and check me out. *melt my heart* It's only been one day so it's not to messy YET.

I tried picking some up to day, to get them use to me and being handeled ... this is going to be hard. For one thing 11 are hard to keep up with. I can't see how I could pick them each up every day, just to many and I can't make up the difference in each yet.

Wondering how ofter every one else handles theirs and if they handle daily?

 

[Shelly_WNC]

OH GREAT - the loud chirper started up again and it's almost 2am.

All the chicks were fairly quite and healthy today. So I am not understanding why one chirps loudly this late at night.

 

[rainierlass]

I am new to chickens also and I have 9 two-week olds of various breeds - 2 of them are SL Wy's - -
One of my Blue-laced Red Wyandottes is a whiner also - - peep - peep - peep all the day long - and up in the
others faces- - busy busy busy - - am hoping the other poster is wrong that is is a roo - her name used to be
Meringue but I have renamed her 'Fuss-budget'!!! Either that or Henny-Penny because the sky is definitely
falling at all times for that one!!! LOL! It is also the one that does the most scratching and throwing of chips -
if she wouldn't aim for the waterer I would be fine with it!

Your set up looks fine to me for now but you will have to figure a way to mount the light higher or
use a smaller watt bulb- as time goes by - minus 5 degrees less each week -
starting the 3rd week their temp should down to 85 at the most - I had my 9 in a 45 gal Rubbermaid tub but
decided with the feeder and the waterer and the roosts they needed more room - they are now in my garden
tub in the master bath - - hubby said he didn't mind and we rarely have used it (if it had jets I might!)

- - I love it when they stretch their wings out too - - it's like awwwwwww look at all dem purty feathers lil one!!

Have fun and relax - sounds like you are doing everything right!

 

[Shelly_WNC]

Thanks rainierlass - you made me laugh . Funny how they get their own personalities going.

All mine are the same SL W , and I still after two days can't tell them apart really. Today they seem more at home , standing around more and kinda getting in each others face like 'you want a piece of me' - but not pecking each other or hurting each other (good thing). they are trying flying around too , from one end to the other and usually handing on another chick (crazy).

Your right about the lamp - I put two rocks on each end to lift it a little more. Guess I'll have to make something to keep it up higher.

 

[snowflake]

you are doing fine!! you might try hanging you lam from a chair back while they are in the house. does your lamp have a clamp on it? We had ours in a truck tool box, one of those that go across the back of your truck, it was home made so we took the to off and replaced it with wire mesh as much to keep dogs and cat out as to keep the chicks in. My thought on the noisy one was also,ROOSTER, there is a cool link on here some where that shows how to sex them by holding them just below the head. females just hang, while roos kick and hold their legs up, you might try that. some times the chick farms make mistakes, we have a rooster named Gracie cause he was supposed to be a hen. by the time we found out differently the name had stuck

they do stir up a lot of dust in a very short time. I hope you are in a climate warm enough to put them out before they get to big. We live in MI and it was cold last year so they were in the house for months. kept them clean so the stink was not bad but the dust

 

[Shelly_WNC]

Thanks Snowflake - I will try the lamp on chair idea, I do have clamps with these lights. Right now I have the lamp held up by 2x4 blocks and big cans of mangos (oh boy that's a site).

The chicks are going downstairs today, into the heated basement. They are just to noisy at 3am and I can't get a good nights sleep. All day long they chirp quietly but about 2-3am someone chirps very very loud. Every day consistently. Great a 3am rooster - that isn't going to work *smile*.

 

[newchickmom]

One of my chicks hatched in November had very long tail feathers like that and was almost twice the size of the other chicks for some reason. Turned out to be a hen. She is just a little larger than the others.

 

[Shelly_WNC]

Oh I hope so - because the big one is by far the prettest right now and I want to name the big one 'Lacey'. Every day I can see the new feathers coming in - this is such a great experience.

 

[embkm]

Last year, I had a chick that just liked to hear her own voice. We named her Chirpy. There was no reason for the constant chirping, but she did it anyway. She grew up to be a very pretty hen. She was also one of the biggest of the chicks. So I dont think because you have a large noisy chick that you need to worry yet that it is a rooster. Some girls just like to talk ALOT... and loudly LOL!