Newbie from East Tennessee

[relcross]

Hi,
I am expecting my first chicks to arrive from Macmurry in a couple of weeks. I am expecting 9 B.Orpington females, 6 Americauna females, 1 B.Orpington roo, and the free exotic. Would appreciate any tips to help them survive. Building a brooder box this weekend, going to make a custom brooder light that I can control with a dimmer switch to have more control over the temp. Getting excited, and a little nervous

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, relcross, and

! Pleased you joined our flock! My first suggestion would be to read up at the Learning Center below - it has tons of great info on raising chicks from hatch to adult.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/

Also, one bit of advice...while McMurray is a reputable hatchery, if you can contact your postal hub - not your local P.O., but the larger P.O. that feeds your P.O., and have them call you when your chicks arrive there - and you go pick them up - that will save them one day of travel. Chicks are okay without food or water for a couple days after birth but I always think the sooner the better. When you get them, put some Chick Booster (basically vitamins formulated for baby chicks - available at Farm and Ranch stores) in their water - gives them a good start. Dip their beaks - each bird - into the water so they get the idea of drinking. Do that and you've won half the battle!! Good luck to you!

 

[relcross]

Thanks for the tip. Didn't think about the PO hub. Been checking out the learning center, along with every other scrap of reading material I can find-Whew! Talk about information overload!

 

[drumstick diva]

also go to the Raising backyard poultry forum and follow threads of interest

 

[Brandi Leigh]