newbie shopping list. What do I really need?

[espressola]

Hi, Julie! Welcome! Cedar shavings can cause respiratory failure in chicks and in adult birds... better stick to pine shavings....
Patty N. ;-)

 

[daisy_dukers]

I'm a noob too.

I went straight to wood pellets for bedding for mine.

They peck at them a bit, but even when they get a tiny piece in thier beaks they seem to spit it out.

I used a kiddy pool for my brooder which seems to be working fine.

I have 25 ISA brown Pullets.

WARNING I figured it would be ok to wait a few days before constructing a wire top.....I thought wrong and was up till 1:30AM last night putting one together as I had one chick just about escape. I originally extended the sides of the pool up 3 1/2 ft and one fiesty lil bugger just about bounce herself outta the brooder.

I used two 175W heat lamps in mine as it is about 65'F in my basement and I worried about one going out while I am away at work.

I also went with medicated chick starter and electrolytes in thier water.

I had to show them what the water was but once a few of them got the idea the rest of them clued in.

Good Luck

 

[OrpingtonHopeful]

Quote:
LOL, well I have tons of beginner questions, I hopw no one minds the hijack here- I am hoping it will also help the OP get info they may need too.

Any good sources for obtaining the DE? Our local TSC doesn't stock it and our feed store has NON food grade DE

Also how pricey should Clorid be? I wanted to have an emergency kit and I could only find galon jugs and they were insanely priced!

Also cannot find Blue Kote.

Is there an online supplier BYC folks like?

 

[NancyP]

What is blue kote?

 

[Judy]

If you use medicated feed, medicated with amprolium, hopefully you won't need Corid. They are both amprolium. I would avoid feed medicated with an antibiotic.

Next time I will brood them on wood pellets. They are more expensive than pine shavings but if you brood indoors they are infinitely better for odor and dust. (Chicks will make dust, anyway, though.) I use pine shavings in the coop for the older ones, though.

Blue Kote is a wound dressing, good to coat pecked places to prevent further pecking. If they have enough room and enough to keep them occupied, like time outdoors, hopefully the need will not arise.

 

[chickpeaz]

Another semi-hijack with some questions --

- Are the wood pellets the same ones used for burning in pellet stoves, or are they bedding-specific?

- Can clean white newsprint be used in place of paper towels, or is it too slippery? What about shredding, tearing or crumpling it? (I have a huge box of the stuff)

- How do you give the grit? Do you mix it right in with their feed?

Thank you, thank you!

 

[chickpeaz]

Anyone? I'm really wondering about the newsprint.

 

[Puff]

My guess would be the newsprint would be too slippery, maybe shred it? The grit I just used like salt over the grain every 3 days or so when they are eating treats.

 

[daisy_dukers]

I bought my wood pellets from the hardware store. They are 100% natural wood, no addatives..7bucks for a 40lb bag and it took 2 bags to fill the bottom of the kiddy pool.

All my chicks are eating, sleeping, pooping and drinking normally from what i can tell and they dont try and eat the pellets. They do like to pick the odd one up and play tag though.