Newbie!!!

[QuinnP]

Hi Leah!! Hope you're well on this lovely day! I hold Arlo um, just about all the time because he likes it. He adores grapes & tomatoes
cedar is toxic to all animals

 

[StormyMoon]

I never used the paper towel like some do here, cause bottom line I just couldn't afford it as much as they poo it was cheaper to get the chips and change it every other day or daily depending on how bad they smell.

When mine was a couple of weeks old I also once in a while added plain dirt with a few bugs in it with some grass from out side they love it.
I used a plastic storage box for their brooder but because we are in texas and it stays pretty warm here I didn't really need to use a very hot lamp I have a room that can get up to 100 degrees without a fan and yes I kept them in my home until they was ready to go to the coop.......

You will know when they are ready to go back when you wake up every morning and you can smell their pooo its time to gooooo lol........
We handled ours every time we felt like it they will let you know if they are not in the mood mine usually just lay there until I put them back in the box .

I have fallen asleep with my Barred Rock on my daughters bed cause I meant to put him back in the brooder but I fell asleep before I could remember to put him back and he didnt even leave my side he just took a nap with me

Have fun with them enjoy them, they do poo a lot but its easily cleaned up.

 

[fargosmom]

If you're talking about outgrowing their baby feathers, that seems to be an ongoing process while they grow up; at some point all their adult plumage is grown in and that's that for a while. I think molting is on an individual basis - my EE's molted at around 9-10 months, in the fall of last year. On the other hand my BR's, the same age, still have their original set of "big girl" feathers (tho I think they're getting ready to molt, but at this point they're nearly 1 1/2 years old).
You'll know when it looks like a chicken exploded in your coop - more feathers on the ground than you ever thought were on their bodies.
Enjoy your chickies!

 

[nanawendy]

The issue in regards to paper towels is so that the chicks learn to eat chick food not pine shavings. The shavings are so tempting that your chicks could eat themselves to death. This is only for a few days, just to get the hang of eating from a feeder. I usually spread some crumbles in the paper towel or in a jar LID. This is a teaching process and a lot of fun to see them grow. BTW I love sex links... I LOVE SS, BR, EE, IB, SLW, GLW.........

 

[write2caroline]

I prefer play sand to pine shavings.

Here is my brooder

[/img] I put the heat lamp in the stick which was taped to the mirror so I could adjust the heat as needed warmer and cooler.

I tried to talk to them softly so I wouldn't startle them. Read all the stuff here. Not the emergency section unless you have a problem - kind of icky and frightning.
Take a TON of pictures because they really grow right before your eyes. Chickens are very hardy little creatures. They can survive a lot so the odds are that you will be okay. didn't handle them a whole bunch the first couple of days. Temperature, Clean water and food are the most important things. The rest will come.

Hope that helps
Good luck
POST PICTURES
Caroline

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

I completely concur with write2caroline on the photography! Take pics at least once a week. I took more, but always on the same day of the week, to mark their growth thru the weeks. Between one and 5, it blew my mind! Can't wait to see what happens next!!!
(I also agree wholeheartedly about reading everything on this site EXCEPT FOR the emergency section. You will worry yourself into anemia if you start that section, when there's nothing wrong!)

Enjoy!
Blessings

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

I like to set a certain amount of time a day for socializing with my chicks. If I have some free time on my hands I go out to the brooder and handle each one and talk to it. Although lately my time and attention has been demanded by one particular chick that I rescued. Trying to nurse her back to health after she was nearly pecked to death at a feed store.

Have fun with your babies!! Chicks are a lot of fun!!

 

[mamabigbird]

We started with day-olds and I was scared of every aspect of their arrival and survival. How could I possibly raise anything so tiny and defensless. Well they are a week old today and I finally took a deep breath and relaxed (a little). I handle them daily and a few don't go easily. They try to run away at 1 day old. I find they don't spook as easily if I scoop them up from underneath and front. They practically walk onto my open palm, but if I try to just grab them from above they panic and try to run.
Also make sure there are no tight corners to get stuck in. And that food tray and water are low enough to eat/drink from without them climbing in and getting stuck. We put a few throw-awayable towels in on top of the pine shavings for a couple days instead of papertowels. Way cozy for them and I could see their poops easily to see if everything was normal looking. Tapping at the food and water will call them to it just like their momma would do.
Have fun and remember to breath. LOL