Oh so many questions...new to this

[MN Chicken]

I have a few questions about our chicks. We have 4 of them, and they are all around a week old. I have 1 Polish, 1 BO, 1 BR, and one EE/Ameraucana.

1. The breeder kept all of the chicks on contact heat at 80 degrees. Everything I read says they should be at 90+ degrees, but she said to do 80 degrees and drop from there. She said she does lower contact heat so they acclimate to the Minnesota cold faster. Is this right? Should I keep them warmer? They are in my basement which is 60-65 degrees, under a 100W bulb which is keeping the brooder at about 80-86 degrees. I am wondering if I need to make it warmer.

2. My polish is much smaller than the rest, and really.....spirited. It is the loudest bird, hates to be held, and a little aggressive toward the others. Should we hold this one even more to break it of these habits? Could this be a sign that it is a roo? Do I have to be concerned with the fact that this bird keeps the others from sleeping because it is so nutso?

3. My EE is SUPER calm...like almost oddly so. The rest of the chicks run around like crazy (the BR is the next calmest), but my EE just comes to the side of the brooder and listens to me talk. She is also the only one that lays down to sleep, and likes being held. Do I just have a sweet bird, or could she be sick? She is eating and drinking just fine.

4. I have been feeding them just dry chick starter out of the bag. Do I need to crush it up or wet it at all? They have been eating it just fine the past day, but I am curious because the breeder had hers ground to a powder.

5. One more silly one...the Polish has a middle toe missing a nail, it is just a nubbin. Is that just a birth thing? Something to keep an eye on? Anything to worry about?

Thanks for hanging in there with my newbie glory

 

[packmomma]

Well I'll give ya some answers.

1. As long as your chicks are not all huddled together acting cold you are fine. When I first got my chicks last year 90 was too hot for them. Sometimes they will chirp alot if they are cold. I think if they are not acting cold and they are moving around then you are fine.

2. I think you could try holding that chick more and see if it helps. If it is really an issue of aggression i would separate. Sometimes you just have one loud chick.. I did..it kept me awake but as I held them more and made sure the house was quiet all night they all started sleeping. If someone walked through the living room to the bathroom they would wake up and peep.

3. We have two EE's and they are both super calm. I could easily hold one for hours and it would just sit there. Just watch the chick and as long as it is eating and drinking normal I wouldnt worry about it unless it really looks too tired.. Honestly if you have the peeping chick all night this one might not be getting good sleep lol.

4. Mine ate regular chick stuff just fine. I never crushed it. Its your choice really. If they are eating it fine I wouldnt worry about it. They make it small enough usually for chicks.

5. I cant answer this. I dont have polish but I would say if its not bothersome and the chick can walk ok I wouldnt worry about it.

Hope this helps.

 

[MN Chicken]

Thank you for the answers! I appreciate how valuable of a resource this board is!

Here are some pictures of my crew just for fun:

The crew all together (see how much smaller the Polish is? Could he be a bantam? He was born the same day as the BR he is standing next to)

The EE...sweeter than punch

The Polish...trouble in a tiny body

The BR..also calm, but VERY curious

The BO...already queen bee in the pecking order...also likes to "eat" freckles

 

[donnavee]

They are all so cute. I can't really answer any of your questions except to say that one of my EE's as a baby was very calm and loved being held. In fact, at 11 mo old, she is still a big, friendly baby. Good luck!

 

[speckledhen]

Very cute! The Barred Rock looks like a cockerel to me, but I'd have to see more of the back of the head and body in better light to tell you for sure. Check it out by the pics on this web page about sexing Dominiques, another barred breed with the same sexing traits, since you can see him in person:
http://www.dominiquechicken.com/Sexing_Dominique_chicks.html

 

[KKatknap]

Hi and

CUTE babies! Isn't it great how they already have their own personalities?

I would second most of the answers above. As far as temps go, just watch the chicks and they will let you know if they are comfortable. If they huddle under the light all the time, you need more heat. If they are running around and eating/drinking well, they are fine. The Polish might be peeping loudly because she's cold, but it's hard to know without watching her other behaviors. In your pics, they do seem to be close together...are they always like that, or do they spread out and wander sometimes? I like to keep it where they sleep just outside the warm part of the heat lamp, but not clear across the "room" from it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the toe. You won't be able to show it, but that probably isn't your goal anyway.

If she can walk ok on it, she'll be just fine.

ETA - Love the names! Especially your children's names!!

 

[packmomma]

That polish just looks like trouble lol. The camera catches the "dont mess with me" look very well. We have two EE's. One looks like an owl and one looks like a hawk. The owl one is very laid back and still wants lovin..the hawk looking one is HUGE and is second on the pecking order. Very nice but doesnt really like to be loved on. At first I thought it was a cockeral because she was so huge and didnt lay till very last...I kept looking for the squat when you pet them and finally she did but it was another two weeks before she layed. Now she lays the biggest eggs of them all! Her and my Isa Brown Baby are the roost rulers. I cant wait for my new chicks to arrive. We ordered 10 broilers and another 5 isa browns.

 

[BriteChicken]

Oh she was just irritated because she couldn't get those huge eggs out Lol! JK

 

[packmomma]

LOL maybe..her eggs are so big some days I look and say...DANG you have to have to be sore!! I dont know how these chickens do it really. I had two kids..I cant imagine having a baby head every day!

 

[BriteChicken]

Quote:

They're just good like that!