OMG I'm hooked on chickens!!! LOL

[Cetawin]

Quote:
They need extra heat until they are fully feathered. The typical rule of thumb is by their age...their first week they need 95 degrees, second week 90 degrees, third week 85 degree, fourth week 80 degree and fifth week 75 degrees and etc,,,dropping 5 degrees per week until full feathered 8 - 10 weeks.

At their young age, I would not transition them more than a few degrees. They will not be capable of handling the lower temps until they are fully feathered. at their age now, watch drastic temperature changes with them. A few degrees difference is one thing but 10 - 20 degrees difference can make them sick. Keep them out of blowing wind and drafts right now too.

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

I know what you mean! I don't have my chickies yet, I haven't even built my coop but I'm completely chicken brained!

I can't wait. I showed my husband some pictures of the breeds I want and he thinks I'm nuts.

He's not too keen on the Polish Cresteds, hah, I'm s excited!

 

[TheRidingLibrarian]

My name is Patti and I'm a Chicken Addict.

You people are a bunch of enablers!!! I love it.

Honestly, I only got my chickens so we could have eggs, and maybe move into the meat thing eventually. (jumping o nthat sustianability/self-sufficiency bandwagon) But I gotta be honest, I have set up a step stool in their coop so that when I feed at night I can just sit in with them awhile and watch them.

They totally crack me up, especially since my husband built their Junior Roost and Chicken Jungle Gym System for them.

 

[terri9630]

I got my first chicks 6 weeks ago. I wasn't planning on it, a friend of mine had been talking about getting some replacement chicks and while I was at the feed store buying horse feed I saw the chicks. I called her and she said to grab 10 of them. Then the kids talked me into grabbing 10 for us. That would have left one chick all alone so we got 11. Hubby thinks I'm nuts.


Three days after getting my chicks I broke my collar bone and my 8yr old "enforcer" is making sure I follow the Dr's orders and don't lift anything over 2lbs so all I've been able to do is play with my chicks. Watching them is just as relaxing as watching a fish tank.

 

[RendonRoo]

TGarcia, I'm in ft. worth area and i have had mine outside since they were about 5 weeks. They are now about 8 weeks and i haven't had a problem. I do keep a heat bulb in the coop for them at night. I think yours should be ready to go out.

 

[pixiechic]

Quote:
Some people call that Chicken TV, the Chicken Channel, or Chicken Psychiatry. They really are entertaining, aren't they?

Welcome, and be careful - it can become an addiction pretty quickly. Here's how it worked for me:

March 2008: Neighbor gave me 3 chickens; I reluctantly accepted after significant convincing from my son
A*p*r*i*l 2008: Got 15 chicks from the feed store, plus 2 from a local farm
May 2008: Renovated our old hay shed into a big chicken coop
June 2008: Our first egg
October 2008: All ten pullets began laying reliably
January 2009: Rehomed 3 extra roosters, thanks to BYC
March 2009: Got 20+ more chicks at the feed store
Yesterday and today: Broody hen hatched 2 of the 3 e*g*g*s she's been sitting on.

In just about a year, we've multiplied our chicken population by eleven, not counting the ones we've rehomed or lost to predators. This was not in the plan, but we're having so much fun!

 

[cmom]

Congratulations on your new babies. You are now an addict.

 

[TGarcia]

RendonRoo thanks....that reassures me about putting them out. Although it won't be til this weekend when the coop is completely done. And I'll be sure to put a light in there for them to have at night. I'm sure I will be up and down all night going out to check on them. LOL

I was completely killing myself trying to keep everything so clean in their box I have them in. I had just newspaper and papertowels in there and was CONSTANTLY having to change them out. The box is big, with one corner of it heated for them. But they like to poop all over the place. LOL So I bought a huge bag of pine shavings yesterday and put in there which has helped ALOT. Only problem I have now is keeping the shavings out of their water. I ended up sitting the waterer on top of a small brick to make it higher up so they don't kick shavings into the water. It helped a little, and they can still get to the water. So maybe that will help with having to constantly change the bedding for them. Plus once this weekend gets here they are gonna be getting a taste of the outdoors.

For those of you whose husbands think you has lost it. You are not alone.

Mine looked at me like I was insane when I even mentioned the word chicken for the first time. Course I thought he was insane when he started the building of the coop. But I'm kinda glad now it's gonna be so much bigger than I had expected.

He's all for the chickens now....but still laughs at me when he catches me in there talking to them, and watching them eat and scratch around. Maybe he made the coop so big cause he thinks I just might actually get up in there with them!!!!!

LOL......anyway....I'm having a blast. Never imagined myself having chickens. But now can't see myself without em!!!

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
Oh you will. I was a nervous nitwit when I moved them from my bathroom to my livingroom and when they went outside I must have made 100 trips a night around the coop and peeking in to make sure they were ok and nothing had gotten in there. They were getting ticked off at me shining a light in there and talking to them.


Quote:
Oh I would catch mine in the bathroom talking to the girls constantly. He would wake me up because they "made a noise" and whenever he would get out of the shower, he'd go go pick each one up and talk to her. Finally after 2 weeks of that he says "yeah they are kinda ok"

 

[wegotchickens]

We have a broody hen (finally).
I put eggs under her, against the wishes of DH.
Yesterday I dragged him to the coop and made him watch as she rolled an egg back under her that I'd pulled to the side.
The look on his face as she tucked that egg under her, and purred, was priceless!!! He comes across as the tough, retired Army Sergeant Guy... But he's a softy!!!

Now I've volunteered to hatch eggs for 3 friends. I won't get to keep the peeps, but I'll have eggs to tend and watch hatch. And I'll have a back-up chick in case something happens to Mystery's nest.
DH isn't happy that I'm hatching more eggs. Especially since I broke the news to him while he still had the mushy look on his face after watching Mystery tend to her eggies!