One more day till chicks! And a question....

[bangor777]

Tomorrow we pick up our new chick family! I have a question for everyone. I have six kids, ages 6, 10, 13, 13, 17 and 19. My question is how much contact can these fragile little cuties take at this age (a week and a half). I've been prepping the kids that we need to let the little ones rest and acclimate, and my kids are really awesome, great with pets. Can the chicks be held and cuddled for a short time? How much handling? I'll take any wisdom you guys can pass on. So Excited!!!
Lori

 

[mmajw]

Just be gentle. If you want to be able to hold them when they get older you want to start holding them now. You will know when they need a rest or a break. Hope we see pics!!

 

[arlee453]

I think with the ages of your kids you won't have to worry - they will understand that you can't squeeze them and to handle gently.

PROPER handling won't hurt the chicks at all. Just give them rest time and dont' keep out from under the brooder too long - they need the heat.

 

[bangor777]

You guys are awesome to answer so quickly. Yay, so we can hold them!!! The kids will be gentle, I'll be right there the whole time too. My husband is taking me out tonight because I told him "once my babies get here I'm not gonna want to go out for quite a while". He thinks I'm nuts (but he's secretly excited as well). I will definitely post pics!

Any tips on creating sweet friendly chickens? my childhood chickens loved me, I hope these love my kids as well.

 

[mmajw]

Talk to them, pet them, hold them and treats. They love treats.

 

[bangor777]

Ok....So....Treats.....what and when? How soon can treats be introduced?

 

[mmajw]

When mine were just a few weeks maybe 4 weeks I would give them watermelon they loved it. As they got older I give them watermelon, corn on the cob, corn (bagged from the farm store), grapes, yogurt, bread pieces.

Some days they may get treats once or twice then some days get skipped.
Just as long as that is not their only diet, it is just a treat once in a while.

 

[bionic_chicken]

Don't do treats too soon! They need starter exclusively for a while. Do a search, or post another thread to get a good idea of when. I'm new too, but a couple of weeks ahead of you. Um...I sleep in the room where the brooder is...I'm really watchful of my girls!

And even though I've had a couple of scary incidents, I haven't lost any of them. They are all so healthy! And I really have had success using the medicated chick starter that's a mash consistency as opposed to crumbles. Little ones can really shovel down the mash! Crumbles are just too big, IMO. Also, I had great, great success with paper towels only on the bottom of the brooder. They are 2 weeks-old and just started eating the paper towels, so now they are on pine shavings. Really, it's so great because the paper towels absorb the poo. Everything stays really clean! And it's easy to put the girls in a box, under the lamp, and quickly roll up the old paper towels and put down a new layer. I did this several times a day. Just be sure to buy lots of paper towels because you'll want to make a thick layer for them. Wash their feeder and waterer daily with bleach-water, rinse very thoroughly, and make sure the feeder is completely dry - you don't want to wet down your feed and let it grow mold. The paper towel-lined box should be in your brooder room so you can put the girls in there and under the lamp any time you need to service the brooder. Put a screened lid over the box, they fly up at about 1 week of age! You are not going to believe how they change every single day! Have a good thermometer to measure brooder temp - it's critical to their biological function. I had my kids hold the babies while sitting around the brooder. That way they were still near the heat source. And I'm with you, I am always right there when the kids handle the chicks. Oh, this is important: order Avia Charge 2000 right now from Murray McMurray or Strombergs. It is a powdered supplement that mixes into the water and makes it looks like Coca Cola! If you have a quart waterer, you need only 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon. It saved my baby australorp who had a crop that emptied slowly, causing her problems with nutrient malabsorption. The aviacharge gave her a burst of nutrition and she's amazing now. If I could do it over, I would have it before the babies arrive because shipping, or even picking up, stresses them so much. That can mean big trouble for a weak chick. Good Luck! You're going to have so much fun and you're going to be sooooooo in love! PM me if you need anything!