Our newest chickens

[drumstick diva]

agree with ChickenCanoe

 

[AuntNomi]

We went to our local feed shop and got some baby chicks and I was excited! I think we got some Ameraucana chicks because they have feathers on their feet!. But the guy at the feed store told me they are a week old,but the look younger than that Be prepared for some cuteness!!


This one has a brown stripe down her head! I'm gonna call her fox!



This is Olaf! See the feathers on the feet!


We have two like this and they both have feathers on their feet!

Ameraucana's do not have feathers on their feet. I am not sure about Easter Eggers since they can be nearly any kind of way. But I do know that people will sell EE's and other chickens as Ameraucana, it can be very misleading.

 

[ICB42]

I'm not sure they were from a feed store ally hey said were bantams so I was just guessing! There's no way of knowing until they get older

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The first one is likely an EE/Ameraucana. The other two are likely Brahma and/or Cochin.

 

[ICB42]

Thanks!! How is it you guys can look at these chicks and know what they by looking at them!! Awesome!! They are about to be 3 weeks old, since these are so little how old should they be before introducing them into the coop, and how do I go about doing this without a problem? And without losing these little guys?

 

[azygous]

Are there any adult chickens in the coop already? If not, putting your chicks in the coop is no different than having them in your house. Simply make sure they have adequate protection from drafts and predators, and move their heat source into the coop with them.

Remember, you aren't heating their whole environment, just one spot under the heat source. It doesn't matter what temperature the rest of the coop is. Your chicks will love having all the extra space, and they will warm themselves when they need it, and play and run around the rest of the coop in between warm-ups.

To minimize the stress of moving into the coop, I like to move their brooder in with them, only turn it on its side so they have access to the rest of the coop. Situate the heat source so its just outside the brooder. After a day or two, remove the brooder, and the chicks are all moved in!

 

[ICB42]

They aren't moved yet the next few days the low is gonna be really low so we haven't put them out yet. The only reason I'm concerned is because we have 7 other normal sized chickens that are close to 7 weeks old

 

[azygous]

If you have adult chickens that you plan on merging the chicks with, it complicates matters. You'll need a safe pen for the chicks. It requires that the lower portion of the barrier be small enough mesh so tiny chick heads don't have the ability to stick through inviting a larger chicken to peck at it and injuring it.

I brood my chicks right outside with the adult flock. That way the flock begins to accept the chicks as members of the flock, making it much easier for the chicks to integrate as they grow. For the first couple weeks you have them in the coop with the adults, the adults will get accustomed to the chicks through the barrier. Then I open up several chick size openings so the chicks are able to mingle with the adults, around 5 x 7 inches, too small for the adults to fit through, and large enough to fit the chicks until they're three months old. (Unless they're all bantams, then you need to make them smaller)

The chicks then have the run of the whole coop, and they are able to run back into their safe pen if chased. Their food and water are inside the safe pen so they don't have to compete with the adults for these essentials. And speaking of feed, it would be best to switch the adults to either chick feed or an all flock feed without layer calcium in it until the new chicks begin to lay. The calcium in layer feed isn't good for chicks.

Meanwhile, it would be a good idea to begin acclimating the babies to colder temps while you still have them indoors. What is your heat source? Heat lamp? Or have you gotten on board with the heating pad system of brooding? Either way, you need to make the chicks' overall environment begin to match up to the colder climate they'll encounter outdoors in the coop. Open a window a little bit more each day where they are to make it a bit cooler each day. You're still providing the same heat source, but their surrounding area should be much cooler. I raised my chicks from day one in temps that were in the 30s at night and not over 50 during the day, and they did splendidly. But your chicks shouldn't go from 70 in the house to below freezing outdoors without acclimation.

 

[ICB42]

The chicks dont have a heat source, Its not that cold here, and they are inside, when we got them, there were old enough to be without one at the feed store, so we haven't used one, however we do have a heat lamp in the coop, just in case. but they aren't out there yet, since it is going to be in the 50s for the next few days.

 

[Traceaskew]

I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in, but I think they need a heat source until they're fully feathered. I was told they need 95 degrees after hatching and then decreasing 5 degrees each week.