Paranoid chick owner

[elysiumdream]

Hello! I’m new to chicken keeping. I’ve been lurking for about the past month researching and reading all things chickens.

I got 5 chicks a week ago from someone I found on facebook. Chicks were about a week when I got them. One started acting a little off on Sunday and I got probiotics and electrolytes for the water. She seemed to perk up for a bit, but started to seem off again last night and I found her dead this morning. (I never knew such a creature could cause me such heart break.)

The other four are growing fast and acting fine. My question now if whether we should get more. My husband and I are paranoid about losing more or someone turning out to be a rooster. So we wonder if we should maybe get 2 more from the same place. I hear it is easier to incorporate them now instead of later when they are older.

They are on organic starter feed with a titan heater on pine shavings. The one who passed was a Sussex. We have two sapphire gems, Delaware and a Plymouth Rock left.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As long as you have space for all of them if they all survive, adding more chicks of the same age from the same source isn't a bad idea if you want to guarantee ending up with a certain minimum number.

I did end up with a roo and lost another to an accident, so I ended up having to buy chicks/started pullets multiple times when I should've just bought extras in the beginning.