Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Blarneyeggs]

@Silkie, you crack me up!

@Aurora, I need to get some turkey eggs from you. Central PA huh. Are you ever in the Southeast?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Is use the same 20% chick starter I give chicks, though technically they are supposed to have a higher protein, like "gamebird starter". I used the TSC gamebird starter some last year, but it got too much and I couldn't tell any difference in the poults. Perhaps the heritage breeds are more tolerant of low protein, just like broiler chicks need a higher protein starter than normal chicks.

I typically use a 22% protien for everyone in the flock from poults to laying hens. Occasionally I'll give the poults some scrambled eggs in the first couple days or so if they look like they need a boost. Other than that, it seems to work out fine.

I use flock raiser or chick starter. i *think* both are 20%.  lately it's been flock raiser for everything, just to keep it simple. I've only ever raised heritage breed.  I don't use medicated feed for any of my birds.  I generally throw a little dirt/grass in the brooder after the first couple days to grow immunity. Not that I could find any dirt or grass right now. My poor dog keeps trying to dig down to dirt then looks at me like 

Thanks everybody! I think I will use the chick starter I have, and supplement with some egg or extra protein.

I have some newbie questions:
1. Does any one know if a rat can chew through chicken wire? I'm setting up a 2'x4' large dog cage for brooder now, want to wrap it with chicken wire or hardware cloth to stop chicks from escaping and protect them from rats. Chicken wire is cheaper and easier for me to cut. I also have hardware cloth that can be used.

2. I'm going to use this mama heating pad system( with a extra heating pad and a heating lamp as backups):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

Do I still wrap the cage with plastic to stop draft?

3. Should I use a cat carrier (no escaping) or a cardboard box (better air flowing) to pick up chicks? I'll put a heating pad inside to keep them warm.

Chicks are coming within one month! I have been waited since last summer. Just ordered 50 lb. organic chick starter and 11 lb. meal worms and dozens of other items (medicines, treats, supplements, herbs, bedding, etc. ). It's not like I'm excited or anything! e :yiipchick  

Just a little excited? That's wonderful! You're going to love it and learn so much!

@Silkie, you crack me up!

@Aurora, I need to get some turkey eggs from you. Central PA huh. Are you ever in the Southeast?

I may have some poults hatching tomorrow. Midget whites and a couple others, I forget the breed. Eggs from Dhetzel. I usually let me broody raise them for so that would be less work for you, I don't have room to keep them. She is stil sitting on 4 eggs, and I put them under her on New Year's Day.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

@Silkie, you crack me up!

@Aurora, I need to get some turkey eggs from you. Central PA huh. Are you ever in the Southeast?

The furthest east I ever go is Newport every now and then lol. If you want, I could mail you some eggs. If you ever come this way towards Altoona (or want to meet up with the chicken train) I can send you eggs or poults. Mine would be red bronze, Bourbon red/regal red.

 

[newlinta]

There has to be someone here that has bantam sultans or silver laced polish...doesn't there? Please?!?

 

[Blarneyeggs]

@Anne, hatching tomorrow? That's exciting! Poults are so sweet. Thank you, started poults is a great offer, but the midget whites are a little small, I'm looking for a bigger bird.

Aurora, even Newport is quite a drive from here, are you near State College? My son may be headed there for a conference in a few weeks, is that far from you?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

@Anne, hatching tomorrow? That's exciting! Poults are so sweet. Thank you, started poults is a great offer, but the midget whites are a little small, I'm looking for a bigger bird.

Aurora, even Newport is quite a drive from here, are you near State College? My son may be headed there for a conference in a few weeks, is that far from you?

State collage is about an hour from me. Totally doable.

 

[dheltzel]

@Anne, hatching tomorrow? That's exciting! Poults are so sweet. Thank you, started poults is a great offer, but the midget whites are a little small, I'm looking for a bigger bird.

Aurora, even Newport is quite a drive from here, are you near State College? My son may be headed there for a conference in a few weeks, is that far from you?

I think someone in your area has Bourbon Reds, but I can't remember who. Besides the Midget Whites, I have Royal Palm and Mottled Blacks, with maybe some Silver Dappled or Mottled Silver Dappled. Anyway, they are not much larger than the Midget Whites. One really cool thing about the MW's is that they are good layers (for a turkey), Some of my poults started laying at about 6 months of age (in August) and have laid non-stop since then, except for the ones that go broody. It's weird, the parent hens never went broody all last year, this year their daughters are going broody quite a lot. Midget Whites also always win the taste tests run by the Ark of Slow Food people. Bourbon Reds usually get second place, so you won't go wrong with either breed.

Anyway, if you are interested in any of mine, I have lots and will make you a really sweet deal, since I'm fixing to be overrun with turkeys if they keep this up.

 

[brightpennies]

@dheltzel I would love to take some of those MWs off your hands this spring, but I'm worried that I will already be overrun with poultry. Ok, that's never stopped me... But I'm also pretty far out of the way chicken-train-wise. I think you're about 3 hours SW of me.

 

[dheltzel]

@dheltzel I would love to take some of those MWs off your hands this spring, but I'm worried that I will already be overrun with poultry. Ok, that's never stopped me... But I'm also pretty far out of the way chicken-train-wise. I think you're about 3 hours SW of me.

Yes, it is far. We can just keep our ear out for chicken train schedules that might work. I really like turkeys, they aren't as "practical" as the chickens (but more so than the guineas and peafowl, LOL).
Last night I sold 2 that were about 5 weeks old to a lady who got one last year and it was lost to a predator a few weeks back. These poults were rarely handled and seemed rather wild, but after I showed her how to hold them, within a few minutes they were each cuddled up in our hands trying not to fall asleep as we stroked their necks. She is going to have those 2 so ridiculously tame . . . We are hoping they are a pair.

So many turkey stories to tell.

 

[TillyPeeps]

1). Yes, a rat can chew through chicken wire, but I would not be worried about rats. If you chose the cage set up, you should wrap with chicken wire so the chicks do not get out. I don't use cages for chicks as they get the shavings all over. I start all my chicks in a plastic tankard for the first week or two then I move them into the basement into a baby pool. Both of these types of brooder so keep the shavings contained and are easy to clean.

2) I've never used the heating pad method, make sure the heating pad your using doesn't have an automatic off switch.

3). I think you'll be okay with a card board box.

And I am SUPER DOOPER excited for you, can't wait to see pictures!

Thank you

I guess I'd better wrap the low section with plastic to keep pine shavings in.

One of my heating pads are made for chicks, so it will never automatically turn off. I bought the other one from amazon, and many reviewers said they used it for their pets and it never
auto off. I think I'll set both up for the chicks.