Picked up some 1wk old chicks. Need advice

[Jody]

I picked up 3 chicks today. 2 Buff Rocks and 1 Silver Spangled Hamburg. Thermometer shows it's 100 degrees in there, so I moved the heat lamp up about an inch and half higher to bring it down to 98.

How long do I need to keep them under the heat lamp? I have them on the medicated chick starter and their water has electrolytes. They have not been vaccinated for Marek's nor Cocci, cause according to the girl at the feed store, that when ever they ordered vaccinated chicks from McMurray Hatchery, about 90% of them were DOA, and that vaccinated chicks were shipped with the unvaccinated ones. I can order from McMurray at the feed store and eliminate shipping, special handling, etc, BUT, they advise against ordering vaccinated due to the potential to have a DOA.

Should I vaccinate or not? I was told that the medicated chick starter will take care of this for me, is this true?

OH, and did I say OMFG they're so darn cute.... I want more little chickies now... I need to build another coop for them.. I don't want to mix them with my existing flock, but when do they go outside in coop, etc?

Here's a pic of my new chickies

I planned on ordering Silver and Golden Sebrights, and I also want Golden Campines, but I couldn't resist the impulsive urge to buy little chickies NOW!! LOL

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Keep them under the heat lamp 6+ weeks depending on the outside temperature. I wouldn't get them vaccinated and when they start to lay eegs do not give them medicated feed because you could not eat the eggs. If you need anything else pm me or post!

 

[underground chickenman]

The general rule is 95 degrees the first week and drop it by 5 degrees each week thereafter until they are fully feathered at about 6 weeks. In doing this, you need to anticipate changes while you are sleeping and when you are away. If it is 95 when you go to bed, it might get much cooler in the morning. You don't compensate for this by making it 110 at bedtime. You compensate by having a big enough brooder that your chicks can move under the light for more heat and away from it for less.


UGCM

 

[Dora'smom]

Actually, all the chicks I get at the feedstore I prefer, are vaccinated, and they do just fine, thank-you very much!
You certainly can feed medicated chick starter to your birds and eat the eggs later, too. By the time your birds are laying eggs, they should be on layer crumbles or pellets, which are not medicated. Amprolium is what is used as a coccidiastat in the chick starter, and as I understand it, it allows the birds to build up an immunity so that they won't get sick. You can feed medicated until you start feeding layer, or people sometimes switch over to a grower feed (which is non-medicated) until they feed layer. By the time that your birds are laying, the medication should be out of their system, and eggs would be safe to eat.

 

[HEChicken]

Good advice from underground chickenman. I did want to add though, that though the accepted wisdom is 95 the first week and decrease by 5 each week, many BYC'ers (moi included) have found that 95 was too warm for them, and even the day olds were happier at 90 and reducing by 5 each week from there. The best rule of thumb, is that if they are huddled under the heat, they're too cold. If they're getting as far from it as possible most of the time they're too warm. 98-100 really does sound too warm. Could you possibly put in a lower wattage light bulb to reduce the heat a little? If they are already a week old, the most they would want would be 90 and might even be happier at 85.

 

[Jody]

I just checked temp and it's 91 and they seem happy. They're not right under it. They're in a big rubbermaid tub with some pine shavings, food and water and my office sounds like spring with their little chirping.. I like this.