Picking up 1-2 day old chicks tomorrow!

[mi2bugz]

Thank you so much all. The last temp check is 98 under the lamp. They are sleeping where it is 89 and the other end of the tote is 82. The lamp is about 2 feet from the floor of the tote.

Thank you for the link chickensaresweet. While reading that I now have a couple more questions lol.

1. One of the chicks has a very thin line of poop on its butt. I thought pasty butt would be more of a mess than what it has but Is it something to worry about? Is it normsl for another chick to peck at it and try to pull it off?

2. Would you recommend taking the pine shavings out? I have paper towels over the shavings but some shavings have gotten through and I notice the chicks picking them up. So far I have seen them dropping them but should I be concerned?

I am so glad I happened upon this forum. Y'all are a wealth of information!

~ Nicole

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sounds like you have the heat lamp where you want it.
Pasty Butt is a problem when it clogs up the vent by getting stuck on the down and skin, so the chick can't poop, when there is a problem it tends to be pretty noticeable clumps. A bit of poop here or there shouldn't be a problem, just make sure the vent is clear and with four you can probably just watch to be sure they are all pooping. Note with the line of poop, chicks sometimes have a line type thing where they absorbed the yolk sack and closed, be careful about messing with anything that is lower than the vent if you can't really tell what it is.
As long as they have food available they should be fine, chicks pick up and drop things all the time, unless they really seem to be eating the shavings and ignoring the food I would just leave them there. Some people never use the paper towels, but most hatcheries seem to recommend it with shipped chicks. I usually keep them on paper towels for three days or so, then put in shavings.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thank you so much all. The last temp check is 98 under the lamp. They are sleeping where it is 89 and the other end of the tote is 82. The lamp is about 2 feet from the floor of the tote.

Thank you for the link chickensaresweet. While reading that I now have a couple more questions lol.

1. One of the chicks has a very thin line of poop on its butt. I thought pasty butt would be more of a mess than what it has but Is it something to worry about? Is it normsl for another chick to peck at it and try to pull it off?

2. Would you recommend taking the pine shavings out? I have paper towels over the shavings but some shavings have gotten through and I notice the chicks picking them up. So far I have seen them dropping them but should I be concerned?

I am so glad I happened upon this forum. Y'all are a wealth of information!

~ Nicole

As long as the poo is not over the vent (so that more poo can come out) it is OK (you can clean it off, but it won't hinder pooing). If the vent is blocked from any more poo coming out, that is when it is fatal. If they cannot poo any more they die.

The chicks do peck at the poo a little bit.

It is very good to keep the pine shavings in there, as just paper towels won't offer as much traction as with the shavings underneath. They do peck at the shavings and ingest them a little. I offer chick grit on day 3 (you can use sand for tiny chicks), sprinkled over the feed like salt. Once they are a couple of weeks old you can offer them a pan of grit or sand without as much worry of them overingesting it. I like to give them grit in case they eat shavings.

At three weeks of age they really become more intelligent...they become more wary (skittish) and will come and go from the heat lamp, remembering how to go back into the coop to get warm (with a very small play yard). If you go that route remember they need overhead protection from hawks, and also predator protection. Also they will not know to stay out of the rain, so they need babysittting if taken outside at such a young age. I have some three week olds now and they come and go from their coop into a covered dog kennel where I can see them from the kitchen window. I keep a close watch on them. (Our temps are very mild right now...I would not do this in cold weather.)

I recommend giving them very short grass clippings daily (about 1/2 inch long) for vitamins after offering sand or grit, when they get a little older. They need grit to digest grass. I try to give grass clippings as soon as possible to chicks and feel it is very good for them. But do make sure they are VERY short, to prevent impacted crop.