- Mar 7, 2013
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We currently have 5 Red Sex Link hens, 10 Red Sex Link chicks, 4 Araucana chicks and 2 light Brahma chicks. We have had chickens for over a year but have never started with chicks, this will be our first run with them. My grandfather in-law had Leghorns before as a hobby but he is a snowbird and at the end of the summer we inherited what was left of his flock, when he came back he gave the chickens away. His doctor recommended that he get a new flock because it was good for his health. So he bought a small flock of Red Sex Link chicks, our current flock. He moved once again for the winter and left us his flock. He wont be taking them on now that he is back but is living with us so he can still enjoy them. Because I know nothing about chicks in spite of doing some aggressive reading over last summer I don't have a comfortable grasp on what I am doing and would prefer some first hand knowledge over a book. So we got our chicks last week, they are in a cardboard box brooder, heat is at around 95, it goes up and down with the temperature in the house but I check it often to try and maintain it. The get fresh water 2-3 times per day. We have given them wax worms as a treat and to get them used to us without being afraid. It has worked like a charm. My husband built me a wire screen trimmed with wood for the bottom of the box to keep the chicks off their poop, it seems to be working very well. They do seem to waste a lot of their feed, it seems to me the pieces are too large so they get tossed out of the feeder and onto the ground through the screen. What else do I need to know from here? I was thinking maybe I would run their feed through the coffee grinder for easier consumption. Would that be acceptable? Also I did read that I need to lower the temp of the brooder by 5 degrees each week, each week until when can I stop using a heat lamp?