Please help! PICS

[kingnoah]

Please can someone provide me with the following info on the chick as I got this chick as a gift! :

Age
Breed
Gender
Does it need to be in a warm environment, if so, how warm?
Is it healthy?

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[misslys15]

I can't tell you what breed it is, and only an expert could sex a chick at that age unless it's a sex-link breed (the male and the female are different colors when they hatch). You can ask the person who gave it to you what it was sold to them as. If it was a "pullet," that means it's female. A "cockerel" is male. "Straight run" means that the chicks were not sexed, so it could be either a male or a female.

YES, it needs to be in a very warm environment! Under a heat lamp at all times! Its brooder should be 95 degrees F when it hatches and 5 degrees less with each week. This chick looks about a week old to me, so if you kept it at 90 degrees, that should be good. There's no set number though, you have to watch it. If it's sitting directly under the heat lamp, that means it's cold, but if it's in the opposite corner from where the heat lamp is posting, it's too hot and it's trying to cool off.

It looks healthy from the picture, but that being said, I can't see its behavior. Is it wobbly on its feet? If yes, it could be stressed from the journey from where it hatched to your house. Does it respond to being picked up? If not, it might be stressed from the journey or sick. Make sure it is eating and drinking. You may have to dip its beak in the water dish if it can't find it on its own. Make sure you're feeding it starter/grower feed and not layer feed, as layer feed has more calcium than a chick needs. It won't need layer feed until it starts laying (if it's female).

Also, make sure it isn't pasting up. This is when poop hardens around the vent, preventing it from being able to go to the bathroom, which could kill it. You can clean it off with a wet paper towel or cotton swab. Don't scrub and make sure it's perfectly clean though, because sometimes a piece of the umbilical cord is left around the vent, and if it is ripped out, that can also kill the chick.

If you're up for it, it's typically a better idea to have more than one chick. They're really social, and they help each other survive.

Let me know if you have any other questions about taking care of it!

 

[Branch Chickens]

Are the legs dark?
It looks a little like my Easter Egger chicks (mine have dark legs) and the feathering looks like my Welsummers.

 

[gander007]

You have a three week old EE chick that looks a little down , hear should be at 90-85 F and try feeding him/her a hard boiled egg just mash it up first and a little pick me up in the water like sugar or honey ....

 

[Mac14]

If you have a feed store nearby, the people there should be helpful too. A list of what you might want:
1 quart waterier
1 quart feeder
Pine shavings (I think you can do straw too)
100 watt to 250 watt bulb
Heat lamp (if you don't already have one)
Chick feed
You might to be able to find a brooder at the feed store, but many people make their own. Here is a thread on people's brooders: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/6233/brooder-thread-post-pics-of-your-brooders
And a couple friends for the one you have, the feed store might be selling some chicks right now.

Your chick looks to be an Easter Egger (often mixed up with Ameraucanas). Easter Eggers (EE's) are not an actual breed, most are pretty much mutts, but the fluffy cheeks, green legs, and the hens lay a blue to green shelled colored egg, are characteristics of EE's. At this point, your chick looks like a pullet (female) because it has a more even pattering than a cockerel (male) would have. The cocks are usually more splotchy patterned. EE's are pretty popular, a lot because they can come in sooo many different colors, and their eggs are usually blue or greenish. I have found that they are a little more skittish than some other breeds, but a lot of that has to do with how much you handle them when they are young.
If you need any more help, the members here on BYC are more than willing to help you!

 

[Mac14]

Here's a few picture's of the EE's I've had:

This was Peggy. She is gone because of a recent bear attack.

This was Kanaliha. I think she was 6 weeks old in this picture.

My brooder that we built ourselves.



Kanaliha when she was very little. Maybe when she was a few days younger than the one you have now.

Kanaliha at 4 weeks old?







One of my friend's EE, Kylar



My first EE, at 4 weeks?