Post Pics Of Orps/ Orpingtons HERE

[vebyrd36]

Keep those babies on Medicated chick starter, with some soaked rolled oats, and bird seed, until they are 4 mos. old. No losses that way .Start giving them lots of chopped up dark greens too. They should not need heat at 8 weeks unless the temps plummet. Put them in the garage with a light.

That's a very good weight. Have you wormed them ? Try Safeguard Liquid Goat Wormer 10%. I teaspoon to 1 gallon of water for 3 days.Shake med. well, and make fresh every day for 3 days.

Chick gazing is my favorite pastime too...when I have time !

Something to consider;
Many of us feed medicated starter, Vit D mal-absorption/depletion occurs with its use. Vitamin D3 is absorbed through foods, which are consumed by the chicks. Only 10% of the chicks Vit D daily needs are absorbed through food. The body creates the other 90%. Now without proper Vit D the chick’s body can only absorb 10 to 15 % percent of the calcium in food.
Although Vit D3 is available from sunlight many brooders are indoors which is detrimental to our birds. So you say what is the answer, many say no medicated feed or supplement with medicated feed. I use Mother Nature she knows best, and feed my medicated feed. To each their OWN.

vivi
.

 

[thedragonlady]

Something to consider;
Many of us feed medicated starter, Vit D mal-absorption/depletion occurs with its use. Vitamin D3 is absorbed through foods, which are consumed by the chicks. Only 10% of the chicks Vit D daily needs are absorbed through food. The body creates the other 90%. Now without proper Vit D the chick’s body can only absorb 10 to 15 % percent of the calcium in food.
Although Vit D3 is available from sunlight many brooders are indoors which is detrimental to our birds. So you say what is the answer, many say no medicated feed or supplement with medicated feed. I use Mother Nature she knows best, and feed my medicated feed. To each their OWN.

vivi
.

Baby Orps can go outside at 3+ weeks in the sunshine. They need the sunshine, and the exercise. I kick mine out permantly at 4 weeks with a 60 W .light at night in their house, in the winter. No Vit d3 deficiency, or rickets here.Feeding Calf Manna doesn't hurt either.

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

Baby Orps can go outside at 3+ weeks in the sunshine. They need the sunshine, and the exercise. I kick mine out permantly at 4 weeks with a 60 W .light at night in their house, in the winter. No Vit d3 deficiency, or rickets here.Feeding Calf Manna doesn't hurt either.

Now that depends upon where you live.... I can't or rather won't send mine out with snow on the ground., I don't run lights in my coop as a general rule either... I have but don't make a habit of it.. I am afraid of a fire.

 

[Don Chandler]

Now that depends upon where you live.... I can't or rather won't send mine out with snow on the ground., I don't run lights in my coop as a general rule either... I have but don't make a habit of it.. I am afraid of a fire.

I think alot has to do with the weather. In western Oklahoma you can't put 4 week old babies outside with or without light in like Jan. thur March. Cold and wind blowing well cause sick chicks. I never put chicks out till they are 6 or 8 weeks old. To me it just works better. Living in the far south you could get along alot better I would think. Renie, getting any eggs yet from the buff girls?

 

[lildinkem]

I think alot has to do with the weather. In western Oklahoma you can't put 4 week old babies outside with or without light in like Jan. thur March. Cold and wind blowing well cause sick chicks. I never put chicks out till they are 6 or 8 weeks old. To me it just works better. Living in the far south you could get along alot better I would think. Renie, getting any eggs yet from the buff girls?

Why of course you can't Don. That is why most of the intelligent old time breeders stop hatching after June. I was stupid enough to continue to hatch and raise chicks up to August last year. And guess what? Those birds are noticeably smaller then their brothers and sisters who were hatched in the Spring and early summer months when they finally were full grown. Doug has mini barns and a nice size green house (which lets in the sunlite) where he has heat lamps in them to raise in the early months. When it is nice sunny and warm he can let them out. But, for the most part with the weather we're having they stay in those mini barns until it gets warmer. MAYBE down south you can get away with that. But 1/2 the country you most defintely should not even think of such a way to raise young birds.

 

[deek]

I think alot has to do with the weather. In western Oklahoma you can't put 4 week old babies outside with or without light in like Jan. thur March. Cold and wind blowing well cause sick chicks. I never put chicks out till they are 6 or 8 weeks old. To me it just works better. Living in the far south you could get along alot better I would think. Renie, getting any eggs yet from the buff girls?

Don, not just the difference in climate, but also the way one's coop is constructed. I live in the deep south. High 90's with 85% humidity being the norm. Last July we hit 101 for several days. My husband built my coops with as much ventilation as possible. Both sides are wire walls and so is the front of the coop. The floor is wire with several inches of bedding to cushion their landing, but cool air comes through the flooring as well. There is an opening in the gables, on each side, where I have fans to remove as much heat as possible. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. For them, it's as close to living in a tree as possible.

Now these coops, that are built for extremely hot weather, need to be winterized for the few cold months that we have. When it's in the 30's a heat lamp for the ones that aren't fully feathered and 100 watt bulbs for the adults. If it's windy and cold, I cover up the sides in the evenings. In the 40's they huddle and seem to do just fine.

I had followed a thread for those that live in Alaska and they kept writing how their birds survived in Alaska with no added heat. Well, if you read a bit further into the thread, they have R 19 insulation in the walls. Of course they don't need added heat. My wire walls won't keep chickens warm.

Then, one last thing to factor in. How many chickens are there in a given space. They, themselves, produce a lot of heat. But if you only have three or four, they aren't going to produce the amount of heat that larger flocks produce.

So, IMHO, there are many factors to consider.

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

I think alot has to do with the weather. In western Oklahoma you can't put 4 week old babies outside with or without light in like Jan. thur March. Cold and wind blowing well cause sick chicks. I never put chicks out till they are 6 or 8 weeks old. To me it just works better. Living in the far south you could get along alot better I would think. Renie, getting any eggs yet from the buff girls?

Yes... getting pullet size eggs... did you get the email I sent you??

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

Don, not just the difference in climate, but also the way one's coop is constructed. I live in the deep south. High 90's with 85% humidity being the norm. Last July we hit 101 for several days. My husband built my coops with as much ventilation as possible. Both sides are wire walls and so is the front of the coop. The floor is wire with several inches of bedding to cushion their landing, but cool air comes through the flooring as well. There is an opening in the gables, on each side, where I have fans to remove as much heat as possible. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. For them, it's as close to living in a tree as possible.

Now these coops, that are built for extremely hot weather, need to be winterized for the few cold months that we have. When it's in the 30's a heat lamp for the ones that aren't fully feathered and 100 watt bulbs for the adults. If it's windy and cold, I cover up the sides in the evenings. In the 40's they huddle and seem to do just fine.

I had followed a thread for those that live in Alaska and they kept writing how their birds survived in Alaska with no added heat. Well, if you read a bit further into the thread, they have R 19 insulation in the walls. Of course they don't need added heat. My wire walls won't keep chickens warm.

Then, one last thing to factor in. How many chickens are there in a given space. They, themselves, produce a lot of heat. But if you only have three or four, they aren't going to produce the amount of heat that larger flocks produce.

So, IMHO, there are many factors to consider.

Yep... I agree

 

[Johnn]

Look what the cockerel is doing to her lovely back!!

 

[littlechicklet]

I have 10 little buff chicks. I met up with Don today and he gave them to me. I will let Don correct me if I am wrong but I believe he said they are a cross of Clevenger and Farthing lines. I can't wait to watch them grow out and hope I do good by them. I will post pics soon. Thanks Don!