Questions About My Baby Chicks

[Breannab12]

Hi, this is my first time raising and owning baby chicks. I now have 16 heavy females. I have a few concerns and questions that I just cannot find anywhere else the specific answer to. My chicks were born on 7/11/18 and are now a little over two weeks old.

1. I originally had 17 chicks but one of them died due to heat stress. I had them all outside in my shed where it easily got up to 1oo degrees Fahrenheit. I quickly moved all of them inside my house in an extra bedroom with a heat lamp that keeps them between 85-90 degrees warm. My mother wants them back outside now but I don't know if they will make it. I know they cannot regulate their body temperatures yet. So, if I move them back outside to the shed, do you think the baby chicks will be okay out there?
2. Right now I have puppy pads in their brooder. It is a pretty big box that isn't easily picked up (can't even fit through the door when folded out) and therefore not easy to dump out to clean so I have been keeping the pads in there. However, they're starting to eat the puppy pads even though they have plenty of food. I suspect they're just bored but I am probably wrong. I clean their pads out once a day because of the smell and how nasty it gets. That is the reason my parents want them outside. So, my question is, what other bedding could I use in a big box that would be easy to clean and use? Also, how often would I need to clean it?
3. I have read on many pages and articles it is okay to give chicks treats so long as they have chick grit to help them digest it. I have bought them a baby cake that I hang in their brooder for twenty minutes a day. I also have a mix of scratch. I only use a tiny bit of scratch mixed with grit and feed it to them in my hand so they can learn to be less afraid of me. I only due this once a day also. Is it okay for me to be doing this? And are there any other treats/feed you recommend using? How much grit should I be giving them?
4. I am going out of town very soon and the chicks will be about three and a half weeks old (poor timing to buy chicks, I know, time crept up on me), my Aunt lives next door to me and is supposed to watch them but I am looking for tips and tricks so it will be easier for her to keep up with them because I know they're a lot of work.

Between my parents constantly on my butt about the chicks and keeping up with those little cuties, I am very stressed and frustrated.

 

[newchickenmom33]

Well I’ve never had that large number of chicks we started with only five and then another batch of three. We kept them inside until 9 weeks because of the cold and raised them in a metal tub as their brooder. We used only pine shavings and cleaned it out weekly. 1. I think the shed is too hot unless it is well ventilated. 2. A hanging watering system and elevating food will help keep it clean. Straw also works well and can be really cheap. 3. I wouldn’t use a puppy pad unless it’s completely natural. I think their are chemical inside it to absorb pee. 4. I never feed treats until after 8 weeks and offered chick grit once they went outside. I’m sure it’s okay but really keep it to less than 10% of their intake... I was always worried about them not getting a well balanced diet.

Good luck!

 

[Criticalicious]

It sounds like the shed is far too hot because it's July/Aug in Texas. Do you have access to a shaded porch or other place that might be cooler? Maybe a garage?

Pine shavings are better, because they absorb moisture and smell nice. With that many babies, it may still need to be cleaned every day. Or at least remove the wet and dirty shavings and replace with clean. The smell should be at a minimum with pine shavings although the babies will still make lots of dust.

It also sounds like perhaps your brooder is too small for so many babies.

It's OK to leave grit for them free fed all the time. They'll eat what they need and leave the rest. They store grit in their body and it's used internally to chew up their food. As for treats, they don't really need these until they're closer to 2 months. Mine didn't like treats until then, except for mealworms and crickets which are pure protein.

Any chance you can cancel your trip or find someone else to watch them, because it sounds like your Aunt may be overwhelmed. At the very least, write down instructions, go over them with her, make sure feeders are all FULL with plenty of extra to refill it.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I agree that 16 chicks are a lot of chicks if you have confined space. You should have a bin about 16 by 16 minimum (or 136 square feet...or 1 square foot per chick to give them grow out space). Bigger would be better.

And you need good ventilation. I totally understand your parents not wanting them in the house as they are both noisy and create smell.

I too use pine shavings, but it will create dust. For indoor brooding I like pine pellets, as that holds smell even better, but that also creates dust.

I agree the shed is too hot. Do you have a rabbit type cage/hutch that you could put on a back porch?

and 85 to 90 is too hot for 2 week old chicks. Chicks do not need as much heat as the manuals say. They need the ability to warm up, then the ability to run around scratching, eating, drinking and pooping, which they should be doing a lot of by 2 weeks, even more by 3 weeks.

By 3 1/2 weeks of age, your chicks will have feathered wings and will be flying like sparrows...hence the use of a covered hutch on the back porch would be ideal.

You can create an elevated water system and self serve feeder in the water hutch that will allow those to stay clean. If you can, you can train them with a rabbit type drip water feeder, but that has to be observed for several days to be sure they have the idea.

Your aunt won't want to do more than check on them once or twice a day. With pine pellets, you only need to change the bedding every couple of days taking out. With the auto feeders, it could be filling once a day.

Good luck with them.
LofMc

 

[Abriana]

Yes they will be fine outside in that warm of weather
I use pine shavings
Yep that’s great! Also some veggies, clover, a couple oats, fruits, etc.

 

[Breannab12]

I sadly have no other place to put them. Our porches are too small and my parents wouldn't like the idea of putting them there anyway.

I only ordered 15 of them (two extra were sent in case any died) because that was a weekly special in the smallest amount and I thought it was a good deal. I didn't realize how many it would be lol.

Their box is 3.5 foot by 4 foot big, they run around just fine I feel like. They sleep under the heat lamp and then get up and run around, get water, and feed. Someone else I asked said to keep 1-week-old chicks 90-95 degrees and then five degrees lower each week.

I can't cancel my trip as it is a cruise. I originally planned to get 6-week-old chickens that could go directly in the coop from one hatchery months before but decided to change hatcheries since the new one had better reviews and is closer to where I live. I failed to realize the new hatchery does not offer 6-week-old chickens and ordered the day-old-chicks just in time before school starts. I know, I am a little dumb.

The pine pellets I think would be a good idea paired with the auto-feeders and elevated waterers.

 

[newchickenmom33]

if you already have a coop they can probably use it now. But I think it has to be massive for 16 birds. I’ve heard they need tons of room. Again I only have 8 chickens and they have an enclosure that’s 19ft by 8ft and sometimes it seems like they want more room. Is you’re goal to keep them all? Where I live I can only have 10 in total in the city limits.

 

[Breannab12]

I live outside city limits, where I live you aren't allowed to have any inside city limits. I just don't know how they would do in the coop since they're only 2 weeks old and they don't have all of their feathers.

 

[newchickenmom33]

I live outside city limits, where I live you aren't allowed to have any inside city limits. I just don't know how they would do in the coop since they're only 2 weeks old and they don't have all of their feathers.

Is it cold at night? It’s in the 80s here they use each other for heat. They should have access to outside and you should ensure it’s safe... the steep incline....

 

[Tesumph]

I live outside city limits, where I live you aren't allowed to have any inside city limits. I just don't know how they would do in the coop since they're only 2 weeks old and they don't have all of their feathers.

I’m in Texas and my chicks have been outside in their coop since day 1, with no supplemental heat. I am much more concerned with them being too hot than too cold.