Questions and Annoucements.

[RoosterRehab97]

Questions:

1. What temperature do you need to keep a brooder at?
2. How much should you interact with chicks?
3. Can I keep the brooder outside?
4. What do you feed chicks?

Announcements:

1 chick born,

4 chicks missing, presumed dead,

Brooder finally built.

Ethan

 

[SimplyForties]

Congratulations on your one chick.

Sorry about the other four

.

It is customary to keep the brooder around 90-95, lowering the temperature 5 degrees each week until you achieve the temperature of the surrounding air. Here in hot West Texas mine was completely off in about 2 1/2 weeks.

The more you interact with the chicks the tamer and easier to handle they will be. So interact with them as much as you want to!

You can keep the brooder outside if you can maintain the necessary temperature outside and keep the chicks safe.

Chicks eat chick starter!

Good luck!

 

[Chickenmaven]

Dude, If you have chicks & no food that is really "not good."

(Feed chick starter).

New chicks need to be kept at 90F. If you can do that in your barn or garage - it'll work.

Read the Learning Center - pronto!

 

[lux_interior]

yes, it's supposed to be 90 degrees or so, But I always put the heat lamp over them, and if they crowd under it, they are cold.. if the hide away from it, they are too hot.... just adjust the light to where they are all comfortably roaming around the box.

If it's somewhat warm, yes you can keep them outside, but they may still need a light, and they will DEFINITELY need to be in something that protects them from animals that roam around at night. My last batch of chicks moved outside at 1 1/2 weeks, because there were 9 of them, which is too many to crowd into a box in my house. they have a part of the chicken coop sectioned off with chicken wire to protect them from the older girls for now, and they do have a heat lamp for now as well, they are still only a little over two weeks.

Good luck with your 1 chick! You should get it a friend

 

[lux_interior]

oh... and yes, chick starter / grower.... If you already have the chick, and you haven't gotten food for it yet, give it sugar water and cooked egg yolk, and go buy it some feed!!!

 

[RoosterRehab97]

He's eating oatmeal right now, is that good for him?

I'll have to wait till tomorrow to buy him some food.

I'm going to get plenty of friends for him thou.

 

[chickenannie]

Oatmeal is not enough. Chicks need specific vitamins and minerals and amounts of protein, etc. I would go to an Agway or Tractor Supply store right away and get the Chick Starter feed. You can also hardboil some eggs, and feed the egg yolks (crumbled) to the chick to keep them going until tommorrow.

What temperature do you have your brooder box at?

All your questions can be answered by going to Backyard Chickens (this site) and clicking on the "Learning Center" as mentioned by the above poster.

 

[rancher hicks]

Sorry to sound harsh but, this is not something to ask "after" you get chicks.
for anyone "new" please read up on what to do and how to do it, "before" the chicks come.
Get set up and prepared "before" the chicks come.
The public library is a great place to get information on chickens. Read everything and anything on chickens. There are zillions of web sites you can read.

 

[RoosterRehab97]

I know!

The others were doing fine and we did not think he was alive!

This is written by RoosterRehab97's brother do not blame the real RoosterRehab97 please

 

[RoosterRehab97]

OMG!!! I CAN NOT BELIEVE MY BROTHER ACTUALLY WROTE THAT!!!!

Sorry!!! I know you all are just trying to help!!! He has food now, and is doing well.

Ethan