Raising Baby Chick-Along

[AUChickenGal]

This group of chicks may end up a little more spoiled than my previous ones...

 

[orrpeople]

Side note... not really anything to do with the baby chicks which seem quite happy about our sudden change in weather, but - the heatwave has hit here in sunny Northern Cali... whew! Supposed to be 111 degrees by tomorrow. My DH and I installed an evaporative cooler in our new-ish chicken barn. Poor birds were dying (not literally) in there - there was plenty of ventilation, it just was about 10 degrees hotter than the outside temp. (Great in winter, bad in summer) Now, it's about 20 degrees cooler, and I now have one more skill brought to me by chicken ownership! Anyone need a cooler installed?

 

[MageofMist]

Side note... not really anything to do with the baby chicks which seem quite happy about our sudden change in weather, but - the heatwave has hit here in sunny Northern Cali... whew! Supposed to be 111 degrees by tomorrow. My DH and I installed an evaporative cooler in our new-ish chicken barn. Poor birds were dying (not literally) in there - there was plenty of ventilation, it just was about 10 degrees hotter than the outside temp. (Great in winter, bad in summer) Now, it's about 20 degrees cooler, and I now have one more skill brought to me by chicken ownership! Anyone need a cooler installed?

We have a heatwave over here also, the crazy birds that go on the yard have plenty of water and the ones that decide to come indoors have fans to keep them cool. The quail have been enjoying the cool air.

It is so hot, the newborn chicks can run free (with supervision from me and mama hen) and not once did they complain about cold!

 

[lcertuche]

I never had squashed chicks when my game girls would hatch out chicks. The chicks just would just come in and out from Mama as they pleased. I have had chicks crushed from other chicks coming off the roost in the morning.

 

[MageofMist]

I never had squashed chicks when my game girls would hatch out chicks. The chicks just would just come in and out from Mama as they pleased. I have had chicks crushed from other chicks coming off the roost in the morning.

My chickens are Silkies, and they don't really perch so that isn't an issue. I just worry too much.

Right now mama hen is laying next to me with her babies under and around her, enjoying the cool air in the house in comparison to the hot humid air outside.

 

[lcertuche]

I would love some silkies. They are so cute but I know they wouldn't most likely to survive free-range. They are so stinking cute though!

 

[WVduckchick]

It's gawd awful hot here too, but I'll take it over snow and cold any day.
First group out in the yard today. I can already tell one of these little ones is a boy.

 

[orrpeople]

Feel free to answer any of the Questions of the Day on any day. I just like to put them out as conversation starters because you never know what you might learn from other fellow chicken keepers!!
Question of the Day!!
Chick color: yellow fuzz on a chick makes white feathers... or does it? What is your experience with the way chicks are colored at hatch (or out of the box) and how they will feather out?
I had an interesting conversation on a Facebook poultry site. Someone had posted a pic of a chick with chipmunk striping and asked what breed it was. I had to chuckle at some of the responses and tried to explain the wonderment that that particular color pattern could produce so many different breeds!

 

[RockingA]

I currently have... East Frisians inside, silkies and crested cream legbars in my garage, and silver laced wyandotte and BLRW that go from the garage to their outdoor pen during the day. And, my incubators are full again. ❤❤❤

 

[WVduckchick]

Feel free to answer any of the Questions of the Day on any day. I just like to put them out as conversation starters because you never know what you might learn from other fellow chicken keepers!!
Question of the Day!!
Chick color: yellow fuzz on a chick makes white feathers... or does it? What is your experience with the way chicks are colored at hatch (or out of the box) and how they will feather out?
I had an interesting conversation on a Facebook poultry site. Someone had posted a pic of a chick with chipmunk striping and asked what breed it was. I had to chuckle at some of the responses and tried to explain the wonderment that that particular color pattern could produce so many different breeds!

That's hilarious!