Raising Baby Chicks- Need answers

[cchicks4]

So I am new to this, and there are a few questions I still have not found direct answers to after doing lots of research.
Background: My chicks (10) are currently being kept in doors with their heat lamp on medicated chick starter. I live in Canada and it is winter therefore they are not outside till spring.
Questions:
1. I have read many threads saying it is a good idea to give them clumps of dirt from outside with grass and dandelions. There is snow on the ground here so any suggestions? (read that you need to be careful of cocci when getting dirt from outside)

2.I am wanting to start to give them treats and am confused as to what grit they require? Assuming not adult chicken grit from the feed store yet. Do i buy this? or just get sand/gravel from outside? if so how small/big? They are 2 weeks old.

3. Dust bathing- do i need to give them sand or anything?

4. From experience, do you feel like its a good idea to trim beaks? (not really wanting to)

Thanks for the help!

 

[lazy gardener]

So I am new to this, and there are a few questions I still have not found direct answers to after doing lots of research.
Background: My chicks (10) are currently being kept in doors with their heat lamp on medicated chick starter. I live in Canada and it is winter therefore they are not outside till spring.
Questions:
1. I have read many threads saying it is a good idea to give them clumps of dirt from outside with grass and dandelions. There is snow on the ground here so any suggestions? (read that you need to be careful of cocci when getting dirt from outside)

2.I am wanting to start to give them treats and am confused as to what grit they require? Assuming not adult chicken grit from the feed store yet. Do i buy this? or just get sand/gravel from outside? if so how small/big? They are 2 weeks old.

3. Dust bathing- do i need to give them sand or anything?

4. From experience, do you feel like its a good idea to trim beaks? (not really wanting to)

Thanks for the help!

1. Do you have any exposed soil near your house foundation? If that soil is not contaminated with insecticides/herbicides or any other chemicals, you could use some of that. This is the biggest reason I can cite for not brooding chicks in the winter! That plus the fact that I will never again brood chicks in my home b/c of the dander.

2. You should be able to buy chick grit from the feed store. Be sure it is chick grit. Read the labels. It should state what age it is appropriate for. If you have a gravel driveway that has not had any de-icer put on it, you can scoop up some gravel for them. If your driveway has been plowed, you may find some clumps of sod that have been plowed up!!

3. They would enjoy some sand for a dust bath, but it's not necessary. They will also dust bathe in their shavings.

4. NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! There is absolutely no reason to trim the beak of a chicken in a back yard flock. If it were to become necessary, I would immediately assume that the birds were grossly over crowded and undernourished.

To follow up on #4: Chicks should have a minimum of 2 s.f. in brooder by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. Over crowding and over heating can lead to aggression, as can lack of having enough protein. The brooder should have only a small foot print of heated space. The remainder of the brooder should be COOL. At least as low as your room temp. if you are brooding them in the house. What are you using for a heat source? Be sure to decrease the heat gradually if you are using a heat lamp. A 250W bulb is way too much heat if you are brooding in your house. Many of us brood our chicks outside with a MHP style system. Do a thread search for Mother heating pad for more info. In the coop/run, you should have at least 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. of open floor space in run per bird. Ventilation, even in winter should be > / = to 10% of the floor space of the coop or 1 s.f./bird.

Enjoy your little ones. BTW, my statement on #4 was not directed at you. There have been a number of posts recently by new folks asking about debeaking chicks, and others having issues with aggression due to overcrowding, so I am always climbing on a soap box about coop/run space. So, I do hope you don't take offense!

 

[cchicks4]

1. Do you have any exposed soil near your house foundation? If that soil is not contaminated with insecticides/herbicides or any other chemicals, you could use some of that. This is the biggest reason I can cite for not brooding chicks in the winter! That plus the fact that I will never again brood chicks in my home b/c of the dander.

2. You should be able to buy chick grit from the feed store. Be sure it is chick grit. Read the labels. It should state what age it is appropriate for. If you have a gravel driveway that has not had any de-icer put on it, you can scoop up some gravel for them. If your driveway has been plowed, you may find some clumps of sod that have been plowed up!!

3. They would enjoy some sand for a dust bath, but it's not necessary. They will also dust bathe in their shavings.

4. NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! There is absolutely no reason to trim the beak of a chicken in a back yard flock. If it were to become necessary, I would immediately assume that the birds were grossly over crowded and undernourished.

To follow up on #4: Chicks should have a minimum of 2 s.f. in brooder by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old. Over crowding and over heating can lead to aggression, as can lack of having enough protein. The brooder should have only a small foot print of heated space. The remainder of the brooder should be COOL. At least as low as your room temp. if you are brooding them in the house. What are you using for a heat source? Be sure to decrease the heat gradually if you are using a heat lamp. A 250W bulb is way too much heat if you are brooding in your house. Many of us brood our chicks outside with a MHP style system. Do a thread search for Mother heating pad for more info. In the coop/run, you should have at least 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. of open floor space in run per bird. Ventilation, even in winter should be > / = to 10% of the floor space of the coop or 1 s.f./bird.

Enjoy your little ones. BTW, my statement on #4 was not directed at you. There have been a number of posts recently by new folks asking about debeaking chicks, and others having issues with aggression due to overcrowding, so I am always climbing on a soap box about coop/run space. So, I do hope you don't take offense!

-------
Thank you so much for the quick and informative reply! Answered all my questions!... I should maybe reduce their heat as they are in a heated building. They have a large brooding area in our heated shop (lower temps than in the house). One other question, when do you think I should move them from their brood to their new coop outside? Thanks!

 

[lazy gardener]

More info needed. What is your general location. (Oh, I see you are in Canada.) That is helpful! But, can you put it in your profile, so it will always be there? It's not possible to give accurate info without knowing what your high/low temps are.

My chicks are weaned off heat (they use a MHP brooder) in their outdoor brooder/coop at 4 - 5 weeks of age, with night time temps going down into 30's. One of the many benefits of the MHP brooder is that the chicks wean themselves off heat at an early age with little input from the flock owner. And they don't have to be acclimated to outdoor temps b/c they are brooded outdoors!!!

How old are your chicks now? If you are using a heat lamp for them, give them only enough heat to keep them comfortable. Many folks using a heat lamp make the mistake of setting it up then never reducing the heat! By the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old, depending on ambient temps, you should be able to turn the lamp off for increasingly long periods of time, starting with a few minutes, and working up until they are completely off heat all day long by the age of 3 weeks. (if the ambient temp is 70*F )

 

[4 ever Orpington]

So I am new to this, and there are a few questions I still have not found direct answers to after doing lots of research.
Background: My chicks (10) are currently being kept in doors with their heat lamp on medicated chick starter. I live in Canada and it is winter therefore they are not outside till spring.
Questions:
1. I have read many threads saying it is a good idea to give them clumps of dirt from outside with grass and dandelions. There is snow on the ground here so any suggestions? (read that you need to be careful of cocci when getting dirt from outside)

2.I am wanting to start to give them treats and am confused as to what grit they require? Assuming not adult chicken grit from the feed store yet. Do i buy this? or just get sand/gravel from outside? if so how small/big? They are 2 weeks old.

3. Dust bathing- do i need to give them sand or anything?

4. From experience, do you feel like its a good idea to trim beaks? (not really wanting to)

Thanks for the help!

 

[AllenK RGV]

Just replying to number#1(coccidia), if you have owned your property for more than 10 years and it is fenced and you regularly take all of your other animals to the vet, its usually a non issue as it dies after 7-8 years in the soil. If all of those conditions aren't met then it may be a concern, but probably overrated.
#2 chick grit as previously stated adult grit is huge unless you want to buy that and smash the big rocks into small ones with a hammer that is.
#3- completely optional.
#4 My first flock of 10 never needed anything like that, I suspect this only applies to overcrowded poultry farms.
#5 you forgot to ask, but make sure you have a thermometer inside the heated side of your brooder, at 2 weeks it should be 85-90F tops and decreased by around 5-10F per week depending on their behavior. Crowding the heat source side indicates too cold, fleeing to the furthest corner away from the heat source too hot! Learn to listen to your chicken as they are smarter chickens than you are.

Best wishes!
Allen

 

[Folly's place]

About the heat lamp; you can also buy lower wattage red heat lights at the pet store, sold for reptiles. I've used 150w and 75w bulbs as the weeks go by for chicks. Overheating is bad, and so is chilling. watch them, they will let you know how they are doing.
The brooder plates are wonderful, but red heat lamps do work fine, so changing now isn't necessary. I'm not going to build my own, but Premier1supplies.com has very nice ones!
You might fine chick sized grit at the pet store too, if your feed store doesn't have it. The chicks need it if they will be eating ANYTHING other than chick starter!
Dirt from around your foundation will NOT be fine if it's an older home,with lead paint chips there.
Beak trimming is done on day-old chicks doomed to live in tiny cages at egg factories. They will kill each other otherwise! Nothing that's needed for a well managed home flock.
Mary

 

[AllenK RGV]

About the heat lamp; you can also buy lower wattage red heat lights at the pet store, sold for reptiles. I've used 150w and 75w bulbs as the weeks go by for chicks. Overheating is bad, and so is chilling. watch them, they will let you know how they are doing.
The brooder plates are wonderful, but red heat lamps do work fine, so changing now isn't necessary. I'm not going to build my own, but Premier1supplies.com has very nice ones!
You might fine chick sized grit at the pet store too, if your feed store doesn't have it. The chicks need it if they will be eating ANYTHING other than chick starter!
Dirt from around your foundation will NOT be fine if it's an older home,with lead paint chips there.
Beak trimming is done on day-old chicks doomed to live in tiny cages at egg factories. They will kill each other otherwise! Nothing that's needed for a well managed home flock.
Mary

I wish i had your advice when I was looking for lower wattage bulbs as 250w was overkill in Texas in Summer indoors.

 

[cchicks4]

Just replying to number#1(coccidia), if you have owned your property for more than 10 years and it is fenced and you regularly take all of your other animals to the vet, its usually a non issue as it dies after 7-8 years in the soil. If all of those conditions aren't met then it may be a concern, but probably overrated.
#2 chick grit as previously stated adult grit is huge unless you want to buy that and smash the big rocks into small ones with a hammer that is.
#3- completely optional.
#4 My first flock of 10 never needed anything like that, I suspect this only applies to overcrowded poultry farms.
#5 you forgot to ask, but make sure you have a thermometer inside the heated side of your brooder, at 2 weeks it should be 85-90F tops and decreased by around 5-10F per week depending on their behavior. Crowding the heat source side indicates too cold, fleeing to the furthest corner away from the heat source too hot! Learn to listen to your chicken as they are smarter chickens than you are.

Best wishes!
Allen

We just moved to this property last summer (it is a new build). Do you suggest not giving them soil then? If so, when should I introduce it to them. They are on medicated feed. Im reading so many mixed opinions on whether putting soil in their brooder is a good idea or not. Thanks. Again, they are 2 weeks old. Thanks for the advice! Definitely will not be debeaking them. They have plenty of room to run around here.

 

[cchicks4]

About the heat lamp; you can also buy lower wattage red heat lights at the pet store, sold for reptiles. I've used 150w and 75w bulbs as the weeks go by for chicks. Overheating is bad, and so is chilling. watch them, they will let you know how they are doing.
The brooder plates are wonderful, but red heat lamps do work fine, so changing now isn't necessary. I'm not going to build my own, but Premier1supplies.com has very nice ones!
You might fine chick sized grit at the pet store too, if your feed store doesn't have it. The chicks need it if they will be eating ANYTHING other than chick starter!
Dirt from around your foundation will NOT be fine if it's an older home,with lead paint chips there.
Beak trimming is done on day-old chicks doomed to live in tiny cages at egg factories. They will kill each other otherwise! Nothing that's needed for a well managed home flock.
Mary

At what age do you generally switch to adult chicken grit? All the readings say "base the grit size on the size of the chicken." But I honestly have no clue.