Raising Baby Chicks - Notable Topic Index - Please Review

[persimmongoat]

Quote:
theyll be fine most likely the problem might come up if one of the baby chicks grows up a rooster the original roosters might give him a hard time its just a natural thing they do

 

[jilli67013w]

Thanks, wasn't sure, I have noticed that the hens take turns brooding, can you tell me if egg production will stop? The more I learn the better I will be. Thanks again.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

I see quite a few of you newbies posting here. Welcome aboard! It doesn't look like this thread has the experienced folks replying to it, so you may want to post a new thread with your questions.

Someone asked about a check-list... you might try raising chicks 101 as a starting point.

 

[cadee]

We have two roosters and 4 hens total, please advise if they would be accepted into the flock from very little or do they need to be separated?

 

[write2caroline]

I let my pullet hatch and raise the chicks and let me tell you - It is soooooo much easier than keeping them in the bathroom and the lights and all the crazy watching over business. Dot is quite a good Momma and her little three chicks are happy and healthy so far and it is so much fun to watch them.
Caroline

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Cadde - I have only put little chicks with an existing flock when they had a Momma hen. It has worked well so far. I don't have a rooster though. You might do a search to look for other threads too. This forum is getting so big I think some threads get missed.

 

[retoid]

I am brand new here and brand new to chicks, been reading some and learning a lot but I was curious about the brooder light.
I have an infrared light (red) shining in the corner of a cardboard box, does this light stay on 24/7 or is there a certain time to turn it off?
If its supposed to be turned off, what methods are common for keeping the chicks warm at night? They are currently set up in my garage.

Info:
3 Americuanas bought from local feed store, they say they are a few days old.
Brooder is a card board box with news paper and paper towels on top.
Feed is local organic chick feed.
Temp: 91F
I just picked them up and did some testing with the temperature, noticed they are very responsive to the temperature. They huddled at 80F
and go more active and started feeding and exploring at 90F.

Thanks, great site and great info on here.

Bryan

 

[nhnanna]

Quote:
You are supposed to start the temp at 95 and go down 5 degrees a week until they don't need a light anymore.
You leave it on 24/7 unless it gets hot during the day. Just please be careful using that light with a cardboard box. You don't want any fires. I use a regular light bulb and make sure the box is big enough. Put the light at one end so they can get away if it gets too hot for them. I start with a sixty watt bulb and end up with a 40 watt. Hope this helps.

Forgot to say

 

[retoid]

nhnanna, Thanks for responding.

I am having a hard time keeping the temperature steady, I've been tweaking things around, adjusting the light height etc. It's fluctuating between 91F and 98F.
The chicks are huddled in the corner away from the light so I assumed they were a bit warm.
The box is 19"long by 14"wide by 15" tall. There are only 3 chicks, I assumed this was large enough for a few of days until I can fabricate a larger one.
I also placed a cover over half of the box, shading half the box from some of the infrared light.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

From what I have read, and it makes sense to me, watching their behavior is a really good way to judge if the temp is too hot or too cold. You want them between the hot spot under the light and the far corner of the box. That way you know if they get cold they can move in closer to the light and if they get hot they can move away. If they are huddled in the corner, I would raise the light up or change to a less warm light bulb. If they huddle right under the light, that may be a sign to lower it a bit. Good luck!