Really? Why do we think they are so fragile?

[BeautyBuffs]

My Drill Sgt. was a firm believer in the 5 P's (Prior Planning Prevents Piss-poor Performance). I attempt to approach things with this in mind. Prior to getting the chicks I read as much as possible to prepare myself and to pick the right breed for what I wanted. When I purchased the chicks at a local breeder/hatcher they were a few weeks old and starting to get some feathers. I approached their box set up as I did my ball pythons, large area with plenty of room for thermograding. Not knowing what to expect from them as far if they knew to get away from the heat if they got to hot, I kept a close eye on them. I did maintain dust control in their room and was vigilant about the bedding due to the smell since they were inside, when they outgrew the box before their coop was ready we upgraded to a larger open pen for them in the house but I still left their light on for them should they need it. What they can eat, will eat or shouldn't eat changes so what I started out knowing continues to change with the more I read. Even reading everthing I could about chickens, I was still in the dark on some things, so I reverted back to my elementary school teachers favorite saying "The only stupid question is the one never asked". When the chicks were in the house I was often in there checking on them and now that they are outside I still frequently visit them just to check up on their needs. I made sure when they were inside that they became use to me being around them and became accustom to my touch, I wanted them tame basically. Being new to the chicken game, the line for coddling and caring for are still slightly blurred to me. Even at 8 weeks old they are cute as buttons and interesting to watch and interact with.

I have never had an animal of my own that was kept outside, not my cats, nor my dogs, regardless of their size. I could just never bring myself to leave a creature tied up or fenced in out in the bad weather even if a basic dog box/ shelter was provided. I am one that does look at my dogs as my kids, they turn to me for their basic comforts, food, water, training, vet care and attention. I have never give my animals away, I keep them til Nature claims them back. My little dogs are big babies basically and the large unknown breed I have that the vet refers to as a Mix has his big baby moments as well.

I can understand the not coddling the chickens to a point I guess. But then the other half of my brain kicks in with the if they don't have to do without it why should they just cause they were made to. Also like others have posted, I really don't want to be responsible for a critters death just because I failed to gather adequate information or was afraid to ask that one question that could have made the difference. I want to be educated enough to notice slight issues before they become larger ones that could take out all of my chickens. I want to make sure I am practicing sanitary procedures to ensure family health as well as chickens health.

Who knows, maybe one day I will have enough knowledge and experience to be able to share on here like many of the wonderful experienced folks do. For now I will continue to be a sponge and soak up all I can and will undoubtedly ask way to many questions at times depending on what is going on with my chickens lol. It's all part of the learning process for us fresh hatched crew. lol

 

[ReikiStar]

Educating yourself as much as you can before getting any animal is a must. THAT'S common sense (which is surely uncommon.)

No one is saying toss them in a dusty box in the corner of your garage and let them fend for themselves. I seriously doubt anyone on BYC would be so callous as not to care whether a chicken of any age died under their watch. There was a great article on how someone never had any of the problems of brooding chicks (pasting up, losing them to cocci, or other diseases) when she lets her broody raise them. Last time I checked, broody hens are usually right on the ground (no spotless clean shavings) and she doesn't downgrade her body temp by 5 degrees each week. Sadly, our taking control of such a natural process actually creates most of these problems.

But I ask this to people who are so overly protective of fur or feather covered animals.

Who do you think is healthier in both mind and body?:

A kid who goes outside to play in the dirt, who runs, climbs and is exposed to different weather/temps or one who sits inside playing video games in his climate controlled room?

The idea that you only love your animals if you pamper them is nearly the opposite.

 

[Morabilityranch]

I could not have said this any better, I agree with every word you wrote. I have had people freak out on me when they see me take my tiny day old baby chicks and put them in a trough I have on under the carport for them to grow out in for the first 3 weeks I hang a light they can use it when they need it, I can cover it if it gets windy out to block wind gust. I have never had a problem doing this. I have raised baby chicks in the winter in my pens that are sheltered with lights hanging.. They are tougher than we give them credit for.

I am about to share my thoughts. As such I welcome input but let's not have any ruffled feathers

When I got my first batch of chicks eight years ago I knew nothing. I'm pretty sure I had never even seen a live chicken before. I felt so lost. I had no idea how they moved, what they sounded like, what their moods were. I don't people-ize animals, but they still have all the non verbal cues to communicate that we do.
Lol now to what this thread is about. I always see people freaking out about temperatures, what to feed them, "can I really do this!?" questions.
My thought about care from the begining was "does it make sense"? I mean the whole idea that your whole brooder needs to be a certain temp and be lowered by 5 degrees every week. That's crazy! Chicks running around with mom aren't exactly the same temperature ALL the time. Chicks just need access TO a warm enough area, they are generally smart enough to know where they need to be to be warm enough. Chick behaviour will tell you if you need to raise or lower a lamp. All you need to do is wean them off the heat for when they go outside.
People ask, when can I take them outside, when can I feed them something other then chick food, can I add branches. Well? What do you think? Is it too cold to be outside in shorts? Then it's too cold for them to be outside with out heat. If you think it's warm enough then take them out and watch them like "a mother hen". Same goes for food. Chicks eat all kinds of stuff with momma. So if it's safe for you it's safe for them. Infact it's probably great for them. I feed my chicks leaves, grass, leftovers. It's good for their systems get a head start on the "outside". Just be sensible and don't let them eat too much and get sick. Remember, a brooder can be really boring and all there is to do is eat.

Now some breeds are more fragile then others, some areas are incredibly harsh and need extra precautions, and I'm not trying to bash anyone, but I guess after being the oldest of eight kids and always being a huge animal/plant person I just feel that over shelteredness leads to more likelyhood of weakness AND a lot more heart break. Animals are animals and they are designed to survive

heat lamp in the coop in the winter? Great, until power goes out or they even walk outside. They never got used to the cold, animals are great at adapting

 

[Fierlin1182]

I think the number of likes on your post says it all.

My chicks have been able to live through rain and sun, henpecking by the older girls, three weeks in a box, then free ranging without any prodding from us. They're tough ol' coots.

 

[OkChickens]

From my few years of raising chickens I have learned quite a bit in raising chickens. Chickens don't care what their "Coop" looks like, as long as it supplies shelter, has some feed, and water then they are good to go. I raise my chicks in a uninsulated shop all year around. My day old chicks go into a Pallet Brooder that is 3x7 with a heat lamp or 2 in the winter. when they are over a week old they go into 2x8 pens with a 100 or 250 watt bub hanging from the top on one end wattage depending on time of year. These pens have wire sides and shavings on the floor. I rarely loose chicks even in the winter. Many people raise chickens as pets and that is fine. If they are not fully feathered then give them a little extra heat but not a sauna. Chickens here at our farm are livestock that we tend to. We provide a place coop to eat and sleep and plenty of space for them. As stated above that Mother Hens don't have a Thermometer they watch their chicks. We do not use a thermometer in any of our brooders. When we place them in it we check back in an hour or so and observe them. If they are cold they are huddled very close together and loud. If they are hot they are as far away from the heat source as possible with their wings away from their bodies and panting. Animals are strong things. Chickens are one of my favorite livestock to raise because change very little besides the growth in size but they have the instinct from day 1. Common since it not so common.

Nate

 

[tweetysvoice]

I still consider myself very new to chickens - three weeks of ownership, but I have been posting on this site now for several months. I agree that knowlege is power and that it seems like common sense isn't all that common anymore. I'm still baffled by the "i just got a chicken now what do i do with it" posts. Not knocking those that have questions, because I still have questions every day. The are tough - I mean if you think about how fast they can go from hatching to eating and drinking on their own (within hours for some!) compared to what a human baby requires at the beginning, it's astounding! I've learned that if you watch and observe your chicks, you can learn more about how to care for them than by reading a book over and over. I never listened to those that said you shouldn't handle them before a week old - I've handled them multiple times since they were born and at 3 weeks they all hop onto my arm the second I go into the room. I never listened to those that said that you can't feed them anything but starter for the first couple weeks. They've gotten greens and insects from a few days old and have not suffered one bit from it.

 

[MsLisaG]

We pick up our first flock tomorrow. I've been reading and researching a TON, and it is a little overwhelming reading about all the things that can go wrong. Of course it is a must to be prepared, but it's also not a good thing to make myself sick with worry, either. It's good to have a reality check.

 

[CitySilkies88]

This thread makes me feel SO MUCH better lol.

 

[Aschenfire]

The voice of reason! I have been wide-eyed at the "exact" temperature *requirements*, the super sanitary conditions the birds should be kept in, the bubble some chicks are raised in. The way *I* see it, is that even if they are our pets or our hobby, they are still birds. Birds have existed for a LONG time without strictly monitored, exacting environments. I love my chicks but they are tough. They have been outside in a wire run (with a tarp over the top and the wind-ward side) since they were 3 and 4 weeks old (they had a heat lamp out there at night for the first couple outside weeks, but I weaned them off of that as soon as I could). They have never had pasty butt, been sick, or looked miserable. These are some of the most content birds I've seen, and I don't think my chicken keeping technique has traumatized them.

It is perfectly fine to pamper your birds if you want to, I'm not knocking those who treat them differently than I do. I'm just agreeing with the OP and saying "don't stress" when you get those new fluffballs. They are not made of china. Look at wild birds, or think about how chickens were raised back in Grandma's day... or Great Grandma's day. If the way they kept them was horribly detrimental to the cluckers, we'd not have our sweet, snack-demanding, stink eye giving, purring babies today.

 

[Kiki A]

At my school they think we were.

Just like humans weren't meant to sit at a desk all day, we were designed for movement..