So we gave it a shower...

[Chieftain]

We picked up five RIR chicks Saturday night, and everyone is settled into the brooder, eating, drinking, peeping and pooping just like they should. The 60 watt lightbulb is working well and the temperature seems to be comfy for everyone. They are all spread out in the light sound asleep at the moment.

There are four chicks that are clutchmates, and a fifth from a clutch that hatched about 9 days earlier. The oldest is twice the size of the others, and is actually mothering a couple of the youngsters.

The only small problem we had was the youngest of the four who came out of the incubator Saturday morning, had a bit of a pasty butt. We kept an eye on her and she had quite a collection of hard goo stuck in her butt feathers. So, we warmed up the water in the kitchen faucet, put it on spray, and gently washed her bottom clean with the assistance of a Q-tip. She didn't seem to mind, and the water was close to her body temp. We dried her in a dish towel, and put her back in the brooder, and all is well now. She was completely dry within 10 minutes or so.

I've been raising the food dispenser as they figure out how to bill the food out and I am adding pieces of 1/2" plywood till I find the best compromise. Minor problem at this point, but they sure know how to wast food.

I made a small roost out of scrap wood and the eldest parked herself on it last night and crashed. Her head was hanging over one side and her butt over the other and she was sound asleep, and perfectly balanced. Even the little ones are taking turns on the roost although they still like to sleep in the warm bedding.

I am 2/3rd's of the way through Storey's Guide to raising chickens, and it is fascinating stuff. It's very informational and so far the chickies are acting exactly as they should be, according to everything we have learned so far. We are at least off to a good start.

I plan on keeping them in the brooder as they feather up, and you can almost hear those little feathers growing! The wing feathers are growing at least 1/4" a day, and everyone has the start of a set of tail feathers. Once they outgrow the brooder, I plan on moving them into the coop.

I have installed a brooder hood in the Chicken McMansion, and installed additional permanent ventilation. With the door and windows closed, the coop is nice and warm and the brooder hood will provide a nice warm corner for them. With the additional ventilation, I feel confident that the air is turning over several times a day even with the windows shut. I see no reason why the coop can't serve as a brooder house once the girls outgrow their present quarters, as long as they have everything they need, stay warm and secure, they should be just fine. I will hang a thermometer in there this week and start keeping a log to monitor how stable the temperature is. The coop is only 20 square feet, so a 60 watt lightbulb ought to be plenty out there too.

All is well and we have a peaceful and easy feeling about how things are proceeding so far. It really is common sense and the chickens know what they need to do. It makes me feel a bit less silly about bathing a chick in the kitchen sink...

Cheers!

 

[chocolate m'scovy]

Storey's Guide is the best! I'd kind of like to see that roost after it crashed and the chick was still sleeping on it!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

OH my, who on here has NOT bathed a chick in the kitchen sink. It is pretty common place 'cause chicks DO get pasty butt and the only real solution is a warm shower on the butt.

Try using a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar, ACV in the waterer. It really does reduce pasty butt.

 

[alicefelldown]

At 9 days old, chicks do not need a roost. They are better off sleeping huddled up with each other in a big pile. You could give them a towel, stuffed animal, or feather duster, which in addition to the heat lamp would be acting like the mother hen, keeping them warm and snug under her body.

Roosting comes several weeks later, when they get their 'teenage' feathers.

 

[Chieftain]

Quote:

It's not much of a roost, in that it's only about 1" above the litter, but it sure keeps everyone interested, and they like to peck at the wood more than sit on it. A couple of them sleep with their heads underneath it; I think they are more curious about it than anything else.

They may not need it, but they sure do seem to like it...

 

[newchickmom09]

When my chicks were in there brooder I had a small misquite branch in there brooder. It was about and inch around and I had it laying in there brooder and the highest point was about 2 inches off the ground. They loved it. They didn't roost on it till they got a little older. They enjoyed running around it and pecking on it. My white EE always used it like a pillow when she fell asleep.

 

[Chieftain]

It's been a very busy week for me in other areas, and I thought I should update this thread on our chick's progress.

In short, things continue to be unremarkable. All five chicks are growing like weeds, and they all have an impressive set of wing feathers and a good start on tail feathers. I'm still not sure about sexes, but hints are emerging. I have 2 chicks that look like they have the start of spurs; just a small bump at this point, but I suspect we have 2 roos. Neither is showing signs of trying to crow yet, but they are still quite young.

I find that having two rubbermaid tubs with holes drilled in them and ready to go is a real timesaver when it is time to clean the brooder. I just set the clean tub up with new litter, transfer everyone into it and put the cover/heat lamp on it while I clean the water and food dispensers. Then I can dump the dirty tub into the compost pile, wash it, and set it aside for the next swap. Nobody gets chilled, loose, or has to hang out in a box while I clean the brooder.

The chicks were all scratching and pecking at the litter yesterday so I decided to give them something to peck for. I took a small pinch of polenta (corn meal) and sprinkled a few grains of that on the floor of the brooder, and they went nuts picking at it. I know not to give them much of anything except their starter food and water at this point, but a little bit of cornmeal as a treat didn't harm them, and they sure had fun pecking and scratching around for it.

Everything continues well with no problems whatsoever. I feel very good about where things stand, and we'll keep on doing what we're doing as it seems to be working well.

Cheers!