Some advice, please

[Ol Grey Mare]

It depends... I say 90 because it is perfect for 4 week bantys. U need to watch them

*shrug* - I have always raised my bantams just like I raise my LF chicks as far as that - monitor the conditions, increase/decrease temperature as indicated by their comfort signals. While smaller, I've had great success in brooding/raising them like any other chick.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Also, can I dust them with poultry dust that young? Seems they might need it.

What indications are you seeing?

 

[MichaelSellers]

I realized it was just too damp and cold for the new ones to be outside. I have moved them to a brooder setup in the house, safe from cats and dog. Sad news: after two hours of being in the coop, one suddenly died. She didn't look sick upon arrival. But she was laying on her stomach, wings stretched out a bit, and her eyes were clouded over. She lasted another 15 minutes and then died. Of course, I feel like a terrible person for not putting them in the house first thing, although I know many hatcheries warn of possible dead bird on arrival. Doesn't stop it from hurting however. The other 3 look healthy. Thanks for helping me realize it was too soon for outdoors. I'm going to do everything I can to raise three healthy birds.

 

[bobshere]

Yes they sure don't look like my girls at 4 weeks. My girls are pretty much feathered out and must weigh a pound each now at 5 weeks old although they are red sex links. I'm in northern Ontario. I put them outside a week ago with the heat lamp in a 6x6 insulated coop. Their first night out dipped to minus 10c and I seen no problem. I have a wireless camera in the coop. I check it quite often and they are rarely under the lamp. When they are its usually only for a few minutes and away they go again. Next week we are suppose to have some sun so ill be shutting the lamp off during the day.

 

[lazy gardener]

Harry Rooster: The powdery chick food you're talking about is probably mash, and is designed to be fed mixed with water to a cooked oatmeal consistency. Have you checked out the fermented feed thread? Since you have mash, it wouldn't be any extra work... just initially a bit of time invested to ferment their feed, and give them an extra nutritional kick. Also, were you saying that you're giving them electrolytes in their water? It's ok for the initial period to help them over the stress of shipping, but they should also have access to plain water.

 

[Harry Rooster]

Well the electrolyte stuff that I've been giving them, the guy at the feed store recommended it for starting chicks. It's orange powder stuff that you mix a little with water until it is the color of Mt. Dew. I guessed it was electrolytes. The feed is chick starter it says, and they were feeding it to the baby chicks in the feed store too, but it was just plain and not mixed with water or anything. It said chick starter. Don't have the bag anymore though. Maybe the orange powdered stuff is just vitamins or something. It is in a small foil type bag and I remember it said for poultry. I did put some Corid in their water today. I put 1/2 tea spoon in 1 qt of water, for all of them to drink from.
The symptoms of the 1 Bantam chick are that she doesn't move around a lot or play, she is fluffed out. She does eat some and drinks but doesn't run around or anything like the rest do. But they are a good bit bigger than her and maybe she doesn't want to play with them because she may be scared of them being so much bigger than her. She just acts different than she did at first. She seems to be breathing hard when she lays down to sleep and is spread out when she sleeps. Her feathers look ragged. They all do pick at themselves which is why I was wondering if I could dust them some with poultry dust. Figured maybe she might have some mites or something on her is why her feathers look so ragged. I don't think the others are picking on her. I have been checking on them a lot and watching them and haven't seen anything like that. Sometimes she will sleep with one of them and sometimes she sleeps by herself. Can I safely dust them at their age? They have been going outside in the daytime when the weather is good. I take the pen out there and let them out in it outside for the day. Could have picked up something in the yard that's itching them. Do chickens get fleas?

 

[blucoondawg]

The guideline for temperature for chicks is generally as follows, 95 degrees for the first week, the drop 5 degrees per week until you get to the room/outside temperature. So 4 week old chicks would need around 80 degrees by that guideline. Mine are usually pretty well full feathered by 6 weeks, at that time I wouldn't worry about them being outside unless it was winter type temperatures.

As far as feeding different stuff than chick starter, you can do that if you like but then the chicks also need access to grit so they can digest the other seeds and such, the chick starter doesn't require grit as it will get moist and come apart easily in their digestive tract.

I don't think I would use any pesticide dust on baby chicks, chicks will preen and pick at each other to an extent, that is normal, if you have them going overboard and developing bald spots or other issues you may have a problem, maybe provide a dust bath are for them with some wood ash mixed into some sand the ash will help guard against bugs.

You don't have to mix chick starter into a wet mash, that orange stuff you put in the water is likely an electrolyte package. Your chicks don't "need" anything other than the chick starter, that should provide the full range of nutrients required for them to grow into healthy adults, however you can feed them other stuff if you like but I wouldn't over do that at a young age, let them eat the starter and get the essential nutrients until they are grown up somewhat. You can also feed medicated starter which helps build resistance to cocci though will not cure it if already present.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Well the electrolyte stuff that I've been giving them, the guy at the feed store recommended it for starting chicks. It's orange powder stuff that you mix a little with water until it is the color of Mt. Dew. I guessed it was electrolytes. The feed is chick starter it says, and they were feeding it to the baby chicks in the feed store too, but it was just plain and not mixed with water or anything. It said chick starter. Don't have the bag anymore though. Maybe the orange powdered stuff is just vitamins or something. It is in a small foil type bag and I remember it said for poultry. I did put some Corid in their water today. I put 1/2 tea spoon in 1 qt of water, for all of them to drink from.
The symptoms of the 1 Bantam chick are that she doesn't move around a lot or play, she is fluffed out. She does eat some and drinks but doesn't run around or anything like the rest do. But they are a good bit bigger than her and maybe she doesn't want to play with them because she may be scared of them being so much bigger than her. She just acts different than she did at first. She seems to be breathing hard when she lays down to sleep and is spread out when she sleeps. Her feathers look ragged. They all do pick at themselves which is why I was wondering if I could dust them some with poultry dust. Figured maybe she might have some mites or something on her is why her feathers look so ragged. I don't think the others are picking on her. I have been checking on them a lot and watching them and haven't seen anything like that. Sometimes she will sleep with one of them and sometimes she sleeps by herself. Can I safely dust them at their age? They have been going outside in the daytime when the weather is good. I take the pen out there and let them out in it outside for the day. Could have picked up something in the yard that's itching them. Do chickens get fleas?

I use Nutrena Naturewise Chick Starter/Grower and it is not powdery at all, just crumbles. I would second that maybe you are mistaken on what it actually was, especially since you don't have the bag anymore it is hard to confirm.

One of my chicks was looked ragged but I noticed that in a few days when her newer feathers came in that went away. All 8 of my chicks scratch and preen at themselves all of the time. They kind of have to do that to remove the little casings on their feathers for them to open up. Maybe it's a "watch and see" situation? But I could be wrong too.

 

[Harry Rooster]

This is my first time having to raise baby chicks. Usually the mothers do that and I don't have to worry about it, so really don't know what to expect or what to do. I have not given them any seeds or anything like that yet. I have given them the meal worm treats, which they love, and some cooked pasta strings which they also love, some cut up grapes and melon. They love all of that, but just give it to them every now and then for treats. The others I bought are getting pretty big now, just my little Bantam still small. She's the only one that looks kind of ragged, but she is alert, just doesn't move around much. Maybe she's kind of scared to play with the big ones. I did put some Corid in their water 1/2 tsp -1qt yesterday, and am going to make them some more today. Will do that for 5 days just to make sure that the little one doesn't have cocci, which I still think is a possibility of what's wrong with her. Someone said it would be okay for the others and wouldn't hurt anything, so it's worth a try. After that is over, I think I may try putting 1/2 tsp ACV in 1qt water for them instead of the electrolyte stuff for a little while. Do you think that would be a good idea? They do have a very nice dust bath in their pen, big enough for all of them to get in at once if they want. It is a big plastic sweater storage bin full of great dirt with some DE and a little poultry dust mixed in. Not a lot of poultry dust just a little in a lot of dirt. They don't seem too interested in getting in there and bathing though. Maybe they don't know how. I thought that would just come naturally though, but maybe they need their mother to show them how it's done? They run around in it and scratch in it but haven't seen anyone bathing in it yet. It's very good dirt for that, no rocks as I have sifted it and it's very light and dusty dirt. Hope the Corid makes a difference in my little one. I will hold off on the seeds for a while and the corn, and just continue the treats like I have been, maybe some scrambled eggs.

 

[blucoondawg]

Chicks tend to look a little raggedy when they are going from their cute fuzzy stage to their feathered out stage, I wouldn't worry about any of that, I have never seen a chick take a dust bath but once they are older and have feathers they seem to figure it out. I am also a firm believer that buying DE is akin to taking a Zippo lighter and a handful of cash and building a nice fire, I think it is useless for chicken parasites given many hours spent reading on the subject. I have given the chickens ACV from time to time and don't really notice any benefit to it but I supposed it doesn't hurt anything, I only ever used the electrolyte when I had chicks shipped in, I figured it would give them a boost if they had a rough time of it during shipping but I they seemed ok anyways, the ones I hatch myself don't get electrolyte and they are fine but I would give them some if they looked down.