Spring 2017 first timers post!

[ChxLadyCass]

Just brought home my first two baby chicks! Sshhh they're finally sleeping in their MHP!!
Baby Golden Laced Wyandottes named Lacey and Lucky. They are in a brooder in the garage and it is SO noisy! You can hear a squeaky fan on the roof, cars driving by, birds and pigeon dives chirping and cooing outside and kids playing. I think that what has been keeping them awake. I keep hearing them chirping. Hoping they can get settled in. Tried to dip their beaks in water but I'm not sure if they get it. They know where the feed is! I am trying not to helicopter parent and just let them rest!

 

[Blooie]

They'll cheep during the day...it's fine. At night in the dark they'll go underneath and make these cute little "churring" sounds as they settle in to sleep...IF the room is dark with no lights on. You may have to help them the first couple of times. Tuck them in and hold your hand in front until they calm down and start telling each other little bedtime stories before they hit dreamland. I always think of it as "story time" and it's a sound we don't usually get to hear. I love it!

 

[ChxLadyCass]

They'll cheep during the day...it's fine.  At night in the dark they'll go underneath and make these cute little "churring" sounds as they settle in to sleep...IF the room is dark with no lights on. You may have to help them the first couple of times.   Tuck them in and hold your hand in front until they calm down and start telling each other little bedtime stories before they hit dreamland.  I always think of it as "story time" and it's a sound we don't usually get to hear.  I love it!

Oh so sweet! I'm so excited! The garage has a window on the south side so I am going to keep them to natural light! Definitely will tuck them in! Because my brooder is deep I'm having trouble telling how they fit the MHP. I lowered it a bit as I could see their backs couldn't reach it at the lowest point.

 

[rainee63]

Just saying hello from a newbie of a few minutes ago. This is my first time ever on a blog and I am looking forward to learning with other like minded chickey fans.

I'm new too, it's nice to have others to learn with!

 

[AlynaD]

Just found this thread and I am really excited!! I am a total first timer and I got my first batch of chicks three weeks ago at the first of march. I have no idea what breeds they are except the Naked Necks I have 4 of them and 9 others that are part of a hatchery's choice through a feed store here in town.

Pictures!!!

This is my mother hen setup I bought the basket at a big box store in the housewares section when they were 1day olds the chicks all fit under it nicely but at 3 weeks they now barely go under it they like to sit on top of it but as long as it keeps them warm it does its job.


I put cheap washcloths on top so when they sit on it they don't get the pad itself all messy


This was taken today and is a question I actually wonder about .... does anyone else put toys and perches in their brooder for their chicks? The perches are dowel rods I slide between the bars they are about the width of my finger when they get a bit bigger I will increase the width of the dowels but they seem to like to climb up and sit on them I just don't put them directly over the food and water dishes. I also put a couple of toys with bells on them in there and they like to peck at them and pull its so cute to hear the random ding from the brooder.


I also have gotten most of them to eat from my hand now which I think is a wonderful bonding experience letting them know I am not going to hurt them and have tasty food at least I hope its tasty does anyone give their chicks treats like mealworms or veggies anything like that?

 

[MizzyWhizzy]

First timer, brought these four lovely ladies home last Thursday (hatched last Monday-Tuesday). The home we recently purchased has a 200 SF coop and the previous owner had an 11-12 bird flock with mainly hens, one rooster, and 4 ducks. We decided to put it to use!

From L-R in the top picture:
Dominique - Dorthy
Speckled Sussex - Rose
Partridge Cochin - Sophia
Columbian Wyandotte - Blanche
More pics below. We're excited to welcome them into the family

 

[ADVaughn]

First timer, brought these four lovely ladies home last Thursday (hatched last Monday-Tuesday). The home we recently purchased has a 200 SF coop and the previous owner had an 11-12 bird flock with mainly hens, one rooster, and 4 ducks. We decided to put it to use! From L-R in the top picture: Dominique - Dorthy Speckled Sussex - Rose Partridge Cochin - Sophia Columbian Wyandotte - Blanche More pics below. We're excited to welcome them into the family :yiipchick

They're are beautiful! And that's awesome you got a place with a large coop ready to go. We actually live in town so we have limits but if we do this right no one will care if we go over a bit.

 

[MizzyWhizzy]

Thanks! We actually live in the city, but luckily found a neighborhood that allows us to have chicks!

 

[trsutton82]

I am pleased to say, thanks in no small part to the amazing advice in these forums, our chicks are doing great! We have a gallon of electrolyte and probiitics water to finish off (about halfway there now) and it looks like pasty butt has been calmed. Watching behavior has been interesting but it seems we have a good temperature overall. We have 1 chick that tends to like the heat more than the others lol. We also have 1 chick (either a barred rock or an Americauna - I lost track) we're leaning toward thinking it's a rooster. "He" is a bit bigger than the rest, likes to eat first, and is the first to pop up and investigate anything. "He" is also our noisy one.

 

[RooChick]

Here are our first chicks

They are Australorps and will be either black, white, blue or splash.

Three of them only hatched yesterday and two of them the day before, but I'm already seeing pin feathers in the wings !!!

Thought I'd let my first time broody hen rear them, but she seemed as if she was panicking trying to find food, so I helped her realise that the chick starter is the food