Spring 2017 first timers post!

[KABerries]

Hey I'm in NE Ohio too which is part of why I'm waiting til May to get my little ladies

Cool - I look forward to sharing experiences with the weather, etc. We have a huge garage to keep them in their brooder box with 2 lamps, so I'm not too worried about the cold. Hopefully it'll be warm enough to move them to the coop in 6 weeks.

 

[lilchicky07]

Chickys doing good, now I have 22 instead of 17 though lol. It's taking all I have not to keep buying more chicks

 

[naturegeek168]

@Spartan22 & @KABerries , I am super jealous of your guys' chicks! I don't know if I can wait till May, I am pretty much going to be living vicariously through everyone on here via their pictures until I get mine so post lots of pictures everyone!

 

[jessnurse05]

My chicks are now about 4 days old and I keep finding dry poop in their feathers. I'm only feeding them chick starter and the water with the electrolytes. Is this normal and how do I clean them up without upsetting them.

Is it just around their vent? That is called pasty butt and they can get it for a lot of reasons including stress and being overheated. I thought I did everything right, even used the mama heating pad and put ACV in their water and 1 still got it. I don't think there is a way to clean it without upsetting them, but I just use q-tips dipped in warm water to wipe the poop off. I try to support all the way around the chick's body so it feels secure too. I try to dry off their feathers a little bit so the other chicks don't peck them! You can hold the chick close to your chest or in the crook of your neck for a few minutes to keep them warm before putting them back in the brooder to give them time to dry.

I don't know anything to help aside from what you are already doing, I had to clean my chick 2 or maybe 3 times and then she grew out of it. Just make sure you clean it off as soon as you see it and check them frequently.

 

[Mason Lockshaw]

Any idea what breed this little girl is? I got her from TSC out of the barred rocks bin but just learned barred rocks chicks are dark. Here she is next to my little wyadonette.

 

[chickendreams24]

Any idea what breed this little girl is? I got her from TSC out of the barred rocks bin but just learned barred rocks chicks are dark. Here she is next to my little wyadonette.

Is that wyandotte a large fowl? Did tractor supply happen to have Cornish crosses? If not what else did they have?

It's hard to say yet and of course it's not the best picture but my current guess is probably Cornish cross. Which is a meat breed.

Any one else have any guesses?

I would suggest keeping a close eye on it and doing some research. Possibly call and ask if it's possible. If that's a Cornish X you need to decide what you want to do Cornish X's are meant to be processed out by 8 weeks generally. They need to have feed restricted after I think it's a week or two. They can develop health problems quite easily.

I would suggest posting in the what breed is this area on the thread and seeing what you're told. Also do some research on Cornish X's to decide what your plans are. They're normally sold straight run but I have heard of some people carefully keeping pullets alive for a while to use in a breeding program.

 

[Mason Lockshaw]

Is that wyandotte a large fowl? Did tractor supply happen to have Cornish crosses? If not what else did they have?

It's hard to say yet and of course it's not the best picture but my current guess is probably Cornish cross. Which is a meat breed.

Any one else have any guesses?

I would suggest keeping a close eye on it and doing some research. Possibly call and ask if it's possible. If that's a Cornish X you need to decide what you want to do Cornish X's are meant to be processed out by 8 weeks generally. They need to have feed restricted after I think it's a week or two. They can develop health problems quite easily.

I would suggest posting in the what breed is this area on the thread and seeing what you're told. Also do some research on Cornish X's to decide what your plans are. They're normally sold straight run but I have heard of some people carefully keeping pullets alive for a while to use in a breeding program.

Thank you! I really hope she isn't a X, as you can see from the picture she is already named and ready to be a pet

I'm not a capable enough person to process a chicken, I get too attached. I'll try and get more pictures

 

[lorelli]

Thank you for the advice. There is one that I'm especially concerned about. She seems weaker than the others and doesn't move around as much.

 

[ImportTheBest]

So many gorgeous chickies!

Our babies are due to arrive next week! :yiipchick

I'm thankful we have them in a brooder for a few weeks because we (14yr old son and myself) aren't building as fast as I want to, but my knees are hating the process so they're slowing me down. This is basically a shed designed for chickens, so the the skids are to keep it as a temporary building to avoid the need for a permit. All the floors seemed a little flimsy on the instructions I found and books I checked out on sheds, so mine has a ton of cross-braces (or whatever they're really called) and it is SOLID! The frame is connected to the skid with 3/8" wide X 6" long lag screws and washers, 8 total. It took my husband and I about an hour to get those suckers in place and tight...One of us standing on the frame to keep the frame and skid tight together, and the other using a socket wrench tightening it down, and then switching places! We have a wet few days ahead of us, so I don't know how much I will get done out there, but hopefully I can keep getting things done in the garage, as well as prepping a brooder!

 

[urbanchickening]

My babies are now 9 weeks old...someone forgot to tell them to quit growing up so fast!