Spring 2017 first timers post!

[LandersLittles]

I am working on my first coop, the brooder will be in the coop and I am using the Mama Heating Pad. I am getting 7 chicks the first week of April 2017. I was hoping to get a few of us newbies together who are gearing up for our first time this spring! Lets post pictures of our coops, our birds when we get them and see who gets the first egg!

Who is in?

Gary from Idyllwild Ca here

This is my first time with raising chicks/chickens! We bought four chicks on March 3rd, and our last two on March 8th. I have pictures of all of them... the pre-fab coop is ready, however my hubby and I are building an additional coop and run area.. I have rough put together of that, but this next weekend we'll be out there cutting, nailing, and stabilizing everything... then I'll paint it to it looks pretty!
My Original four:
Sprinkles (front): Speckled Sussex, hatched approx. 3/1/17
Sarah Sue (Middle): Sicilian Buttercup, hatched approx. 3/1/17
Mother Clucker (back): Amber White, hatched approx. 3/1/17
Princess Leia-Egg (side shot): Amber White, hatched approx. 3/1/17




Everyone enjoying outdoor time yesterday!



Sookie: EE, hatched 3/8/17



Sprinkles and Princess Leia-Egg!



Voncile: EE, hatched 3/8/17


As my husband so lovingly called it, the Redneck Run. Don't mind my stacks of plywood, those are pieces for the coop add-on. I made the wall out of old pallets, one of which will be hinged as a door. Once everything is put together, I'll be painting it, so it looks clean and uniform. =) The little raised bed to the side will be for chicken herbs!

 

[Blooie]

Sadly I'm going by the feel of the pad, not a thermometer. I actually put my hand on it (it had been on with stay on feature on 6 for a few hours) and then had to stop and think to even decide if I was feeling any warmth at all from it! I was so disappointed! Lukewarm is me being very generous, lol! I'm tempted to try and order another but I may just make a safety lid of hardware cloth for the brooder instead. I'm using my regular heating pad right now because I can feel my back going out on me today and it's lowest setting is definitely warmer than the highest on the other one. I can't use this one for the chicks though as it cycles on and off. Quite a bummer as I was excited about the MHP, esp for the layers.

Okay, sounds like you have a good handle on the problem....I wanted to point out the temperature thing under the cave just in case.

 

[ImportTheBest]

Okay, sounds like you have a good handle on the problem....I wanted to point out the temperature thing under the cave just in case.  

Absolutely! All help is greatly appreciated

but defective equipment kind of stalls my plans!

 

[Wavechickens]

This is my first time with raising chicks/chickens! We bought four chicks on March 3rd, and our last two on March 8th. I have pictures of all of them... the pre-fab coop is ready, however my hubby and I are building an additional coop and run area.. I have rough put together of that, but this next weekend we'll be out there cutting, nailing, and stabilizing everything... then I'll paint it to it looks pretty! My Original four: Sprinkles (front): Speckled Sussex, hatched approx. 3/1/17 Sarah Sue (Middle): Sicilian Buttercup, hatched approx. 3/1/17 Mother Clucker (back): Amber White, hatched approx. 3/1/17 Princess Leia-Egg (side shot): Amber White, hatched approx. 3/1/17 Everyone enjoying outdoor time yesterday! Sookie: EE, hatched 3/8/17 Sprinkles and Princess Leia-Egg! Voncile: EE, hatched 3/8/17 As my husband so lovingly called it, the Redneck Run. Don't mind my stacks of plywood, those are pieces for the coop add-on. I made the wall out of old pallets, one of which will be hinged as a door. Once everything is put together, I'll be painting it, so it looks clean and uniform. =) The little raised bed to the side will be for chicken herbs!

Oh your Easter Eggers are so cute! We ended up ordering 3 Easter Eggers and they look like they are all going to be on the dark side. I was hoping for a buff light colored one at least, but I love them all the same

 

[LandersLittles]

Oh your Easter Eggers are so cute! We ended up ordering 3 Easter Eggers and they look like they are all going to be on the dark side. I was hoping for a buff light colored one at least, but I love them all the same

Thank you! We lucked out that one of our local feed stores had just gotten these gals in and when I called the local hatchery enquiring about their shipments, they told me about it... so we were able to hand pick them! They have them labeled as Araucanas, though having poured over countless websites and pictures, I know they are EE's. The anticipation of what their plumage will end up looking like may be the death of me. LOL!

 

[Jiffyrocks]

What adorable chicks!!!   Love the names too!  What is the bottom left one----she has such an adorable face!



Awwww....Gertrude----such a pretty girl!!!  how old is she?   

She's about a week or so in that pic. Now she's about 3.5 weeks old =P

 

[LandersLittles]

Aw. This is all so sad. I'm sorry to hear so many of your guys chicks are sick/ or not doing well. I hope it gets better. I feel so blessed to have such a healthy batch of chicks, it's easy to forget how lucky you can be until you see how unfortunate someone else's luck has been.

I'm right there with you! All six of our chicks, and the six our friends got from the same feed store, have flourished. I never even fathomed people loosing chicks. :*(

 

[GaChicklette]

Thanks! Bottom left is Jessica Fletcher - she's a Buff Orpington

She is sooo cute---I'm hoping for a Buffy sometime soon...still waiting out the '2 chick' rule. Given that I've only had them 3 days I think its a bit early to start whining for more....

 

[GaChicklette]

Update on my 2 Littles!

Miss Prissy and Lil Chica











I'm still having a bit of difficulty in telling them apart name wise but eventually I'll get it. I am curious as to what the green area is on the side of the head in the last picture if anyone knows?

This is day 3 that I've had them. I'm thinking day 6ish of their life since they were probably delivered on a Friday, and I got them on a Sunday. All seems to be going well. I get them out twice a day to hold briefly and let them explore a bit on a clean surface in the room. They definitely like to be together if I remove one and not the other the fussing begins! Today I introduced a small rock filled bowl into their brooder just for a different place for them to drink (as I saw some suggest in other areas! Thank you!) I have a small stick ready to add soon but wanted to bake it a while in case there were any vermin in it and now I'm letting it sit a bit...

I'm itching for more already.....

 

[fangedknight]

We have ours in the kitchen too. We'll be moving them to a big pen inside the spare room soon as they will outgrown the brooder before I know it, and it's too cold to put them outside yet.

I wish I had a spare pen but thankfully my babies aren't due at the feed mill till after April 1st. And hopefully by that time we'll have everything built and it'll be warm enough outside by the time they get too big.