Spring 2017 first timers post!

[dobermanacres]

Didn't make it *sigh*.

That's 4 of 35

*hugs*

 

[DrFeathers]

My girls will be 5 weeks old on Monday, they have been in the coop with a heat plate from the time I picked them up at the post office, it warmed up this week, 50"s at night 75ish days so a few days ago I unplugged the heat plate and the next day took it out altogether, not a peep out of them about it!  Tonight is going to drop into the 20's, I told my girls we will check for chicksickles in the morning....  The will be fine, I think... pretty sure anyway...

Gary

Think warm thoughts

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Tomorrow the girls will be 6 weeks old and today we let them out of the run for their first ever free ranging!!!!! We kept an "eagle" eye on them and luckily they stayed together and near the run. The long grass was a big treat and we will do this more often as the weather allows, a beautiful day today!

Guard duty for the Chicken Slave

 

[ChickenFajita6]

I somehow missed seeing this when I first joined, but I'm in now!! We got our first ever chicks on 3/18, they were 3 days old. In one week they'll be 2 months old, so we've all grown quite acquainted! My husband was just able to start building their outdoor coop this week, and we hope to get a lot more progress on it tomorrow. My goal is to have them moved outdoors by the end of this month. I feel bad keeping them in their garage set up, even though they seem to be ok on room.
The outdoor coop will be nice and roomy for them, but we still need to read up on the ins and outs of what all they need in there. We are total chicken newbies!!
We're building the coop and run on a concrete slab that we already had in our yard, but I also want them to have some soft earth to roam on so the run will end up "L" shaped eventually. The cute details of the coop will also get done in time too, but right now the priority is for it to just be functional, and get them out there so we'll get the building part done, and fence around the rest of the existing slab.

Now I'm off to read more of what I missed!

 

[dobermanacres]

I somehow missed seeing this when I first joined, but I'm in now!! We got our first ever chicks on 3/18, they were 3 days old. In one week they'll be 2 months old, so we've all grown quite acquainted! My husband was just able to start building their outdoor coop this week, and we hope to get a lot more progress on it tomorrow. My goal is to have them moved outdoors by the end of this month. I feel bad keeping them in their garage set up, even though they seem to be ok on room.
The outdoor coop will be nice and roomy for them, but we still need to read up on the ins and outs of what all they need in there. We are total chicken newbies!!
We're building the coop and run on a concrete slab that we already had in our yard, but I also want them to have some soft earth to roam on so the run will end up "L" shaped eventually. The cute details of the coop will also get done in time too, but right now the priority is for it to just be functional, and get them out there so we'll get the building part done, and fence around the rest of the existing slab.

Now I'm off to read more of what I missed!

Welcome I have learned so much on this site!! Mine are 10 days old today and they definitely have their own personalities! What kind(s) do you have? I have 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 Plymouth Rocks.

 

[ChickenFajita6]

Welcome I have learned so much on this site!! Mine are 10 days old today and they definitely have their own personalities! What kind(s) do you have? I have 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 Plymouth Rocks.

We have 2 Dominique, 2 Buff Orpington, and 2 Faverolle. They are getting SO big....need to get that coop finished soon!!

 

[lilmarie84]

Gave the babies mealworms today and they went crazy but the funny thing is I had to hold them out one at a time for them to go after it just in my hand or in the plate weren't good enough for them and lil ms athena was trying to make it to where no one else would get I loved watching them take it from my fingers and watching the other trying to take from each other and actually doing it sometimes

 

[ewerbos]

I somehow missed seeing this when I first joined, but I'm in now!! We got our first ever chicks on 3/18, they were 3 days old. In one week they'll be 2 months old, so we've all grown quite acquainted! My husband was just able to start building their outdoor coop this week, and we hope to get a lot more progress on it tomorrow. My goal is to have them moved outdoors by the end of this month. I feel bad keeping them in their garage set up, even though they seem to be ok on room.
The outdoor coop will be nice and roomy for them, but we still need to read up on the ins and outs of what all they need in there. We are total chicken newbies!!
We're building the coop and run on a concrete slab that we already had in our yard, but I also want them to have some soft earth to roam on so the run will end up "L" shaped eventually. The cute details of the coop will also get done in time too, but right now the priority is for it to just be functional, and get them out there so we'll get the building part done, and fence around the rest of the existing slab.

Now I'm off to read more of what I missed!

We got ours about the same time, and are just barely starting ourselves (3/25 3-4 days old). We keep changing our mind on how to do it etc., but have finally settled on what we'll do--But only managed to get the ground marked. Every time we go outside to work on the coop, boom, the rain starts. We're just hoping to get the coop done and not worry about the run! Ours are going nuts in their brooder; we take them to an outside box and to free range a couple of times a day, but are anxious to get them out of the house for good.

 

[ChickenFajita6]

We got ours about the same time, and are just barely starting ourselves (3/25 3-4 days old). We keep changing our mind on how to do it etc., but have finally settled on what we'll do--But only managed to get the ground marked. Every time we go outside to work on the coop, boom, the rain starts. We're just hoping to get the coop done and not worry about the run! Ours are going nuts in their brooder; we take them to an outside box and to free range a couple of times a day, but are anxious to get them out of the house for good.

Ugh I feel like such a slacker, ours have never been outside. We have tried holding them a couple times but that's mostly it. They are pretty lively and don't seem to enjoy being handled. There's one my son has pretty tamed, he calls her "his" chicken, and she is by far the most willing to hop right out when I lift the lid off their current home to tend to their needs, but I could not image trying to haul all their butts out into the yard and then back. Not without help, which I don't have. We're all so busy with work, we are rarely home at the same time. I hope they don't freak out too much once they actually see the outdoors!

 

[VeggieGoneEggie]

Finally got the motivation to set up a way for my five 3-1/2-week-old and one 2-1/2-week-old chicks to get some outdoor time. I salvaged scrap from an old box trailer I tore apart a couple weeks ago and some leftover chicken wire, and put together a little outdoor playpen! Nothing fancy and definitely not predator proof, but enough to keep them safe and contained while I'm at home to monitor them. It's been 73 degrees F all afternoon, with the hot New Mexico sun providing them an opportunity to get real warm if too chilly.

They of course freaked out as I put them in a "travel container" ... but before I even took them out, as soon as the sun hit them, a couple already had legs and wings splayed out enjoying the rays!!! My DH didn't know about the sunbathing thing, and I laughed as he thought the quick trip outside had already killed them...

SUCH A GOOD IDEA!!!! They've been having a blast all afternoon, scratching around, dust bathing and sunning themselves. They are obviously so happy!

Hmmmm, I'm beginning to see that the biggest threat to my chickies is not the coons or yotes.... but my beloved pup....