Spring Chicks!

[cmom]

This is my brooder from last years hatches and the chick/grow-out coop.There is wire and poop pans slide under the wire so the chicks stay clean but their poop falls through the wire into the poop pans which has pine shaving for easier clean and the shaving and poop goes into the compost. Their water stays much cleaner too. For the first few days I put paper towels down which I change daily until they learn to use their legs. When they first hatch they remind me of penguins walking.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

You folks are outta control!! I hatched one batch and that's it for me, I'm done! FINISHED!!

I raise them, feed them, put a roof over their heads and what do I get in return? Empty pockets and unneeded stress that will probably send me early to my grave!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

This is my brooder from last years hatches and the chick/grow-out coop.There is wire and poop pans slide under the wire so the chicks stay clean but their poop falls through the wire into the poop pans which has pine shaving for easier clean and the shaving and poop goes into the compost. Their water stays much cleaner too. For the first few days I put paper towels down which I change daily until they learn to use their legs. When they first hatch they remind me of penguins walking.
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Wow that is an awesome set up!! I love it!!

 

[Merrymouse]

This is my brooder from last years hatches and the chick/grow-out coop.There is wire and poop pans slide under the wire so the chicks stay clean but their poop falls through the wire into the poop pans which has pine shaving for easier clean and the shaving and poop goes into the compost. Their water stays much cleaner too. For the first few days I put paper towels down which I change daily until they learn to use their legs. When they first hatch they remind me of penguins walking.
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Wow thats a serious set up! I love it!

 

[ADVaughn]

Kinda restarting our clock after a really bad year of varying difficulties. These are our new "girls." Three leghorn and one each ameraucana, french maran and wyandotte. These three were straight runs from TSC so we shall have to wait and see of they get to stay...and if they are what they were labeled.

 

[ShrekDawg]

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Kinda restarting our clock after a really bad year of varying difficulties. These are our new "girls." Three leghorn and one each ameraucana, french maran and wyandotte. These three were straight runs from TSC so we shall have to wait and see of they get to stay...and if they are what they were labeled.

Awwww they are soooo cute!!!!

 

[Liddy]

Anyone getting spring chicks this year!? I placed my order about a week and a half ago and I am impatiently waiting! Lol
We currently have 1 Barred Rock, 2 Black Australorps, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Easter Eggers.

The new chicks are one each of Speckled Sussex, Delaware, Easter Egger, White Leghorn, and Partridge Rock.

Sooo excited.

Anyone else getting chicks this spring!?

I'm eggcited, too! I ordered from my local feed store, which gets chicks from Mt Healthy. This year, I chose 2 New Hampshires, 2 Amber sex link, 4 Cinnamon Queen Golden comets, 2 Black laced Golden Wyandotte, 2 Speckled Sussex, and 2 EEs. They will be here the last week in April. I have a lot of preparation work to do out in the brooder and coops, and thaw can't come soon enough for me!



My current flock is very mixed, from homebred mutts to Partridge Rock, Barred Rocks (those are rude when in the nesting boxes!), assorted EEs, and one Polish. I lost 13 last month to a respiratory illness, including the lone rooster and my beloved pet Peewee, a buff Cochin. I've had as many as 63, and I want to get down to 25 for next winter.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I'm eggcited, too! I ordered from my local feed store, which gets chicks from Mt Healthy. This year, I chose 2 New Hampshires, 2 Amber sex link, 4 Cinnamon Queen Golden comets, 2 Black laced Golden Wyandotte, 2 Speckled Sussex, and 2 EEs. They will be here the last week in April. I have a lot of preparation work to do out in the brooder and coops, and thaw can't come soon enough for me!

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My current flock is very mixed, from homebred mutts to Partridge Rock, Barred Rocks (those are rude when in the nesting boxes!), assorted EEs, and one Polish. I lost 13 last month to a respiratory illness, including the lone rooster and my beloved pet Peewee, a buff Cochin. I've had as many as 63, and I want to get down to 25 for next winter.

Nice breeds!! I bet that will be fun!!

And wow that is a lot of snow!! And a lot of chickens lol

So sorry to hear of your losses though.

 

[Liddy]

Nice breeds!! I bet that will be fun!!

And wow that is a lot of snow!! And a lot of chickens lol

So sorry to hear of your losses though.

Thanks for the sympathy. The worst was finding dead hens on the coop floor and hearing the rattling breathing of others. I had to dispatch those with symptoms right then to protect the rest of the flock. We've had an awful lot of nights well below zero this winter. I've seen crows inside the coop shed, gleaning spilled feed and scratch, so who knows how the illness started? I feel fortunate that it didn't take them all.

I also feel fortunate that the weasel I came nose-to-nose with in the attached garage is TINY, either a juvenile or a stunted female, and apparently doesn't feel it can take on a full-grown hen in a flock. It was totes adorbs but I really wasn't comfortable being 18" from it. We stared at each other for more than a minute. I was thinking, "You are so adorable but deadly and stay out of my coop!" I believe it was eyeing me and thinking, "If I can kill you, I'll eat like a king!" When I began moving slowly to try to get my phone out to snap a pic, it whisked away on silent little feet. A moment later I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye as it beat feet out of the garage under the far door.

Life in Tiny Town is always interesting. I've planned to rebuild the coop this spring but now I will replace the chicken wire with hardware cloth. I need to protect my flock!

I can't WAIT for the new chicks to get here! I'll be drooling over everyone's photos as they are posted.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks for the sympathy. The worst was finding dead hens on the coop floor and hearing the rattling breathing of others. I had to dispatch those with symptoms right then to protect the rest of the flock. We've had an awful lot of nights well below zero this winter. I've seen crows inside the coop shed, gleaning spilled feed and scratch, so who knows how the illness started? I feel fortunate that it didn't take them all.

I also feel fortunate that the weasel I came nose-to-nose with in the attached garage is TINY, either a juvenile or a stunted female, and apparently doesn't feel it can take on a full-grown hen in a flock. It was totes adorbs but I really wasn't comfortable being 18" from it. We stared at each other for more than a minute. I was thinking, "You are so adorable but deadly and stay out of my coop!" I believe it was eyeing me and thinking, "If I can kill you, I'll eat like a king!" When I began moving slowly to try to get my phone out to snap a pic, it whisked away on silent little feet. A moment later I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye as it beat feet out of the garage under the far door.

Life in Tiny Town is always interesting. I've planned to rebuild the coop this spring but now I will replace the chicken wire with hardware cloth. I need to protect my flock!

I can't WAIT for the new chicks to get here! I'll be drooling over everyone's photos as they are posted.

That sounds awful!! So sorry you had to deal with that!! Probably smart to save the rest of the flock though, even though I’m sure it was hard to dispatch the sick ones but yes, definitely fortunate it didn’t take them all!!

And wow, that sounds liek a bold weasel!! Good thing he decided against the flock though.

I need to put hardware cloth on my run. I’ve been lucky so far but I want to do it before the little ones get here.

And I can’t wait either!! And yes same!! LOL I think we are getting our chicks around the same time. Mine are hatching April 29th.