Starting out with 3 week old chicks, any tips?

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MontanaGirl02

MontanaGirl02

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Hello,
I'm getting a dozen golden sex-link chicks. They are 3 weeks old and I don't have much experience with chickens and I was wondering if anyone knows about the breed and has any tips, they will be spoiled, so what kind of treats do I give them, what can I do with them and where do I keep them, I have dogs and I don't want them to be stressed. Anyway I am looking for any tips and advice for starting out. Thanks! :yiipchick
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Golden Sex Links are actually hybrids and not a breed. Golden Sex Link is one of a number of labels under which some hatcheries market their Red Sex Links which are produced by crossing a red gene rooster with a silver gene hen. Not only can the Red Sex Link offspring be sexed by color from hatching (males are whitish, females are reddish/goldish), but they are egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. You should get loads of large, brown eggs from those six girls. :o) Treats should compose less than 10% of their diet as too many treats will make them fat and unhealthy and reduce their egg production when they begin laying. It's the equivalent of us eating candy bars and potato chips. Commercial feeds are specially formulated to meet all of a chicken's nutritional needs. There is a good article on feeding chickens at different ages at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/feeding-chickens-at-different-ages.html. Make sure you keep your flock in a predator proof coop/run. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens. As far as your dogs go, you need to keep your dogs away from your chickens as dogs and chickens do not typically mix well. Dogs tend to view chickens either as prey, or as chew toys. We receive lots of posts from new members who are shocked because their seemingly benign dog (even small breeds like chihuahuas) suddenly and unexpectedly decided to chase and kill their chickens. And once a dog has killed a chicken, it's virtually impossible to break him from doing it again. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your Golden Sex Links.
 

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