The "NORM"

[TonySorrento]

So i have read so much as a new chicken owner (2 1/2 weeks old

) that my brain is oatmeal!

I kept worrying on things like, "Is the brooder to hot" "Is the brooder to cold" is the water ok .... will the 1 week old chicks kill my 1 day olds ... are they eating the pine shavings .... should i be using sand? ..... are they gonna hurt their bellies by pecking at the old wood in the brooder .... is that peep different than the rest ... why the heck do I want this stress in my life! ...

Anyway ... after my vast 2 1/2 weeks of experience, my chicks are growing like weeds ... they are happy and healthy ... they are getting along .... it is going perfectly!!!

So my question is ..... Is this the NORM?

After reading all that I have, I was ready for a stressful ride of bloody poop, picking, chicks gasping, chicks shaking their heads excessively .... and then I thought, "Of course these are the majority of the posts! When things are going great, there is nothing to start a thread on!" So all the issues that stress out all of us newbies are NOT the norm ..... right????

BTW, HUGE props to all you peeps on BYC!!!! I have learned SOOO much on here!!

You friendly fellow chicken overthinker,

Tony

 

[Judy]

Yes, you are a normal chicken parent!

There is definitely a down side to reading about all the things that can go wrong: most of them never will, for you -- if any do.

Just don't let the reading interfere with your own observations -- which, for example, work better than any thermometer regarding whether they are too hot or cold.

And read my siggy.

 

[TonySorrento]

Flockwatcher, the whole temperature thing was my biggest worry and it has become my least worry now. One of the other members answered a "worry" question about the temperatue thing with, "Just watch the chicks and they will tell you" ... to be honest, it kinda ticked me off!

I wanted an I dotting, T crossing way to do things ..... BUT. THEY. WERE. RIGHT!

I set my brooder up with different heat zones (2 brooder lights) on opposite corners of the brooder and the chicks went were they felt comfortable

.... 2 1/2 weeks into it it is still the same way ... I dont worry about the temperature fluctuations in the garage as there is always a zone of comfort for them ... I realized that somethimes they want to be warmer and sometimes they want to be cooler ... it took alot for my TYPE A mind to accept the gray in it all

Bottom line ... they are animals that God created to do what they do ... and you know what? They do it!

So to all the new chicken owners, don't sweat the details ... have areas from 100 degrees down to whatever and they will find their comfort zone ... don't worry about them eating pine shavings ... they know that the food you gave them is what they need .... keep them in dry bedding, food and water and they will do fine most of the time ... if you have an issue, the search function on here is great! If you need to post a new topic to stress out the newbies that are following you in new chickendom, then do it ...lol ... just enjoy them@ they are too expensive to not enjoy them