The Old Folks Home

[pollo randy]

Awesome thanks for the info.

i like 90-95 the first week. if they huddle under the light then i will increase it but that wont happen after the first few hours.

second week its 85-90 - on day 10 no light during our 85 degree days

third week 80-85 - light on at night only

week 4 no lights

week 5 - out in a coop

Okay good advise thank you.

 

[Dragonfly216]

Welcome Pollo!

Thank you guys for the advice concerning UE and going to school! I had not thought of that. I had looked up some info last night and it said when unemployed, the government will typically give your a Pell Grant, but I don't remember if it said on unemployment, or just unemployed. But I will definitely check into that. My manager was told yesterday that we have at least one more full week, so at least I'll have a whole paycheck for my last one. I sure would love to be paid my two vacation weeks he owes me, but I kinda doubt that. He hasn't even spoken to me, just my manager. Been very dismissive about me. Oh well, like I said, I'm sure I'll HAVE to find something better here soon! Thanks for all the advice and for caring enough to give it you guys rock! I really do appreciate it.

 

[Wisher1000]

Randy, remember to take your outside temp into consideration. As long as the ambient temp is the same or higher than what they need, they can do without a light, but if it is cooler/colder outside than the appropriate temps for their age, they need a warm place to go.

If I have to put the chicks outside, in the uninsulated coop, during the first few weeks, I use two heat sources, in case one fails. I also make sure that they only have heat in spots and they must go into the cooler areas to eat and drink. They will feather much faster this way than they will if you heat their whole area.

 

[Dragonfly216]

Oh yeah, I have to share this since I found it pretty funny. The dear BF and I went to his aunt and uncle's house for dinner Wednesday night. When we finally made it home, after so much food and two glasses of wine, I was passed out on the couch. My BF came and woke me up saying, hey baby, you need to come take a look at your chickens. I immediately jump out of sleep and freak and run in there, with him behind me saying, it's ok, don't panic! He's like, look at this one, it looks like something is wrong with it and the others are pecking it! I looked in, and immediately felt relief wash over me. While I was giggling, I said, thank you for coming to get me, but it's ok! That one is just dust bathing and the others are just picking the small pieces of pine shavings off its back! :-D I was SO relieved! I just had images in my head of all the chicks lying there dead! WHEW!!!

 

[Wisher1000]

Dragonfly - can you take your week of paid vacation next week??

 

[getaclue]

I have moved my incubation set up into a spare bedroom. I have this cat. She lays down on the top of the lockdown incubator for a little while, and watches. Maybe she can hear the chirps. In the meantime, her laying on top, changes the temperature. If she lays over the air hole, it changes the humidity level too. It's not a radical change, nor was she constantly up there, so I was not overly concerned. Then a chick hatches, and she looks at the chick, hops down to look into the brooder, jumps back up on the incubator, tries scratching at the incubator, hops down to look in the brooder, and repeat. Can't fool her. She knows the chick(s) belong in the brooder, and wants to help get them there. Too much help. I can't have her scratching up the incubator, so I moved both of them. I'm getting them calibrated now. I bought a second thermometer/hygrometer yesterday, so I don't have to keep moving the probes from one to the other. DH ordered 2 of the STC-1000 digital temperature controllers for me. He was reading about them, and decided these will help me some with temperatures. He also bought me some Nutri Drench, because he read that the chicks might need it.

 

[pollo randy]

I'm concerned about two of the chicks. On one foot on each chicken is crooked. Any chance this will straighten out. Also could this have anything to do with the other chickens picking on them?

 

[Dragonfly216]

Wisher, I might could, you do have to get the owner's wife to approve your vacation week, which she probably wouldn't. But my main concern is if I did, then my manager would just be by himself for the last week. I like him, and he's losing his job too, so I don't want to do that :-(

 

[chickisoup]

I'm concerned about two of the chicks. On one foot on each chicken is crooked. Any chance this will straighten out. Also could this have anything to do with the other chickens picking on them?

you need to get some vitamin E and B vitamins into them asap. Do you have any Poly vi sol w/o iron? or nutridrench? or any kind of chicken vitamins? Oh, and baby vitamins w/o iron will work too. Anyone else know what will work in a pinch???

 

[Hangtown Farms]

i like 90-95 the first week. if they huddle under the light then i will increase it but that wont happen after the first few hours.

second week its 85-90 - on day 10 no light during our 85 degree days

third week 80-85 - light on at night only

week 4 no lights

week 5 - out in a coop

I try and turn mine off during the day too even now . the weather can change so much in the spring I need to go from the hotter light at night and put the smaller 75 watt plant light in there during the day when needed,

I lost poer last night it was 32 degrees and was out for 4 1/2 hours.
I have 2 and 4 week old chicks in there. the younger ones must of huddled in with the others,

we are going to warm up this week so I may take the older ones and put them in the grow out run with the plant light. as they are mostly feathered and our nights will be in the 40's after this morning. days in the 60's and 70's