THEY'RE HERE!!

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Raindawg]

Hello everyone! After having joined BYC this past December in anticipation of getting new chicks and consuming a great deal of information from this site, I finally got my chicks on Saturday!

I got two Buff Orpingtons that were 8 days old (sorry Emmarainboe) and one each of Black Australorp, Speckled Sussex and Gold Laced Wyandotte. They are all doing well and I am so excited to have them as a part of my family! I am attempting to attach photos but I am a bit of a techno neophyte.

I'm sorry the first pic is a little blurry but I'm sure you all understand that the little ones don't willingly pose for photos! The second one is of my dog Frita (see my avatar) who is also happy to see the new additions!

Thanks to all who have provided me with information over the last 4 months.View attachment 2591340View attachment 2591349

a little late, but welcome to the BYC forum just the same.

Thanks for the pics. Everyone loves pics of the little ones. Hope to hear more from you in the future.

FWIW, it appears that you are using a heat lamp for your chicks. I do that too. I

a little late, but welcome to the BYC forum just the same.

Thanks for the pics. Everyone loves pics of the little ones. Hope to hear more from you in the future.

FWIW, it appears that you are using a heat lamp for your chicks. I do that too. I always secure my heat lamps with 2 methods, in case one should fail. Heat lamps can cause fires if they fall on those pine shavings and paper towels.

I also see you have one thermometer off to the side in the brooder. Do you also have a thermometer under the light? I noticed that none of your chicks in the picture are under the lamp, so maybe it's too hot?

Good to hear that your dog is happy to see the new additions. But don't assume your family dog is safe to be around the chicks when unattended, or bad things might happen. From experience, trust needs to be earned between dogs and baby chicks.

always secure my heat lamps with 2 methods, in case one should fail. Heat lamps can cause fires if they fall on those pine shavings and paper towels.

I also see you have one thermometer off to the side in the brooder. Do you also have a thermometer under the light? I noticed that none of your chicks in the picture are under the lamp, so maybe it's too hot?

Good to hear that your dog is happy to see the new additions. But don't assume your family dog is safe to be around the chicks when unattended, or bad things might happen. From experience, trust needs to be earned between dogs and baby chicks.

Thank you for the insights that you provided. The heat lamp is very secure and is used for supplemental heat. What the picture doesn't show is that there is a Brinsea Ecoglow 600 brooder plate in there as well. The chicks are quite active and do not seem to show any stress from being to cold.

We are under no illusion that our little dog is not now or never will be a threat to our chicks. I have built an enclosed and secure run to ensure this. (She just wanted to see what all the excitement was about!)

Thanks again for the welcome and I am looking for to sharing this newest adventure with you and other friends on BYC!

 

[gtaus]

The heat lamp is very secure and is used for supplemental heat. What the picture doesn't show is that there is a Brinsea Ecoglow 600 brooder plate in there as well.

Sounds good. I have only used heat lamps, for like the past 40 years. I just like looking inside my brooder and being able to see what is going on in and out of the light. Those brooder plates block the view and that I personally don't like. Also, I don't feel any need to change anything as long as I have been successful with my heat lamps. I still use the reflectors I bought 40 years ago.

FYI, Tractor Supply switched over to using brooder plates and one customer was having none of it. Here is the Tractor Supply’s AWFUL New Brooders he posted a few days ago.

I don't have a local Tractor Supply, so I thought that video was interesting. My local Fleet store still uses the old metal bins and heat lamps. It's good that you have an additional heat source in case the brooder plate fails. I always have 2 or more heat lamps for the same reason. In northern Minnesota, a loss of heat in the brooder this time of year for a few hours would probably kill the chicks. It still dips down to the low 20F's at night.

Anyway, thanks again for the pics and hope to hear more about your adventure as the chicks grow, and you approach that first egg date!

 

[CHlCKEN]

Welcome to BYC! I’m so excited to see you joined! This wonderful community of poultry keepers and experts will be very happy to answer whatever questions you may have