Tips and Tricks for those mailed in chicks

[henless]

On the second or third day in the brooder I take some dirt out of the run and feed that to them. Just scatter it on that plywood. Then every 4 or 5 days, give them some more dirt. To me, this accomplished three things. It gives them grit. If all they eat is chick fed, they don’t need grit but I think it helps set up their digestive system the way it is supposed to be. Secondly, they get any probiotics the adult chickens have. Third, they are exposed to whatever the adults have as far as diseases so they can start working on flock immunities. I’m specifically thinking of Coccidiosis which lives in the ground. To keep it simple, if you feed them dirt every 4 or 5 days and keep the brooder dry, they should develop the immunity they need in less than three weeks without ever getting sick from it. But if your brooder is wet or you have a really nasty strain, it still might be a problem.

Ridgerunner, I've never had chickens here at our place. This will be my first batch, so would I still need to feed them dirt or not?

 

[ten chicks]

As previously stated,everyone has their own way,i never add dirt to my brooders as i have no desire to expose chicks to parasites/worms/viruses/etc at this young an age.

As for Coccidiosis,birds are only immune to the strains that they have had prior exposure to,meaning an overload/outbreak can happen at any time. Coccidiosis is a parasitic infection of the intestinal tract and is spread by droppings which get into feed/water via dropping(cocci parasite thrives in brooder settings as they love the humid/warm/possibly crowded set up)but can also be spread by wild birds/our own clothes/shoes/hands/feed utensils/bring in new birds to flock. Know the symptoms of coccidiosis,cocci is the leading cause of death among chicks. Good idea to keep Corid(amprolium) on hand "just in case" and start treatment immediately,never wait even if unsure,treating will not harm birds,but waiting(if they have a cocci overload/outbreak)will result in deaths.

Bottom line is,supply your chicks with heat/food/water/clean brooder,these are the basics and become knowledgeable about coccidiosis.

Have fun with your new babies and i guarantee you will fall head over heels in love with them.

Note: chicks on medicated feed can still have an overload/outbreak of coccidiosis.

 

[NotableNancy]

I still consider myself a newbie because my chickens will be a year old next month but I agree to keep it simple. Chick starter, clean water, heat and safety from other pets that could harm them. I used puppy pads/adult diapers I found at the dollar store for the bottom of the brooder for the first few days then switched to shavings. I liked it because they didn't slip on it and I sprinkled the feed on top for 2 days and they could find it easily and also had the feed in a small feeder. When they arrive, take each one out of the box and dip their beaks in the water. I think this is more important than feed the first few hours. They will start pecking around and find the feed so don't worry.
Don't feel like you need a fancy brooder. I got 15 chicks and for the first 2 weeks just used a very large box on top of a folding table in my family room.It was about the size of a long folding table, about 3' X 2'. At about 2 weeks old I switched them to a huge box found at BJ's/Costco/Grocery store that holds watermelon or pumpkins. Then at 4 weeks old I got another watermelon box and moved them to the garage and connected the 2 boxes together with tape and they stayed there until they were fully feathered at 6 weeks and moved them outside. Best thing is it was FREE!
Have a mini first aid kit ready before they arrive. I had the Corid and Braggs ACV as mentioned as well as Poultry Nutri Drench (I almost lost one chick and gave her this and baby vitamins without iron and I think that's what saved her). This can be used when they're older as well so it's not a waste of money. Here's a link to the Nutri-Drench but you can also find it where you buy your feed/supplies
http://www.strombergschickens.com/product/3519/Poultry-Vitamins-Supplements
If you want friendly chicks make sure to handle them often. Won't guarantee it but will help.
AND enjoy them!!
OH, and take lots of pics and post them so we can see the new babies

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ridgerunner, I've never had chickens here at our place. This will be my first batch, so would I still need to feed them dirt or not?

I did with my first batch and I would suggest it. It’s possible one or more of those strains is already in your soil whether chickens have been in that area before or not. A lot of people take their chicks out on the ground at a very young age for outings. This serves the same purpose.

My philosophy is to not raise them in a sterile cocoon. I want them exposed to whatever they are going to be exposed to early so they can start working on their immunities. I think it helps strengthen their immune system and makes them healthier overall. While they are in the brooder I can control their environment and can watch them closer than after they are out. Eventually they are going to be exposed to anything in your soil when you let them out. I want to prepare them for that and let them live as chickens.

That does not mean I abuse or mistreat my chicks. A wet brooder is a dangerous brooder. An overcrowded brooder is not good. Poop should not build up. Unless you use nipples, change your water out regularly. Daily is best but in no case go more than two days so stuff doesn’t build up in it.

I don’t use medicated feed because I’ve found with my system I don’t need it but I don’t see anything wrong with it as long as the medicine in it is Amprolium. Check the label to confirm that is the medicine and the only medicine. It almost always is but some chick feed sold for meat birds might contain something else. Better safe than sorry.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It will not cure any other problem and it will not kill any probiotics they have in their system. It doesn’t kill anything, it restricts the reproductive cycle of the coccidiosis bug. In the dosage in medicated feed it still allows the bug to reproduce enough for them to get the immunity they need but helps keep the numbers under control. Ten Chicks is exactly right. Even on medicated feed it is possible for them to come down with a deadly case of Coccidiosis. The medicated feed helps but especially if the brooder, coop, or run is wet they are still at risk. Corid is still Amprolium but in a much stronger dosage. Sulmet is another medicine used to treat it but Sulmet is an antibiotic. It’s rough on them and will destroy probiotics but in really bad cases it will act faster than Corid.

A common occurrence on this forum is that people feed medicated feed while the chicks are in the brooder but never expose the chicks to the soil. The medicated feed does not hurt them but it does absolutely no good unless they have been exposed to the Coccidiosis bug. When these chicks are then taken out of the brooder and exposed to the ground, the medicated feed is stopped and they get coccidiosis. Then people complain about how the medicated feed doesn’t work. If you are going to use medicated feed, use it for three weeks after they have been exposed to the Coccidiosis bug.

As I said earlier, we all have different ways of doing these things. This is just my way.

 

[cafarmgirl]

What is the very first sign of Coccidiosis?

To make it easy....the moment you see a chick, who was previously fine, acting lethargic, standing around looking sleepy, not interested in eating or running with the other chicks...the moment you see that you would be well advised to start medicating their water with Corid. As the problem progresses then you will start to see diarrhea, maybe bloody diarrhea but maybe not, and the chick will die very, very quickly. The idea is to put a stop to the nonsense before it gets any farther then a slow, depressed chick who feels crummy. Some people want to "wait and see how it goes in case it's something else." The problem with that is that there is basically NO time to be doing that, if it IS coccidiosis the chick will die while it's owner is waiting around, and maybe even a whole brooder of chicks. Far better safe then sorry, especially since Corid is a very safe, very effective fix.

 

[ten chicks]

To make it easy....the moment you see a chick, who was previously fine, acting lethargic, standing around looking sleepy, not interested in eating or running with the other chicks...the moment you see that you would be well advised to start medicating their water with Corid. As the problem progresses then you will start to see diarrhea, maybe bloody diarrhea but maybe not, and the chick will die very, very quickly. The idea is to put a stop to the nonsense before it gets any farther then a slow, depressed chick who feels crummy. Some people want to "wait and see how it goes in case it's something else." The problem with that is that there is basically NO time to be doing that, if it IS coccidiosis the chick will die while it's owner is waiting around, and maybe even a whole brooder of chicks. Far better safe then sorry, especially since Corid is a very safe, very effective fix.

X2,never wait,the"wait and see approach"usually results in deaths.

 

[aart]

To make it easy....the moment you see a chick, who was previously fine, acting lethargic, standing around looking sleepy, not interested in eating or running with the other chicks...the moment you see that you would be well advised to start medicating their water with Corid. As the problem progresses then you will start to see diarrhea, maybe bloody diarrhea but maybe not, and the chick will die very, very quickly. The idea is to put a stop to the nonsense before it gets any farther then a slow, depressed chick who feels crummy. Some people want to "wait and see how it goes in case it's something else." The problem with that is that there is basically NO time to be doing that, if it IS coccidiosis the chick will die while it's owner is waiting around, and maybe even a whole brooder of chicks. Far better safe then sorry, especially since Corid is a very safe, very effective fix.

Thanks. I had some chicks with foamy yellowish poops alternating with regular poops(chicks went to someone else at 3 weeks), and have seen them in the adult coop on occasion, but there were no other symptoms and all were active, eating, drinking. Then read that cecals could be foamy yellowish, both in chicks and adults.

 

[moonflowerfarms]

Thank you everyone for your tips. I raised 6 a few years ago, and loved it. We decided to get 19 this year because we have so many friends who want to add more chickens to their flocks, but don't want to raise them. I enjoy raising them, and have the space and equiptment. But I realized that they will be here in two weeks, and I need to brush up again! You've all been a great help.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Hi and welcome to BYC Shido Burrito!! You are going to LOVE chickies!

A quick run down of what we do here....

If we hatch our own, we offer Grow Gel immediately, meaning as soon as we have a fluffed up chick I quickly put in the small bottle caps of prepared grow gel! See images below, we add marbles in the grow gel so no one gets stuck or drown in them. They start eating it naturally (grow gel is available as an option with most places your order chicks or just purchase it and its cheap!) http://www.jefferspet.com/grogel-plus-b/camid/LIV/cp/0040636/

When I put any chicks that we hatched or shipped into the brooder they get a larger lid of grow gel for only a day or two PLUS the medicated chick starter sprinkled on the paper towel bottoms along with the chick feeder full, and a combo of probotics/Vits in the waterer with marbles, the marbles not only prevent drowning the colors draw them to the water as well. I get the provits online http://www.jefferspet.com/vets-plus-poultry-provita/camid/liv/cp/0040957/ cheap and it goes a LONG LONG way. I have found that our large Blue Partridge Brahma not only feather faster but also grow faster and for the price to insure health, why not?

ACV in the water is a GREAT idea and keeps the stink away in the heat of a brooder box! (keep the waterer away from the heat lamp)


Here is some info I just added to the Hatching 101 article your chicks may be "stunted" from lack of FEED since they will be shipped as suggested in the quote below, so I do suggest some sort of extras in the water for them! ......


GROW GEL and or Electrolytes FEED Newly hatched chicks!
WHY I always add little soda caps full of grow gel when my first chick is fluffed in the incubator. Is it necessary? NOPE! Does it do anything? wellllllllll........
Quote: PAGE 6 http://www.thepoultrysite.com/focus/contents/ceva/OnlineBulletins/ob_2007/Article-No12-May07.pdf

We use Walmart 120 quart clear plastic totes for the first few weeks.....

What I do is add about an inch of pine shavings in the tote, add some lumber but not too high at first to set the feed and water on so it doesnt spill and get filled with shavings.
Add a layer of papertowels on top of the shavings roll up and toss once a day for the first week and then just use the shavings in the box, so not much clean up for the first week!
I have back up totes that at cleaning time I simply put my shavings in a new one, and clean the feeder and waterer and put in the new one and put the chicks in the new tote, bleach tote.
Its fast and easy and chicks arent flying out of boxes or all over the place!

Its important to have ventilation BUT NO DRAFTS, Your light should be at the corner of the brooder and we keep ours about 95-99 in that corner they can come or go as needed to it...
Never put the heat in the middle, if it would get too hot they have no where to go to get out of the heat all we did was bend wire to hold our lamps and the lids to cover the rest to keep the warmth in.

 

[Shido Burrito]

Perfect, Sally Sunshine! The exact kind of starter info I was hoping to read! Thank you!