Week-old 1st chicks...???s about DE, ACV, & Polyvisol...etc

[NashChic]

I just hatched 6 beautiful and healthy BBS Ameruacanas last week. They are my first chicks and they are a week old (my others were a few weeks old when I got them). I try to do things as organic and holistic as possible, so they aren't on medicated chick starter, just regular. Everything seems to be going good so far, but I'm trying to figure out how and when to start them on the things I use for the older pullets.

My questions are...

1) My pullets take 2 tablespoons per gallon of organic apple cider vinegar. How soon can I start the chicks on ACV in their water? And at what ratio?

2) How much iron-free poly vi sol should I give them (if any) and what's the ratio/frequency for that? I assume I wouldn't do ACV and baby vitamins in the same water at the same time... (Also, if anyone could tell me how to give the polyvisol to the pullets, that would be great too

)

3) Do I need to start the DE after they get out of the brooder (which is in the basement) and into the 'real' world? Is there an age that would be too young for them to live with the DE?

4) Can I start them on Cayenne pepper in the chick starter as a wormer or do they need to be older for that? Anybody got a ratio for that? For adults it's 3 tablespoons per gallon, right?

5) Can they have yogurt yet? Like plain, no artificial sweetener type yogurt?

Wow! That's way more questions than I thought I had

If anyone has any opinions or experience pertaining to even one of these questions, I would be grateful for the input or advice

 

[suebee]

In my opinion, I wouldn't be giving them anything right now except starter and fresh water. Lightly sprinkling DE would be OK.
I'd wait until they were 2 or 3 weeks to give them a little yogurt.
If they appear healthy you don't need to give them extra vitamins. (just my opinion)
Definitely would not give them vinegar yet. Wouldn't worm them until after 6 weeks.

 

[NashChic]

Great info! Thank you so much!!

 

[cmom]

Do you have any pics of the chicks?

 

[NashChic]

Quote:
I just took more tonight, but I haven't loaded them on the comp yet. These are from a few days ago

My cousins were around for the hatch. When I told them we were rooting for all girls, they decided this "flock" would be the Spice Girls, so I guess they named them accordingly. Everyone is "something" Spice...

The chick on the left is Old Spice (my sis said she looked like a little old man when she was still wet in the bator - all you could see was the little beard and tufts). In the middle is Sassy Spice, my firstborn. She was running around knocking the other eggs. The fuzzybutt on the right is Fatness Spice - from a really big egg! She's one of my special babies. I can't resist her fat little self

She's huge and has down like a polar bear.

This almost got everybody in one pic... Old Spice is barely in the shot on the left, Sassy Spice is the left dark chic, Fuzzy Spice is the dark chic in the middle, and Shathede Spice (don't ask) is on the right. The light chicks are Fatness Spice and Blondie Spice.

This is Sassy and Fatness with Blondie and Fuzz showing a bit.

I love my little babies

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree, except I wouldn't give them anything for worms. That should wait until they are older, IMO, if at all.