What have I got mysef into? **PIC HEAVY**

[Gonzo the Great]

So...short story long...bit the bullet and now feel I'm in over my head! Went to get some 3 week old chicks, 2 RIR, 2 BO, 2 BR. But the nice lady wanted to toss me more. So she also threw in a brown older silkie and friz/silkie mix and two more BRs. ACK! I just set up a cardboard box and they were making a horrible mess. So, quickly I got my late GSD's crate and made hardware cloth elevated floor. The silkie was just hammering everyone, I saw her grab the silkie from that was hanging around a bunch of ducklings. So, in a separated the crate into a duplex and stuck silkie troublemaker in there. Now all of the chicks are ok, but it seems that the frizlkie is sad BOO HOO, deal with it, she can see her thru the fence. So, right now, have two heat lamps, red and white, going in my outdoor wood shed, external temp is around 40F. An untested thermostat is showing around 52F in the crate, they are all hovering around the white lamp, the red seems to be putting out more, a few sit nearby the red. Do you think it's too cold? I am not sure if I can keep the temp up. First time I've done this. What have I got myself into?!?

BTW, DW says they are cute and has yet to complain about me spending my entire day running around looking for supplies and not taking down the Xmas ornaments on the roof!

BTW, I have them on the MG medicated starter and the nice lady who gave them to me said she has not wormed them. I have them on a half capful of that wormer liquid and half gallon of water in the waterer.

Anything else I should be doing? What have I got myself into?!

To paraphrase Alan Shepherd's prayer: "Please, dear God, don't let me flock up!"

 

[arlee453]

the three week old aren't fully feathered yet and really need to be at around 75-80 degrees.

I'd expect them to be under the red lamp if the temp is that low. Can you lower the heat lamp so they get more warmth from it?

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Red heat lamp and white heat lamp are RIGHT at the crate grating. So...I'm thinking what next?

 

[Scrambled Egg]

To paraphrase Alan Shepherd's prayer: "Please, dear God, don't let me flock up!"

Those Barred Rocks were a good choice, the silkies on the other hand....I don't know....lol!! Just kidding! I do have BR's and they are so sweet and spoiled and friendly and chatty, my favorites over the RIR's ..and well, any other chicken for that matter, you will love them, you'll do just great! I fed mine the purina medicated startngrow too and they are fat and healthy. I also use the red heat emitting light bulbs so depending on where you are and how your babies are sheltered, hoepfully that will be enough heat. Congrats on all the babies!​

 

[silkiechicken]

Check the temp under the light to make sure it is warm enough for the babies.

Also, it is unlikely they need to be wormed at such a young age and I personally wouldn't do... actually, I've never wormed my chickens in the 10 years I've had them.

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Thanks Scrambled Egg. Yeah, that silkie really does have evil intent. I know she/he don't like me. And that's fine. He/she was a freebie and can be taken care of Soprano's style whenever I feel like it.

I filled up their feeder and they plowed thru it and then hit the sack all tucked together. I will check it in a minute before I nod off myself. What a day. I drove over 80 miles roundtrip for these babies. They are straight run, so I hope I don't have bad luck in getting over half dudes. A coworker said cockrels aren't good eats. But I like soup,

Also, since these babies background is nearly unknown, I've seen some good poos and some runny. I think one of the buff orps is lying on its side once in a while with a wing up in the air like she's doing a slide into home base. Any suggestions?

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Quote:
Thanks silkiechicken, I'll probably take them off soon.

 

[silkiechicken]

Roos and hens make good eatin, if your co worker is asian, it's one of those culture things that hens are better... However, they will have much less meat and... well we can talk about that once you figure out how many roos you have and if you want to eat them.

For now, as long as not all the poos are runny, they will be ok. Chickens do have a few runny pasty poo's called cecal poo every once in a while and they may be a bit stressed from the move so some is normal.

As for the laying with wing in the air. Also normal, she was "basking" in the light. Don't get too scared if they all lay down on their sides, stretch out, and look dead, they are just enjoying the heat, unless of course they are really dead, but at this age, doubt you'll get spontaneous losses of chicks.

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Thanks again, silkiechicken. There SHOULD be a book about the weird antics these birds act out. I mean, I'm scouring all over this site and others for the silkie attacking others, but can't find anything definitive. Well, I only have one child, so I can't tell you how to raise every child that is born, so I guess I can dismiss that suggested tome of wisdom, huh?

I just checked on them, they look ok, all over the dog crate, I even put in a perch and the frizzilkie is on there basking away. Silkie Balboa looks a little p.o.'ed, but all of the other babies are just either taking turns eating or drinking and resting with eyes closed.

So how long do they sleep? Short naps all day? Lights making them too agitated?

 

[Gonzo the Great]

The aforementioned brood:

He coulda been a contender. He coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what he is...

The younguns, this around four weeks to five weeks old if I calculated it properly...do they actually look four weeks old? Good lawd! These things are growing like weeds...

A BO already perched showing off his fuzzy butt while a BR poses for the camera

.

Same BO, now inside the fighting zone, you can see the white silkie-frizzle mix and the silkie in the back.

So tonight, I find the feeder, which I filled last night, completely emptied. This is a feeder that holds about two cups. Its hovering around 42F tonight, chilly but probably tropical to you guys up north (sorry I had to post that!) These guys seem to be growing the hard feathers overnight. They don't seem as fuzzy when I pick them up now, more rigid feathers. I don't know their sex, so if anyone has any tips, I can start getting the stock pot ready.