What have you done for your chicks lately? PICS****

[dwegg]

The babies got a sand box today. I decided to put some sand in with the chicks today for a number of reasons...scratching around, bustbath, eating...and they went nuts over it...I quickly realized that I had to put in a larger one as they all wanted in on the action...they were frantic trying to scratch in it, bath in it and eat it mostly...I heard that it will help with digestion and pasty butt....they are so funny.

I also went and bought a tiny wooden 'bird' ladder that I am making into a 'perching station'..lol...crazy!
Here is my first attempt...oh and it is play sand...safe enough for kids to eat ect...

here is what they have now...

here is my brooder for the time being...

 

[jen5680]

Cute,cute,cute!!!!!

 

[chkinut]

what a great idea! i'm gonna do that for my chicks when the time comes! (they arn't here yet)

 

[PepsNick]

I'm going to put half of a litter box with playsand for my chicks' dust bathing and grit for treat digestion. Plastic containers- very cute. Never thought of that one.

 

[magicpigeon]

LOL I chuck a handful of dirt once in a while. Sometimes some tasty bugs find their way in too

 

[sheilawagner]

Dwegg,

what a great idea, I think I'm going to do the same thing. My chicks will love it I'm sure. I placed a few good sized perching branches in there to teach them how to perch. By week 1, I have my Cochins perching learning how to sleep on it. But it is only half an inch above the floor, so its ok. They just hop up and learn to balance on it.

Will take a pic tomorrow.

Sheila

 

[dwegg]

Yes pics please...I am trying to workout how to put some perches in with mine but I think it is too tight in there for them...still looking...but would
D love to see others.

 

[sheilawagner]

Dwegg,

THis is a photo of an older batch of chicks which show how they are perching on branches to sleep. They were a batch of Cochin bantams and Polish chicks, pretty young still. But I train them early.

Because my brooder is actually a dog crate, opened up, laying side to side, there are metal grates which were pre-installed on the dog crate. They are useful for me to insert wood branches into, to use as perches.

My perches now for the babies are laying down on the wood shavings. Very low to the ground for them to get used to having other things in the brooder, from the outside world.

In this pic, you will see a bit of the branches inserted into the "dog crate windows" at the left where a branch is sticking through. Also, I add a mirror in the brooder for them to admire themselves. You'll see chicks going there and checking themselves out. Very cute.

PS, I saw in another thread you mentioned you were from Oz, I studied in Monash in Clayton, Vic 10 years ago for my university. Howya Mate!

 

[dwegg]

Hey Sheila,

Yes I am from Sydney and I too have that same dog crate that these little fluffies will be moving too when they are a little bigger. I really liked how you put both top and bottom of the crate side by side and they have a double apartment. That is genius! Thanks for the idea.

 

[sheilawagner]

Howdy Mate Dwegg,

I took some pics today of the dog crate brooder, and wanted to show you how my black cochin is now learning to perch on a branch.

Wanted to also show you that for the gap between the two halves of the dog crate brooder, I would suggest taping both sides with masking tape, which will help you a lot in the cleanup. If you don't put the masking tape there between the two halves, you will have lots of shavings down in the gap, which will make cleanup a headache.

This also gives me the chance to show off my two fav in this hatch. The big boy at the back is Neo, he is a Large Fowl Cochin, gold laced frizzle. He is 4 times the size of Zeus, my tiny Mille Fleur Cochin bantam boy, but they get along great. Zeus learns how to peck for goodies from Neo, and Neo is a good big brooder companion, although they are only 1 week apart in age. I can't imagine how he has grown so big so fast.