When to introduce

[mycoopedfam]

A couple of days ago I had an appointment down in south county near a store that sells chicks so I decided to go check out the store. I had my kids with me and obviously we went gaga over the chickies. I was completely NOT planning on buying yet. I have a contract on a house and wanted to be in the house and build the coop BEFORE I bought any AND I wanted to read more as well.
While there we got to asking qu3stions etc and I was told this was the last shipment of the year.

I didnt want to risk not being able to get any, so I purchased. So NOW.. I have 6 chicks in my office at work... and a rush on making sure I am ready to build my coop fast. Luckily I already know how etc.

So my main question is when can/should i introduce "treats" along with their staple food?

Thanks

 

[mycoopedfam]

Dont worry, I have a larger tub ready for them

 

[azygous]

You can start introducing treats anytime really, as long as you keep them to a bare minimum. Also, you will need to introduce some chick grit into their diet. Their chick crumbles are very important for proper growth and you don't want to overdo the treats and spoil them.

Glad to hear you understand that chicks need more space than that small tub. They double in size each week, you know. They will need a minimum of one square foot per chick for the first four weeks, and after that, a coop and run very soon.

In a pinch, if you haven't got the coop finished yet, you can increase brooder space in a very fun and effective manner by taping several appliance boxes together, cutting pass-throughs into the common walls, and the chicks will have a spacious multi-room condo in which to run and play until you get their permanent quarters finished. I stretch cheese cloth over the top so the chicks won't escape, which they likely will after age two weeks in any uncovered brooder. Cheese cloth keeps the chicks in while letting excess heat and humidity escape, and it's soft and safe to handle unlike chicken wire.

You aren't alone in getting chicks before you're really set up for them. Blooie, who has the famous "Mama Heating Pad for the Brooder" thread had hers inside her home long before she even gave much thought to building a coop. I highly recommend taking a look at the thread because I've used the heating pad system and will never ever go back to using dangerous heat lamps. You might want to give it some consideration for your chicks.

 

[mycoopedfam]

Thanks for the great info. They are already in the bigger tub and I have chicken netting over the top. I have noticed a few of them are starting to jump already. My kids and I have them out and running around my office quite a lot thru the day too so they are not completely confined.. and Im going nuts trying to make sure theres no missed poop spots on the rugs lol

I will check out the other thread

 

[Rosemtnar]

I have my chickies in an appliance box. Looks like I will need to score another box (there are 9 chickies

in this little 'big' box). Love the chickie condo idea, and the cheese cloth is a great idea, TNX!