You Don't Know what You Don't Know

[Frizzledhen]

Live and learn! My first order I followed all the advice given by the hatchery. Special starter gell, vitamins and electolytes for the water and a 250 w heat lamp, temp starting at 95 degrees, decreasing 5 degrees per week until hitting 70 degrees. I kept these sweet little babies in the house for 8 weeks. Once I got them out in the coop, I said I would never have another chicken in the house. Yeah right! BUT, my next order only stayed in the house for 3 weeks with a regular light bulb and I never checked the temp. I just watched how they were acting and adjusted the height of the bulb. I still used the vit. and electrolytes though. My third order was picked up at the PO and delivered right to the coop. They had a light and again I used the vit and electrolytes. I have never lost a chick other than the very first order that got lost in the mail and did not reach my post office for 4 1/2 days. Only 5 survived the ordeal. All of the replacement chicks survived. The one draw back is that the chicks that spent less time in the house are not as friendly as the ones I kept in for 8 weeks. You are right Ruth, you don't know what you don't know. What I know now is that those cute little chickies are tougher than they look and will survive with their basic needs taken care of but don't need around the clock constant care.
Gayle
Chi lady in Michigan

 

[ruth]

Hi Gayle - I was laughing while reading your post because it reminded me of me with my real babies - my three children. They were each a year and half apart so by the time my oldest was 3 1/2 I also had a 2 year old and a newborn. Same thing - do everything by the book for the first one (sterilize everything). Wash the pacifier if it lands on the ground for the second one. Let the kid get his own darn pacificer for the third one - who needs pacifiers anyway. Amazing - all three survived and are thriving. As a side bar - now that I think about it - the first one is a germophobic and still sterilizes everything - she is ALWAYS sick - the third one (now 24 and home from war in Iraq) was never sick a day in his entire life, even as a baby.

 

[silkiechicken]

Hehe, gotta build up that immunity when you are young. Like chicken pox, glad I actually got it and just missed when they started vaccinating kids. Now there are kids who are 14 or so, never had it, and the vaccine is wearing off... and now they are getting sick.. Much easier to deal with when you get it as a child.

 

[ozark hen]

Ruth, you are just too awesome! Love your personal pages!

 

[Arklady]

It is actually illegal to freerange in arkansas, so the animal control dude said to me. I didn't know it was an issue but he said he would check to see if the birds were fenced. So I fenced my birds. But personally I cage my birds because I have specific birds and don't want to have them mixing. But I have good sized pens. One of which will house at least 40 birds of one kind. Still I would like to freerange even though but the fine I could get just kind of bugs me and I don't have the cash to spare. So I keep them caged and monitor them and keep them as healthy as possible. If all I had was one breed I would put them altogether.

oh well...

Arklady

 

[GoodEgg]

I guess I have to say this has been on my mind a lot. Here I am trying to do (almost) everything perfectly (and I gave up because I'm construction-impaired and I'm never going to get it all right, LOL) and thinking about how my grandma put a box of chicks on the washing machine for, I don't know, maybe a week tops? And then put them right into the coop (if you could call that half-shed a coop) with chicken-wire run and no top, and she hardly ever lost one. It makes me feel like I must be overly paranoid.

That said, I never did buy a 250watt either. I live in Florida and the chicks arrived in June ... I'd have baked them, LOL. I used a regular light bulb but started turning it off after a couple of weeks. They did stay inside too long at 5 weeks old (with day trips outside) but that was because I couldn't get the coop built.

I am a little paranoid about free-ranging though. I let the ducks free-range, but a hawk tried to dive into the chicks' pen a couple of weeks ago. I just hope they will be ok and wise enough when they are bigger, and I hope I'm willing to let them out for part of the time. If it weren't for hawks I don't think I'd worry much. I *AM* a little too attached to that Japanese bantam though. Although he's my tough little guy.

I wanted to say though, that many of my chicks are actually friendlier in the coop/run than they were while in the brooder. While in the brooder, I had to catch them to take them outside, and again at night to bring them in. I don't think they liked that much. Now in the coop, I get mobbed when I go in, and several are back to jumping up on me. If I bring treats, all bets are off!

trish

 

[jackiedon]

Arkylady,

Is that just where you are located? Heavens me living out in the country outside of city limits the county guys have their hands full of trying to catch druggies to think about my chickens.

jackie

 

[Arklady]

I live 10 miles outside of any city issues. But the animal control dude said it was illegal for all of arkansas... I was like your kidding! and he said no he wasn't and told me to get them all penned up... Go figure...

Arklady

 

[eggchel]

Wow, Ark! I'd sure ask the Animal Control guy to show me the law. Or, I'd research it myself if I wasnt wanting to be confrontational with the Animal cops. But either way, Id want to see the law in writing.


chel

 

[jessied1227]

Ruth - great post.

I too, have put my new batch of chicks outside into the chick coop & run at two weeks. Everyone is happy and healthy and growing like mad!

Jess