# New chicks



## nannypattyrn

New babies for our chickie family. I got 3 Blue Andalusian and 3 Golden Sex Link. I'm planning on getting 4 more . Maybe 2 buff orpington and 2 more EEs.


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## nannypattyrn

Just another picture.


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## robin416

Oops, how did that happen?


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## nannypattyrn

I just walked into TSC and they jumped into a little carrier and said "take me home"!


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## robin416

Ahhh, instant love.


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## nannypattyrn

I just couldn't walk away....6 more and final add'n to my little flock. If everyone lives, I'll have 24 girls. That's 6 more than before our coyote tragedy in the fall.
2 brown leghorns, 2 buff orpingtons, 2silver laced wyandottes.


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## robin416

And here I am thinking about rehoming mine already. LOL Want some out of the brooder chicks? All girls. Maybe.


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## seminole wind

nannypattyrn said:


> I just walked into TSC and they jumped into a little carrier and said "take me home"!


Chickenmommy strikes again!!!


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## nannypattyrn

Hopefully she won't strike anymore!


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## dawg53

seminolewind said:


> Chickenmommy strikes again!!!


Yeah she started all this.


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## chickenmommy

Omg I love it bahahaha


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## robin416

I have a confession to make, I have looked at Jim's English Orps. Have seriously considered ordering eggs. Then I stop to think for a moment, do I really need to do that? I'm still not so certain and I sure don't want to jump back in with both feet without giving it a lot of thought. There are tons of things to consider. The biggest is not having the setup I had in TN, one that keeps the birds safe and I don't want to build again.


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## chickenmommy

Is a small pre made coop an option? Like the ones they have at tractor supply? They have a really cute barn one but its 300 bucks


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## chickenmommy

Do u think we should put a warning up with my picture for all new comers lol this lady will cause you to have chick fever


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## robin416

Nope, I saw that yesterday. Much too small for raising large fowl in.


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## Nm156

I have to build some coops when the weather permits.


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## nannypattyrn

Someone gave my daughter one of the pre made chicken houses before Jim built our coop. Believe me they are simply made to separate your $$ from your wallet. That's all they're good for. She gave it to me and I looked at it for a few weeks and passed it on to a friend. I doubt she'll use it very long if at all. The only good thing from mine was the rooster weather vane tha the first owner spent much $$ on. Jim took it off and put it on a pole by our driveway.


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## chickenmommy

Our coop is built from the wooden crates that helicopter parts come in. So my husband got them from work for free. I prefer it to the way too tiny pre made coop we bought from tractor supply.


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## chickenqueen

How do people limit their number of chickens?My aunt stays at 6 hens-no more no less.I was good last year,no new chickens.Was going to do no chicks this year until everybody here started talking chicks,chicks,chicks....Posting all those pics of your babies.Now I have an incubator full of eggs and the feed store gets chicks on the 9th(last year I wasn't "allowed" to go in the feed store when they had chicks).All of the babies will be the same age,I didn't plan it that way(really!).Eggs hatch on the 7th. and day olds on the 9th.I couldn't have planned it any better.Thanks everybody and if I get in trouble-I'm blaming it on you!


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## nannypattyrn

I think we're all just a bunch of easy touches! I just love watch their development that goes so fast. If your aunt is of the older generation, she probably rotates her older hens with younger girls and puts the older hens in the freezer.


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## robin416

CQ, since I got out I've been good. Gave the birds away I let Chicklett raise last year and probably, maybe will rehome the chicks I got her this year. 

Those of us that have them for more than the eggs or meat they can provide really do have trouble saying no to one more. I guess we're like those crazy cat ladies they talk about.


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## seminole wind

I commited myself to not increasing my flock, just letting the numbers dwindle down to a better number. Then 2 rehome themselves from next door. Then I find one.


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## robin416

Yes, it does seem to happen that way. I said no more dogs after my girl was gone and what happened? We found three brothers in terrible physical condition in a ditch.


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## nannypattyrn

I just found one of my little BR babies who looks way smaller that her sister and she was off by herself. "Failure to thrive"? Her little feet where cool so I brought her in for a bit to get her warmed up. Not sure how to proceed. Stayiing in the house is not an option as sher would be dog food if I turn my back. The other babies are running around under the heat lamp , so the general population is plenty warm. I couldn't find my thermometer to put in tneir brooder. Any suggestions?


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## Kristi

Aww, they are so cute!


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## nannypattyrn

Thx, Kristi! I love having chicks, but I hate it when one doesn't seem to be thriving like I think it should.


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## robin416

Try offering peep some of their feed mixed with warm water. Sometimes that is all they need. If it isn't quite strong enough to fight for it's share of food and water it can put them behind the 8 ball.


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## nannypattyrn

Ok, I just did that, so we'll see how it goes. I may just go ahead a bring her in while the furry critters are outside for the day and see if that helps.


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## nannypattyrn

Ok, I fixed my little BR a nice warm spot in the house and she's chirping up a storm. I dipped her little beak in water and offered her warm chick mash, but do you get her to take it?


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## robin416

If she refuses it completely you might have to mix it thin enough to put in a dropper or syringe. In the past I've ground the crumbles up, made it thin and put a drop on the side of the beak. It ends up going in to their mouths, venturi affect (?), and if they have not slipped too far become excited about it. Then I discovered Hand Rearing Formula for cage birds by Kaytee. I even have some here now even though I'm not raising them any longer.

If you can bring another in with it. The stress of being alone might be more than it can handle.


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## nannypattyrn

Yes, I made a thin gruel. She swallowed several drops and I also gave her some water. She seemed to tolerate it well, but I wouldn't say excited. I did think about bringing another chick in with her.
I'm not familiar with "venturi affect " Will you explain pls?


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## seminole wind

I had to do some tube feeding on a 2 week old chick. I don't know why but she wasn't eating and discovered it one day she was so weak she couldn't walk. I used Kaytee from Petco. (young bird? hand feeding?) She got better and became a food hog. This is also the one year old silkie who has been bullied away from the food.


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## nannypattyrn

I just moved her sister in and they are both quiet and warm. I'll try and feed the little one every little bit and see how she does by tonight. Hopefully, she'll be stronger. I have to work tomorrow and Jim doesn't have a clue and most likely wouldn't try any way.


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## robin416

Make a small portion of it with water and put in with them. There is a chance if the other is excited about it the weak one will give it a try.


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## nannypattyrn

I got her to drink and she opened her own mouth for each drop. Eating is a different thing. I think I'm going to go by our animal health and see if they had the Kaytee. She acts like its hard to swallow even though the mash very soupy.


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## robin416

I forgot the Venturi effect explanation. It's a way old thing I learned about in RT, your hubs might remember it. If memory serves me right it has to do with 02 through a cannula but from there my brain goes fuzzy.


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## nannypattyrn

Lol, he thought that the venturi effect had something to do with Jessie Ventura. ...


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## robin416

Dang it, I wish could remember what they told me. This is while I was going to school so there have been quite a few years in between. It had something to do with even if the patient was breathing through their mouth the venturi effect would still deliver the O2.


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## nannypattyrn

It has something to do with pressure, I think. O2 or liquid entering from a large opening to small opening.


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## nannypattyrn

I'm not too confident that the little one is going to make it . I put her back in the brooder. I've been feeding and watering her pretty much hourly ,but she's still off by herself and not trying to eat.


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## robin416

Sometimes no matter how much care we give, they have issues that we can't help them with.


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## nannypattyrn

I think I have decided that the little thing may have something wrong with it's digestive tract. Her little crop doesn't seem to be emptying well or maybe I'm giving her too much. I figured about 1/2 ml is probably about right and the same with water. I have been doing it about every hour. But, I will leave her alone tonight after one last feeding. If she lives, I will feed her before I go to work and hope for the best.


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## nannypattyrn

As I thought, she didn't survive the night. I either didn't catch it in time or there was something congenital wrong with it. She would have been a pretty girl though. Thx for everyone's support and ideas.


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## Nm156

Sorry to hear about the chicky.


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## robin416

I was afraid of that outcome. It's really a 50/50 thing when they are so small and whether we can do anything of substance for them. Sorry peep didn't make it.


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## chickenqueen

Nanny,so sorry about your chick.I know how it hurts and you did your best.Now,you can put all you energy in the other chicks.Enjoy!


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## seminole wind

It does hurt. But know you did all you could.


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## nannypattyrn

Sand time!! Here's my little girls at one week old. I put an old pie tin with sand in the brooder for a few minutes and they loved it. I didn't leave it in for long because it looked like they were eating it.


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## farmer_dude48

My wife and I picked up 20 Barred Rock chicks this morning. We bought chick starter for them. Do we need to add anything to their water or feed for them?? 

The chick starter said it was complete and didn't need anything else 

Thanks Dave


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## nannypattyrn

I don't think you need anything else right now. Just plain clean water and waterers daily and of chick feed ,medicated or non medicated is all they need for a few weeks. They will need a big brooder box. Mine was an old washing machine box . We put discarded laminate flooring to water proof the box then newspaper covered with pine chips. Don't use cedar chip because they are toxic to chicks.


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## farmer_dude48

Thank you nanny p... 

The babies all made it thru the night and were up eating and pooping this morning lol..

Why put sand in with them ?? Also i made a brooder box 3x3 with some plywood I had laying around


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## nannypattyrn

The love the sand to scratch around in and dust bathe just like the adult hens, but wait a week or so before you put it in.


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## seminole wind

It's funny how chicks already know how to dustbathe.


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## farmer_dude48

Wife and i spent 2 1/2 hrs this morning cleaning pastey butt . It really wasn't that big a deal but I do hope they out grow it soon...


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## farmer_dude48

Help is there anything I can do to help prevent pastey butt ?? Also some seem to have the really loose bowels. We gave them probiotics in their water this morning.

This is our first time with chicks and we just want to make sure we are doing it right.

Thanks Dave-N-Debbie


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## nannypattyrn

What kind of feed are you using? I surfed around a bit and found this... Monitor the temps in your brooder to make sure that it's not too cold or too hot. Try giving the chicks mashed up scrambled egg with a little plain yogurt. Keep there bottoms clean. I used vaseline after cleaning one of ours and that helps the poo slide on off better.


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## farmer_dude48

We are using chick starter from Rural King. It seemed kinda big in size for them so I have been grinding it up a little bit for them... We have 20 BR chicks and only maybe 6 are having trouble the rest seem fine.. Will try the vaseline when we clean them today. 

Thanks


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## nannypattyrn

Try the hard boiled or scrambled eggs and yogurt, too. You might think about changing their feed to the medicated feed for a little while. I put mine on it since I put them in the brooder on dirt early and they are doing great!


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## seminole wind

Yes Grind it up. My first 2-3 hatches I realized they looked like they were eating but they were not. Since then I always grind.

With pasty butt (or poop sticking ) I snip the dirty area off. Then apply Vaseline or whatever. I even do that with adults. Snip the dirty area off.


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## farmer_dude48

The Vaseline was a great idea... The chicks are about 3 wks old and we have only lost 1. I'm still grinding their food they seem to be able to eat it alot better..

The wife and I introduced them to some worms we found last night and they seem to love them.....


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## farmer_dude48

My babies have been outside for a week. They are 12 wks old and doing fine and they are separated by a fence from the older girls... My question is since they can see each other how long before I can put them all together and make a big happy family ??? I have 5 older girls and 19 babies.. We don't have a Roo he attacked my wife and met with a accident.....

Thanks Dave


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## chickenqueen

I usually let mine co-mingle at3 1/2-4 mos,when they are too big for the hawks and falcons.I keep them separated at night until everybody is getting along then transition to the coop.I like doing it in stages because it is less stress for everybody.I let mine free range,tho,and if yours are penned you could probably start now.Remember the chicks will be at the bottom of the pecking order,make sure they get to eat and drink and don't let anybody get picked on too much.


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## robin416

There must really be a big difference between the breeds I raised and what you all have. I never worried about adding new chicks to my flock except when certain females had chicks of their own and were very territorial when other birds approached.


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