A New Love Affair

Has begun!

I picked up my first chicks this afternoon. Sigh (of relief).

I keep running into their room to check on them. They were loud at first (I figured they will need to get used to here vs. the store). Then I hurried to get their heat lamp set up. The thermometer in their room reads 89 degrees. I hear it should be more like 95. They were huddled together and I was going to move them under the lamp. Then it came to me . . . place the lamp over them. They got real quiet.

Here are some pics of our brooder (before I placed heater over the chicks). Get this, I can NOT figure out how to get the water into the receptacle. I simply poured some into the drinky part. But I figured water should be in the white part not just the red. I have the electrolytes in it but most of it is in the kitchen in a container.

Constructive criticism welcomed; i.e., heellpppppp!!!!!

Turn white part upside down so the open end is up. Fill with water. Put the base (the bit they drink from) on. The whole thing will be upside down.
Once base is on carefully turn the whole thing right side up.
Water will flow into the base but should not overflow if it is on the level.
If you are me some will spill on your shoes and you can utter appropriate curses at that point.

Are they eating and drinking ok? I always dip their little beaks in the water to make sure they know where it is first thing. I pick each one up, tip and dip. I don't know if thats what other people do but someone taught me that and I've done it ever since.

BrooksHatlen said:

I do that with a few. Others will follow and learn once a couple get

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RoyalChick said:

I do that with one and the rest seem to copy.
Same with my nipple waterer in the coop. Each generation seems to learn from the others - I only ever showed one of them when I got it a couple of years ago.
Clever chickens!

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Maybe I just get dumb chickens but there's always that one stupid/sickly/weak chick that doesn't get it. So now I'm like Oprah-you get a dip! You get a dip! Everybody gets a dip!

RoyalChick said:

Turn white part upside down so the open end is up. Fill with water. Put the base (the bit they drink from) on. The whole thing will be upside down.
Once base is on carefully turn the whole thing right side up.
Water will flow into the base but should not overflow if it is on the level.
If you are me some will spill on your shoes and you can utter appropriate curses at that point.

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Hubby just in he instructed just as you have written. Chicks now have electrolyted water in their brooder. Yay!!!! Thank you.

How long do I add electrolytes to their water? The instructions say add packet to one gallon of water. I poured most of that into the waterer and left some in a gallon jug for when they drink up what's in there.

Hip Hillbilly Farm said:

They are playing. Then when I walk in they scoot under the heater (some of them). Guess this giant lady looming over them is not ideal to see.

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I don’t know if you want them to run to you or it doesn’t matter, but it is nice to have chicks/chickens run to you when you have food in case you need to round everyone up at any point! I like to put wet mash in as a treat (just a bit of their food moistened with water). I start the first day or two with it in a small container placed in the brooder (think condiment cup to Dixie cup size), by day 3 I hold the container so they get used to my hand coming in, and after a day or so of that 1-2 times a day, I hold the mash in my hand and let them climb on my hand while they eat. I also say “chickie chickie” whenever I give them a treat. My big girls come a runnin when they hear “chickie chickie”, so I can get them to go in the coop, into the run, or come back toward me if they are somewhere I don’t want them to be just by saying the magic “treat phrase”. Lol

Hip Hillbilly Farm said:

They are playing. Then when I walk in they scoot under the heater (some of them). Guess this giant lady looming over them is not ideal to see.

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Does the brooder have open sides or have closed sides? Mine were a lot more skittish when I had them in a plastic container brooder. They're more relaxed now they're in a wire dog crate+wire exercise pen brooder. I spent time hanging out with mine, talking to them, showing them the water & food, tapping my finger on the ground like a momma hen pecking near the food. That plus moving them to the wire crate brooder helped them settle down. They're babies & are learning about the world. I was so worried mine would be scared of me but now they run over to the brooder door when I come with food or water.

Start building TODAY. Those cute fluffy babies will be winged , flying teenagers tomorrow and escaping the brooder will be their favorite game.

Hip Hillbilly Farm said:

I added some grass just a lil bit that was cut the other day. But I'm chicken, is that okay or a no-no?

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Yes. A pinch of chick grit on their food would be recommended. I will add a clump of grass with dirt attached at about one week.

Hip Hillbilly Farm said:

Awww thank you. Lord knows I read, read some more, then read again not to mention videos!!!!

I added some grass just a lil bit that was cut the other day. But I'm chicken, is that okay or a no-no?

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If you give them grass you should also give them grit.
They don’t need grit while they just have chicken startwr food.
You can introduce other food but make sure they have grit. Just put some in a bowl. Mine usually bathe in it but eat what they need.
A little square of turf may be better than grass cuttings. They can learn to scratch up the turf (it is cute to watch).