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dan_grow

new chickens and many many questions?

dan_grow
14 years ago

i'm getting some new chickens this weekend and to be frank i don't know anything when it comes too chickens and would like to know what anyone has to say on the subject.

i already have housing prepared for the chickens, feed, water, nesting, roosting (but i might have to make a bigger roost), and bedding but i'm afraid that theres something that i'm not factoring in.

Comments (9)

  • rockguy
    14 years ago

    Are they day-old baby chicks? If you so will sit the first 24 hours and stare at their antics, lol. Then make sure each one is eating and drinking. Keep them warm til they get feathered out.

  • marlingardener
    14 years ago

    Dan,
    If you can answer a few questions, I may be able to help you.
    Are they chicks, "teen-agers" or full-grown chickens?
    What feed do you have?
    Are you raising the chickens for food or for eggs?
    Is the housing secure from predators or just a cardboard box?
    What bedding are you using?
    All these things vary according to the age of the chickens you are receiving.
    Raising chickens is a lot of fun, and believe me, the eggs are nothing like the ones you get at the grocery!

  • velvet_sparrow
    14 years ago

    You don't say if you are getting adults, chicks or somewhere in between, it would help us if you would let us know. Chickens are great, but you do need to educate yourself about them a bit, especially to avoid the mistakes others have made.

    I've got a chicken info site here that might be a good place to start:

    http://jackshenhouse.com/

    Enjoy your chickens!

    Velvet !:>

  • woodrose711
    14 years ago

    Yes, we need specific questions, how old are your chix, how many, where are you keeping them, etc. That would be a good place to start. Above all else, enjoy them!

  • dan_grow
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    the birds are 1 week old there all eating and drinking they are in a (poorly constructed) brooder there is a heat source but i'm afraid it is just a bit to cold (85-91 Fahrenheit the heat changes to rapidly ) and i will be getting a new bulb i will be using the birds for eggs when they are older and there breeds are (if this even mater) Dominican, Ameraucana, and sex links


    thanks all for the help!!!

  • marlingardener
    14 years ago

    Dan,
    If they are eating well, you must have them on starter mix--good for you! The feed bag has information on the back that will tell you when to switch to layer mix (at about 17 weeks, as I remember). The bedding shouldn't be slick, like newspaper. I used shredded paper and it worked well, plus its compostable. Pine shavings are good, too.
    You will need to change the bedding almost daily, and the water perhaps twice a day. Chicks are notoriously messy (and they don't get much better with age, either!).
    If you are worried about the temperature in the brooder, you can put a light blanket or sheet over part of it. That way the chicks can move to a warmer or slightly cooler spot as they want.
    Your chicks won't be nesting or roosting for a while, so you can relax on that score.
    Follow any advice Velvet gives--she really knows poultry!
    Wait until you get your first "real" egg--the taste is incomparable!

  • dan_grow
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    does anyone know if Ameraucana go broody? cause when these chicks grow up id like for them to also have chicks of there own eventually.

  • marlingardener
    14 years ago

    From what I gather from a quick search on several websites, the Ameraucanas are a fun breed, good laying hens, but don't go broody too well. If you want natural-born mothers that will set on anything from a golf ball to another hen's eggs, get Australorps. I found one of my ladies sitting on a stone and she was very protective of it!

  • dan_grow
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    thanks marlin ill get one to stay with my other chickens when there all grown. :)

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