I got chicks!!!

We stopped at two feed stores for chicks yesterday, and brought home four chicks. I'm starting small.

They're all different kinds, like my rabbits. :lol:

Bunny-Wan Kenobi held them for me:

Americauna pullet, ~2 weeks old:


Black Jersey Giant pullet, ~2 weeks old, maybe 3:


Rhode Island Red chick, I guess less than a week old:


Buff Orpington chick, I guess less than a week old:



Hoping the chicks are girls... I forgot to ask.

The chicks are together, and the pullets are together, as I was told the pullets would peck the chicks.

They make marvelous happy peeping sounds. Unless you pick up one of the pullets. Then they make very loud "Help, I'm a helpless chicken about to be eaten by a giant" peeping sounds. :lol: They're calming down, though.

The kids just adore them. Bunny-Wan Kenobi is easily startled by an adult chicken, so I'm hoping raising them will help him.

I'll definitely need more than 4 to satisfy the egg requirements of this family! I figured I'd start small, though.

It takes about 5-6 weeks for them to feather out, right? And then I can start acclimating them to outside?

how cute! look forward to seeing them grow and their new home!

Congratulations! Chicks are just so cute. Just so fuzzy! Wishing you all the best with your new chicks! Hope you post pics as they grow!

Karen

Thank you! :bouncy: The kids just love them! We're all enjoying them. Boy, they sure poop a lot! :razz:

I put a gallon jug of hot water in there last night for the little ones to snuggle with. This morning, the Rhode Island Red was perched on the edge of the tub. Sneaky little bugger. :twisted:

lol my grandpa raises and shows them..hes got some giant olde english ones and the rooster is 3ft tall but that dude will follow him around everywhere!!!

Miss M":2ytms5cu said:

Thank you! :bouncy: The kids just love them! We're all enjoying them. Boy, they sure poop a lot! :razz:

I put a gallon jug of hot water in there last night for the little ones to snuggle with. This morning, the Rhode Island Red was perched on the edge of the tub. Sneaky little bugger. :twisted:

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Chicks poop more than rabbits? lol. Then that's a LOT of poop. But good fertilizer.

Karen

So glad you're happy with your chicks. Yes, wait until they are completely feathered out to start them outside.

One small piece of advice for the Buff, as it's the youngest. Due to the stress of the move, check it for a few days for pasty butt. I would describe it, but the name says it all. If you see it, just dampen a cloth and gently clean it. I would say after a week or so, you're in the clear. It probably won't happen, but better to check and be sure.

Hope you have a compost pile for that manure. I would hate to see it go to waste (so to speak). I clean out my coop every few months, and the following spring it goes into my garden beds.

Have you got roosting poles and nesting boxes set up? Not that you need them yet, but there are some cheap/free ways to go with those if you need some advice.

By the way, you are probably looking at late April to May for your first eggs.

Very nice looking chicks, Miss M! Glad all of you are enjoying them.

Most of the time, chicks do just fine but there are a couple of things to watch for. If they start to peep frantically instead of happily, it is usually a sign they are too hot or too cold. Glad to hear you are using a hot water jug at night for heat. They will grow better and be better-natured for having their hours of darkness. Think how dark it is under a broody hen. Checking for pasty butt is a good idea too, as Marinea said.

Beautiful babies! Congrats… Chickens are just as addictive as rabbits..maybe even more so! :lol: