Baby Chick Tips

[DirtDiva]

With many getting baby chicks this time of year I thought I would share a few tips I have learned through the years. ( This applies to all chicks turkey, guinea, chicken etc) We owned a game bird farm for many years and just wisdom picked up along the way.

1. If you can find it try feeding your chicks game bird or turkey starter that first week or two. Higher protein and will get those birds off to a good start. If the crumble/starter is not fine enough (pieces too big) run a little through a blender.
2. Boil a couple eggs. Take half a boiled egg and take a fork and mash it up. Put it in a shallow dish such as butter bowl lid. Take a shiny dime or two and throw in there on top. The dime will attract the birds attention and encourage them to peck at the egg. The extra protein especially from the egg yolk again gets those babies off to a good start.
3. For the first week we put regular glass marbles in the bottom of the water dish. This prevents the birds from drowning in the water. Especially if there are a lot of birds they will stomp one another into the water. After about a week take the marbles out and bleach them to clean and store for next time. (This works great for tiny birds like quail)
4. Never use newspaper in the bottom of your chick cage. It gets slick and will give them spraddle leg (deformed legs from not being able to stand on slick surfaces) Our absolute favorite cage material is a white plastic mesh material that comes in rolls you can buy in the kitchen supply department made to go into the bottom of kitchen cabinets and drawers. It is a rubber mesh that is not slick for the birds and can be taken out daily hosed off, disinfected and put back into the cage. It can also be put on top of pine shavings so that they are not such a mess and go everywhere and into feeders and waterers. It can be cut to size with scissors and last many years.

Good luck with those babies!

 

[Brent S]

Great thread. One thing I learned about chickens is to have some of the antibiotic on hand for when or if they bet a bug. I once lost half of my birds in a day and a half. I never give them medicine unless needed, but whatever bug the girls got was so fast I was lucky to save half of them.

 

[DirtDiva]

Great thread. One thing I learned about chickens is to have some of the antibiotic on hand for when or if they bet a bug. I once lost half of my birds in a day and a half. I never give them medicine unless needed, but whatever bug the girls got was so fast I was lucky to save half of them.

Good advice

 

[Robinjopo1]

I haven't bought babies for two years. I kept them in the laundry room and by the time they were large enough for the apartment in the coop there was dust everywhere. That's why I got roos. I have 3 that have matured. I've given 3 roos away and mom's dog has killed 2. So much easier to raise their own because they are welcomed into the flock immediately unlike store bought chicks.

Didn't have luck hatching this year. Maybe in the Fall. If not, I'll buy some in the Spring.

 

[DirtDiva]

I haven't bought babies for two years. I kept them in the laundry room and by the time they were large enough for the apartment in the coop there was dust everywhere. That's why I got roos. I have 3 that have matured. I've given 3 roos away and mom's dog has killed 2. So much easier to raise their own because they are welcomed into the flock immediately unlike store bought chicks.

Didn't have luck hatching this year. Maybe in the Fall. If not, I'll buy some in the Spring.

Robin I think it is so much easier letting them hatch their own.

 

[Amish Heart]

A little bit of apple cider vinegar in the water their first few weeks. Check for pasty butt. I like to incubate eggs, watch them hatch, see what I end up with.
Chickens are super easy to raise. Am done with meat chickens, though. I'd rather butcher large breeds, meat chickens are pretty gross. Ditto with turkeys.

 

[DirtDiva]

If you can find it try feeding your chicks game bird or turkey starter that first week or two. Higher protein and will get those birds off to a good start. If the crumble/starter is not fine enough (pieces too big) run a little through a blender.

Since it would not let me edit the higher protein DOES NOT apply to ducklings. High protein can cause a condition called "angel wing" in ducklings that causes a deformity of their wings.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Robin I think it is so much easier letting them hatch their own.

I agree, but I had 2 go bloody last year and sat on 12+ eggs but didn't get any chicks . I had one chick, but I think the cat ate it.

 

[Brent S]

A little bit of apple cider vinegar in the water their first few weeks. Check for pasty butt. I like to incubate eggs, watch them hatch, see what I end up with.
Chickens are super easy to raise. Am done with meat chickens, though. I'd rather butcher large breeds, meat chickens are pretty gross. Ditto with turkeys.

I enjoyed the turkeys. More like pets than meat though. Definitely smarter than the chickens.

 

[Amish Heart]

Turkeys are entertaining. I think they're more like meat than pets. Will not get double breasted white meat turkeys anymore, though. Would rather get the larger breed regular, evening for butchering. The others have so many issues sometimes, I feel like I'm butchering a 40 lbs frankenturkey.

 

[Robinjopo1]

My chickens poopood the ACV. I uses very little but they wouldn't drink any.

 

[Amish Heart]

I've used it on babies for the first few weeks. Just a few drops.

 

[DirtDiva]

Turkeys are entertaining. I think they're more like meat than pets. Will not get double breasted white meat turkeys anymore, though. Would rather get the larger breed regular, evening for butchering. The others have so many issues sometimes, I feel like I'm butchering a 40 lbs frankenturkey.

My favorite breed of turkey is the Bourbon Red.

 

[DirtDiva]

I've used it on babies for the first few weeks. Just a few drops.

Didn't see an introduction post Amish Heart so I will welcome you to the forum. A big welcome from the top of the Cumberland Plateau of TN. I used to live about 2 hours from Kansas City, Missouri. Been to Kansas many times. Welcome aboard and hope you enjoy your time spent here.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I've used it on babies for the first few weeks. Just a few drops.

I keep apple cider vinegar in the chickens water year round. My grandma always did, so I’ve just followed her routine.

 

[Amish Heart]

Thanks for the welcome! I did an intro post somewhere around here last week. Am more in central Kansas in an Amish community full of my relatives. Farmland here.
Turkeys....I really like the Bourbons and the slates