25 NEW CHICKS-HELP?

[FamilyOfChickens]

I just got 25 new Americauna chicks, 20 pullets and 5 straight run. I have a question about Terramycin. I know I put 1 tsp in a gallon of water. Do I mix it all together? I'll probably do that. How far should the heat lamp be from the newspaper and bedding? I would really appreciate some advice, especially about the Terramycin!!!!

 

[CarriBrown]

Yes, put the meds in their water and stir it around. It's sort of a yellow-y color.
Don't put the chicks on newspaper because it causes leg problems. Put pine shavings down and then put a layer of paper towels over that. Once the chicks know what their food is, you can remove the paper towels (about a week or so).
You want them to have a good balance of heat. Put it in a place where they can get away from the heat if they want. New chicks like 90 degrees and you can drop it little by little until they get their adult feathers. You can look at the way the chicks are behaving to see if they are getting enough or too much heat. If they are under the lamp and huddled together, they are probably cold. If they are all crowded on the other side, they are probably hot. They should be pretty much evenly distributed throughout their house.

 

[blue90292]

can i ask a dumb question? why are you giving your chicks antibiotics? did you by them sick??

 

[wynedot55]

im betting they are giving the chicks the meds because the book says to med the water for 3 days after your chicks arrive.ive raised 2 or 3 batches of chicks.an ive never put meds in their water.nor have i had any sickness raising them.

 

[chickenranchwife]

I know when I was getting ready for my chicks I was told not to use it by the vet and people on here. I ordered 50 of them and got a few extra ones and didn't use it. I used apple cider vinegar 1/4 tsp per quart, and brown sugar instead of gatorade. I haven't had any problems with mine. Good luck!

 

[Saltiena]

for the heat lamp i bought a dimmer from a hardware store, you can then easily control the heat from the lamp and you dont have to move it good luke with oyur 25 new bundles of joy lol!

 

[CranberryBirds]

Please do not medicate your chicks UNLESS they are sick!

If you would like to give them a good start in life, you can add some sugar to their water, or give them GRO GEL or some other supplement specifically for chicks.

 

[4H kids and mom]

Terramycin is similar to the additive in medicated feeds for chicks, so she isn't medicating them when they dont need it. Terramycin is used to build immunity to Coccidiosis. Telling her not to add the med to the water is the same as telling someone not to feed medicated chick starter. We all need to remember that we will all have our own opinions and do things a little differently than one another, and try to share our opinions in a possitive manner.

 

[speckledhen]

Nevertheless, Terramycin is an antibiotic, albeit, a mild one, and the amprolium that is in most medicated chick starters is not-it is a thiamine-blocker. No withdrawal time needed, even if they start laying while on that, but not so with Terramycin. I have brooded several batches of chicks and never put anything in their water except a tiny bit of organic apple cider vinegar. No sugar, nothing. If you start Terramycin, you will immediately start building immunity to antibiotics from day one. Dissolve a bit of sugar in the water for a day or so after shipping, but no longer. They can develop diarrhea if consuming too much of that.

Everyone can do whatever they want, but they should know what they are giving the chicks and what the potential problems are.

 

[soonerdog]

As far as the lamp goes, ball up your fist and place your hand in the bottom of the brooder at chick level under the light, hold it there for several minutes. What you feel in the way of warmth is what the babies are feeling. If it is too hot on your hand, then it is too hot for the babies, so raise the heat lamp. If you do not feel enough warmth on your hand then move the light closer. Just make sure you leave your hand long enough to make the correct judgement, too hot or not warm enough. A thermometer would help! I just make the judgement with my hand, and make sure the babies have enough room to move away from the light if they need to in order to get away from some of the heat. Chicks that are hoovered together near the light are probably seeking more warmth. Chicks that are trying to stay away from the light are too warm.