Brought my first chicks home yesterday!

[Skellington]

Okay, my coop still isn't done... oops... but the farm store chick schedule changes for no one, and because I wanted specific breeds, I had to take the plunge this weekend. Yesterday I brought home four chicks, and next weekend I'll pick up two more.

...I was supposed to get five, but I met a marvelous older gentleman at the farm store who said that if I wanted five, it'd be safer to get six or seven chicks (I have friends with a farm who'll take extras and roosters). He also gave me his phone number in case of chicken emergencies and highly recommended the Sicilian Buttercups they had in, so, whoops, there's totally unplanned chicken number 6!

I had wood wedges as a by product of coop construction, so I made an MHP with that and a cookie drying rack. As soon as I got 'em home and stuck 'em under there, they went right to sleep -- especially the Barnevelder, which had been living under a heat lamp at the store for a week. They really are quiet under the MPH.

• Barnevelder in back (a week older than others)
• Sicilian Buttercup in front
• Gold Wyandotte
• Black copper Marans

Next week I'll pick up a buff orpington (my mom's favorite breed, so I said I'd get one) and either a Dominique or a Rhode Island Red. I haven't decided which will be perfect for the aesthetics of my little flock, yet.

I have poultry nipples and I want to get a vertical chick waterer going, but so far my attempts have leaked like crazy. I could solve it with silicon caulk, but I hate breaking open a whole tube for that little dab. As the water mess gets worse I'll cave and caulk it.

 

[sourland]

Good luck with your chicks. Hustle on finishing that coop. They grow rapidly.

 

[azygous]

Marvelous innovation there with the scrap pieces! Congratulations on your beautiful choice of chick breeds. Sicillian Buttercups would certainly force me to change any plan I had. As it was, I couldn't resist getting two Blue Andalusians a couple weeks ago. (Feed store manager let me get away with just two since she knew I had chickens.)

They were straight run, and I felt it was worth taking a chance on not knowing the sex. Last week, I picked up four sex-link pullets. Today, I merged the two age groups and they all got along fine after greeting each other with the customary peck on the head. Ages are three weeks old and five days old, respectively for the older two plus the new four.

By the way, are yours straight run or sexed pullets? You need to ramp up the work on the coop. The brooder mess drove me nuts after just having the chicks indoors for a few days waiting for a cold front deep freeze to move out. The MHP brooding method permits even new chicks to survive cold temps down to below freezing at night and around 50F during the day. I brood right in my run in view of the adult chickens. You might consider that as an alternative while you finish the coop.

 

[Skellington]

I'd LOVE to be able to brood outside, but I don't have power to the coop, so I'm stuck with the mess for awhile. I know I need to get moving on the coop -- I'm planning a mini roofing party in the next two weeks, after which I'll be back to things that are easy to do myself. I'd like to take a week off and just FINISH the thing, but I started a new job in December and can't take time off (guess who started planning the whole chicken adventure BEFORE getting the new job? And has been fighting a cold for a week? My timing is fantastic).

I was lucky with the scrap pieces -- I decided to taper the coop and run eaves just for looks, and all the tapered pieces make it easy to adjust the MHP.

These are sexed, not straight run. I know there's still a chance of rooster, but that's why there's already an arrangement with my friends' farm (I'm in city limits, so no roos for me).

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have poultry nipples and I want to get a vertical chick waterer going, but so far my attempts have leaked like crazy. I could solve it with silicon caulk, but I hate breaking open a whole tube for that little dab. As the water mess gets worse I'll cave and caulk it.

If the waterer is dripping that much then either the hole the nipple sits in is too big (needs to be super tight when you push it in, almost too tight), the waterer you chose has walls that are too thin to support the nipple, or the nipple isn't sitting completely vertical, which causes dripping.

 

[Skellington]

@rosemarythyme Thanks! The walls might be too thin to support it -- I was kludging one together with a drink bottle, and drilling into a pretty thin lid. I'll try again with something tougher.

 

[Skellington]

It's been over a month, and the chicks just moved to the coop, so I thought I'd share pics!

From this:

To this!

I'm afraid two out of six are cockerels. The black copper marans' comb is big at 6 weeks, and the GLW's comb got very rosy very early (though I'm still hoping the GLW is a hen). I have a friend with a farm who regularly raises cockerels and will teach me to slaughter, so four hens and two main courses will be fine.

The oldest (Barnevelder) is now 7 weeks, the youngest (EE and Buff Orpington) 5.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Beautiful babies!


Also, howdy 'almost ' neighbor! I'm up North of you, East of Everett!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Beautiful birds! I hope they all turn out to be hens. They seem happy in their new home!

 

[SHEPARD HILL HOMESTEAD]

Okay, my coop still isn't done... oops... but the farm store chick schedule changes for no one, and because I wanted specific breeds, I had to take the plunge this weekend. Yesterday I brought home four chicks, and next weekend I'll pick up two more.

...I was supposed to get five, but I met a marvelous older gentleman at the farm store who said that if I wanted five, it'd be safer to get six or seven chicks (I have friends with a farm who'll take extras and roosters). He also gave me his phone number in case of chicken emergencies and highly recommended the Sicilian Buttercups they had in, so, whoops, there's totally unplanned chicken number 6!

View attachment 1738171
I had wood wedges as a by product of coop construction, so I made an MHP with that and a cookie drying rack. As soon as I got 'em home and stuck 'em under there, they went right to sleep -- especially the Barnevelder, which had been living under a heat lamp at the store for a week. They really are quiet under the MPH.
View attachment 1738176

• Barnevelder in back (a week older than others)
• Sicilian Buttercup in front
• Gold Wyandotte
• Black copper Marans

Next week I'll pick up a buff orpington (my mom's favorite breed, so I said I'd get one) and either a Dominique or a Rhode Island Red. I haven't decided which will be perfect for the aesthetics of my little flock, yet.

I have poultry nipples and I want to get a vertical chick waterer going, but so far my attempts have leaked like crazy. I could solve it with silicon caulk, but I hate breaking open a whole tube for that little dab. As the water mess gets worse I'll cave and caulk it.

Congrats on the new fluff babies. I have to brood in the house as well. Recycled my old grandkids pack and play for the brooder. Has a floor built in so all the mess is contained, easy to clean and allows the chicks to see the dogs and people all the time. Seems to be working out really well so far. Now due to a hand injury, I am weeks behind on the coop plans so looks like the prebuilt 8 by 12 shed will be delivered and some minor changes and adds and wala... A new Coop.