Baby Chick care timeline

[Ragfrey]

Sorry, I know this is prob a common question but I did a search and couldn’t find what I was looking for.

Say I get 5 day old pullets, is there a time line chart on what to do and look for as they grow?
Day-Weeks-Months-Years

Sample Questions:
-giving vaccines?
-Worming? What meds to use?
-do chickens grow out of bumble foot?
-anything else of importance to the novice chicken owner?

For instance, I raised two Dobermans:
-Parvo/distemper vaccines every 3m
-Rabies vac
-Dobermans start teething at 4months and are absolutely hell—yuns until about 8months
-

Just looking for some kind of timeline on what to expect and how to raise.

Thanks so much.

 

[Red Mangrove]

So far my 23 chicks I started with originally have multiplied to 70 while living semi-feral in the forest next to my house. Zero vaccines, zero deworming, zero coop protection. If you raise healthy chickens they should easily be able to survive and prosper without human assistance, despite predation

 

[Saveria]

So, they don't have a schedule quite like a mammal, typically. Most folks have different ways of doing things, so it varies, but you can hear from other people and create your own management practices. If you get an avian vet they may have recommendations, but otherwise you will have to come up with it yourself. Here are my answers to what you listed.

-giving vaccines?
So, the only vaccines I have ever heard of for chickens need to be given when they are just days old. There are only a couple. I choose to get the mareks vaccine when I get chicks, but you would probably want to research and decide for yourself which ones you would want or not.

-Worming? What meds to use?
Some people worm on a regular basis. I look for signs and then treat so that nothing can build up resistance, but worming schedules have worked for people. There are certain meds that work for certain types of worms, but safe-guard is a commonly used one, since it treats most common worms.

-do chickens grow out of bumble foot?
No, if you ever have a chicken with bumble foot they will need to be treated for it to heal from it. Checking everyone's feet periodically and catching it early will make it easier to treat.

-anything else of importance to the novice chicken owner?
Sadly, there is just so much that I couldn't put it all here. The most concise way I could put it is that if you have good management practices (basically your setup) they will have less problems, but you will always have problems still.

What I did when I was fairly new that helped me was reading random articles on here, whatever jumped out at me. I read the article on crop issues because it jumped out at me, and 6 months later I needed to put it into practice.

Let me know if you have any other questions you can think of.

 

[Saveria]

So far my 23 chicks I started with originally have multiplied to 70 while living semi-feral in the forest next to my house. Zero vaccines, zero deworming, zero coop protection. If you raise healthy chickens they should easily be able to survive and prosper without human assistance, despite predation

It all depends on what longevity you are hoping for from your flock. If you want birds that live long lives you will want a comprehensive setup. Obviously, it depends on your location and some other factors, but all chickens will need some intervention to stay disease and parasite free, and to also not be picked off by the next owl or weasel that comes along.

 

[Ragfrey]

but all chickens will need some intervention to stay disease and parasite free,

Can you give examples of this please?
I am reading about DE…

 

[Red Mangrove]

It all depends on what longevity you are hoping for from your flock. If you want birds that live long lives you will want a comprehensive setup. Obviously, it depends on your location and some other factors, but all chickens will need some intervention to stay disease and parasite free, and to also not be picked off by the next owl or weasel that comes along.

So far, the natural instincts and immune systems of my chickens are doing perfect. The idea of deworming a single chicken here has never even occurred to me, and they're constantly catching and eating crazy things. I have one aseel female that catches mice all the time

Of course, I try to naturally deter predators away as well. So with their instincts and my gentle care, by God's grace they're unstoppable

The foxes here can't even catch my fat Rhode Island Reds, because these are the smart reds that have survived two years of predation

 

[Saveria]

Mainly, it is just you paying attention. Then you will see if one is looking low, and you can troubleshoot why. Or you can notice a lice infestation, or notice raised scales for scaly leg mites. That might look like giving them a check up once a month for those issues if you want to catch it early.

The tricky part is that DE isn't effective once wet and a lot of people say it will stress their respiratory systems. I have heard of first saturday lime, that is similar, but I don't have first hand experience with it.

You definitely want them to have access to places to dust bathe, but most of the preventatives you will hear about can unintentionally cause resistance in the pest, or aren't really effective. More can be done by ensuring their environment doesn't have a heavy load of parasites or pests. That can be done by rotating their pasture, and ensuring that droppings are dealt with, either with poop boards or deep bedding, with regular cleanouts. Periodic inspections are still really key.

My chickens got lice this spring. I have no idea how they got it, but I found evidence of it, and have been doing treatments of permethrin, because that is the treatment that many agree is the most effective. That is how it went for me; I'd inspect or just observe, then I researched, and then I treated. I hope that helps.

 

[Saveria]

So far, the natural instincts and immune systems of my chickens are doing perfect. The idea of deworming a single chicken here has never even occurred to me, and they're constantly catching and eating crazy things. I have one aseel female that catches mice all the time

Of course, I try to naturally deter predators away as well. So with their instincts and my gentle care, by God's grace they're unstoppable

The foxes here can't even catch my fat Rhode Island Reds, because these are the smart reds that have survived two years of predation

That is cool that this has been working for you, but it is just not how I would do it. It is hard to keep tabs on them when there are that many, but it is just a different way of raising them. I couldn't pull that off where I am, anyway, even though I have had good luck with predators not being successful at their daytime attempts.

 

[Ragfrey]

So far, the natural instincts and immune systems of my chickens are doing perfect. The idea of deworming a single chicken here has never even occurred to me, and they're constantly catching and eating crazy things. I have one aseel female that catches mice all the time

Of course, I try to naturally deter predators away as well. So with their instincts and my gentle care, by God's grace they're unstoppable

The foxes here can't even catch my fat Rhode Island Reds, because these are the smart reds that have survived two years of predation

Sounds like you have some super chickens!! Great job..

 

[Ragfrey]

Mainly, it is just you paying attention. Then you will see if one is looking low, and you can troubleshoot why. Or you can notice a lice infestation, or notice raised scales for scaly leg mites. That might look like giving them a check up once a month for those issues if you want to catch it early.

The tricky part is that DE isn't affective once wet and a lot of people say it will stress their respiratory systems. I have heard of first saturday lime, that is similar, but I don't have first hand experience with it.

You definitely want them to have access to places to dust bathe, but most of the preventatives you will hear about can unintentionally cause resistance in the pest, or aren't really effective. More can be done by ensuring their environment doesn't have a heavy load of parasites or pests. That can be done by rotating their pasture, and ensuring that droppings are dealt with, either with poop boards or deep bedding, with regular cleanouts. Periodic inspections are still really key.

My chickens got lice this spring. I have no idea how they got it, but I found evidence of it, and have been doing treatments of permethrin, because that is the treatment that many agree is the most effective. That is how it went for me; I'd inspect or just observe, then I researched, and then I treated. I hope that helps.

Thank you for your reply. I am completely new to chickens. I am very good with Dobermans but chickens are a different genre.

Your reply will help me start my knowledge base on what to expect and how to handle situations.
lice
fleas
ticks
bumblefoot
egg bound
bully pecking
Coidosis?? diarrhea

Just trying to educate and prepare for the potential issues.