4 four day old baby chicks

what to do with your new baby chicks-

mainly watch their temperture

keep box clean

plenty of fresh water and food

and for fun after about 10 days try tossing in a bug-

1. Let them learn you and trust you before you handle to often. 
 do not pick them up very much. Handling may scare or injure them.  slip one hand under the chick's tummy, and put the other hand on top of the chick to hold it gently but firmly.





2. Keep a eye on your peeps
Immediately get them warm. we used a electric heater in a smaller room in the house to keep the baby
chicks comfy.  best if it has a setting- and keep the water handy-




3. Water

Get them some WATER, in a heavy, low bowl that they cannot tip over, or a waterer that you buy from the pet store or feed store. A heavy ash tray makes a good temporary water-holder for a few chicks. Keep checking the water to make sure it is clean. Although you want to keep it always clean - dont be suprised if they keep it plenty dirty jumping into it every few minutes.




4. Food
after a few days we added things like kale-bugs and sand. kitchen items.  find information you trust and
keep a watch.
you can feed them for a day or two on instant oatmeal, flaked infant cereal, or other whole-grain cereals. You can put whole grains (rice, wheat, barley, old-fashioned oats, anything) into the blender and blend them slightly. Do not blend completely to a powder --- the feed should have some "grits" in it. Leave the feed with them all the time ---

Watch that kitty and dog- although they may seem to love them and not ready to jump them- they may just be using their smarts and waiting until you leave the room.


i would suggest you have the feed from your pet store before or when you bring your new chicks home.
 do you need a trip to the nearest feed store is needed. Find the best supplies on the internet and consider holistic pet foods. Some pet stores have things for chicks, also.


Chick Starter Feed --
Grit for chicks -- get the right size of grit for chicks; bone or oyster shell does not substitute for grit

A waterer --

A feeder --


Make them a warming box

The first thing you will want to do is make a box for your chicks to stay warm in. You can use a hanging light bulb with a wire cage around it (from the hardware store), or perhaps a heating pad enclosed in a rubber cover of some kind. Perhaps an old aquarium will work, if it has a good warm light in the top.



If it is very cold outside, you will have to figure out how to keep their box very warm inside. Sheets of styofoam all around every side of the box makes good insulation. Or perhaps use a large ice chest. Small openings for air are all they need. They will eat styrofoam if you let them, so don't use it where they can get it.



A little key-ring thermometer hanging in the box will let you check the temperature easily.



Put a piece of 1/2 inch dowling, or a good stick, in for a roost --- they will quickly learn how to get onto it.



Line their warming box with DRY LEAVES, if you have some. Or saw dust, or shredded dry paper. They love to root around in "litter". Put in a large cement block or a thick, heavy piece of wood to keep their waterer and food dish on, up out of the litter. If you have lots of dry leaves, you can just keep adding more dry leaves as they compact down --- you don't have to empty the box for days or weeks, since the dry leaves keep the poop dry and covered up. we used beach sand- it has crushed little shells they seem to love. just be careful of doing it too early- they may love it more than their food.



before too long make sure to add some type of grit


easier than goldfish??? and you get eggs- if you dont like eggs - share with your neighbors




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FEEDING NEWLY-HATCHED CHICKS



From "Feeding Your Peeps" in the Easy Chicken Website

At http://shilala.homestead.com/feeding.html





"Got them by mail? Chicks arriving by mail have been stressed pretty heavy. Give them feed and water as if you hatched them yourself, and watch them closely. If they take to the feed and water quickly, you may not want to mess with anything else. They should be fine. If they do not take to the food and water, you can help them along by dipping their beaks. You can also peck at the feed with your finger. If they are still not responding, put marbles in the waterers. Show them how to peck, and keep their attention. Once you get a couple to eat and drink, the others will quickly follow."





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Advice from Chicken Hatchers

HEN TO ACCEPT BABY CHICKS -- HOW?

April 9, 2003

Kristine at Chicken-Feed@YahooGroups.com



The only way it will work is if they have been setting close to the normal time on fake eggs. Then you slip them in under them at night when they are not really awake enough. Otherwise if the hen has not been setting the chick is just a nuisance.



LAST DAYS OF INCUBATION

April 9, 2003

Ruth Bloch at ChickenFeed@YahooGroups.com



On day 18, take the turner out and lay the eggs on their side, fill the reservoir, close the lid and don't open it again until the chicks are finished hatching and dry. Then you can move them to a nice warm brooder you should have all set up and waiting for them. I always like to turn on the heat lamp on the 20th day so it's nice and toasty.



STICKY CHICKS OR STUCK CHICKS?

April 9, 2003

HS Wong



Sticky chicks or stuck chicks? Sticky chicks have gooey stuff all over and one of the causes (the most common one) is too high humidity! Your chicks have not lost enough "water"; hence the "sticky" stuff. On the other hand, if your chicks are "stuck" to the internal surface of the shell and suffocates, etc., that's due to too little humidity. They dry out too fast and gets stuck to the membrance which prevents them from turning in the shell, or from breaking the shell completely.









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FEEDING NEWLY-HATCHED CHICKS, DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS



From "Hatching and Brooding Small Numbers of Chicks " http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystem s/DI0631.html

In UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION SERVICE http://www.extension.umn.edu/



"About 2 inches of litter material give the chicks better footing and help keep the box clean. Wood shavings, chopped straw or paper, peat moss, or sand are suitable. Replace the litter when necessary to keep the box clean and dry.



"Waterers to be used with pint canning jars are often available at farm supply stores. They should be placed onto a wooden block to help keep them free from litter. A small dish—with marbles or pebbles added to keep the chicks out of the water—can be used for a waterer. You can also use a saucer having an inverted cup placed over it. Replace the water twice a day, or more frequently if necessary to keep the water clean and fresh. Clean the waterer each time you make the change, and refill it with lukewarm water.



"Although chicks don't need feed or water the first 48 hours after hatching, both are usually provided as soon as the chicks are transferred to the rearing box. Use a small box or tray for a feeder. Let the chicks scratch around in the feed for the first few days so they get off to a good start on the feed and don't eat too much litter.



"Chicks are best started on a chick starter mash. For other poultry, use the appropriate starter feed for that species, of bird, if available. Mashed, hardcooked egg also makes an I excellent starter feed. You can use breakfast cereal for a few days if it is in a form the chicks can readily eat. Rapidly growing chicks must have a well-balanced starter diet for proper growth and development."







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FROM HATCHLINGS TO YARD BIRDS



From VEGETABLE GARDENS OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN

http://www.poplaracre.com/index.html [website gone, and missed]



"Start your chicks on crumbles. You can buy this as starter feed or Start & Grow which you can continue to feed them as pullets. You do not need to provide grit as long as you feed your chicks exclusively on crumbles. As soon as you switch to whole grains and other foods, you must provide grit to enable digestion. Start & Grow and other starter feeds come in both medicated and non-medicated forms (see below). A chick feeder is a good idea, especially at first, as this will help keep the feed clean. Later, you may choose to feed chicks on the ground where they can scratch for the feed but this is less sanitary and may contribute to the spread of disease. The feed should be kept in front of them at all times. If it completely runs out before the next feeding, you need to increase the ration. I feed my chicks morning and evening. "





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FEEDING OF YOUNG CHICKS



from I.C.S. Poultryman's Handbook

A Convenient Reference Book For All Persons Interested in the Production of Eggs and Poultry for Market and the Breeding of Standard-Bred Poultry for Exhibition

International Textbook Company

Scranton, PA

1912



All text is quoted accurately from this book. Anything in SQUARE BRACKETS [ ] is a note from ChickenFeed Website.



No food is given to young chicks for the first 48 hr., but grit of some kind is supplied to clean out their digestive organs. Beginning with the third day, they may have stale bread moistened with sweet milk and pressed until nearly dry. For the next 2 or 3 da. a mixture of stale bread crumbs and fine oatmeal makes a good ration, and is better fed in small quantities at frequent intervals. [NOTE: Remember, this is 1912, before additives were put into bread. If this is tried, make sure the bread is healthfully made.]



For chicks that are a week or more old, a simple ration can be made of 4 parts, by weight, of cracked corn, 2 parts of broken wheat, 2 parts of oatmeal, and 2 parts of granulated meat scrap. The corn should be broken into small pieces and the meat scrap must be of good quality, rich in protein, and of small size; meat scrap that contains fat is not fit to use in this ration. After the chicks are 6 wk. old, a ration made of cracked corn, whole wheat, hulled oats, and meat scrap can be used. In addition to the grain and meat ration, grit, green food, broken sea shells, or bone meal are necessary for young chicks. All food fed to chicks should be in small particles to avoid disorders in the crop and digestive organs. [NOTE: A Vitamix blender can handle tough grains. Used ones can be found. Don't blend to a flour. Use a commercial starter mix to compare grain size. Blend a few seconds, pour though a seive, re-blend the big pieces, and repeat.]



The accompanying table gives the feeding standards for young chicks.



MIXTURES FOR CHICK FOOD









Food Quarts



(a) "for chicks having the free range of a farm"

Shelled corn 16

Wheat 8

Hulled oats 4

Pearl barley 3

Millet seed 0.5



(b) "for bantams or chicks of tender constitution"

Millet seed 0.5

Cracked Kafir corn 1

Cracked wheat 2

Cracked wheat 2

Canary seed 1

Oatmeal 1

Finely granulated meat 0.5



(c) "for those partly or wholly confined"

Fine siftings from

cracked corn 40

Cracked wheat 30

Oatmeal 10

Millet seed 3

Granulated meat 7



(d) "for those partly or wholly confined"

Fine broken corn 35

Cracked Kafir corn 6

Cracked wheat 40

Hulled oats 30

Broken peas 5

Animal charcoal 5

Millet seed 5

Meat scrap 10



(e) "for half-grown chicks on the range"

Cracked corn 50

Whole wheat 50

Clipped oats 30

Barley 10



(f) "for half-grown chicks on the range"

Cracked corn 200

Whole wheat 300

Barley 200

Clipped oats 100

Screenings 200

Buckwheat 100





Mixing of Chick Foods:

The term chick food is used to describe mixtures made from food materials that are used for feeding chicks. Many kinds are manufactured and sold commercially; if they are of good quality, their use may be convenient and safe [!]. Chick food can be made of numerous kinds of grains and seeds. Any of the mixtures given in the accompanying table form suitable chick foods. After the grains in (a) have been ground and mixed, 4 qt. of beef scraps should be added to the mixture; (a) is adapted to chicks having the free range of a farm; (b) is for bantams or chicks of tender constitution; (c) and (d) are for those partyly or wholly confined; (e) and (f) are grain mixtures suitable for half-grown chicks on the range.



Feeding Schedule for Chicks:

Chicks thrive best if fed five times a day until they are 6 wk. old, after which age they may be fed four times daily; and at 8 wk. of age, three meals a day are sufficient. The following schedule may be observed in feeding five meals a day:

First Meal---Soon after daylight. Bread crumbs, seed, or small grain, according to age.

Second Meal---Eight or nine o'clock. Egg food, mash feed, or chick feed, according to age.

Third Meal---Noon. Small grains or chick feed, scattered into chaff or dry litter of some kind.

Fourth Meal---Two o'clock. Either egg food, mash feed, bread softened with milk, or johnny cake.

Fifth Meal---Four o'clock. A full meal of small grain or chick feed, scattered in the chaff or litter.

The small grains and chick feed should be scattered in dry chaff or cut straw. Fine or short-cut alfalfa or clover hay makes good litter; sand, sawdust, or chips of wood are undesirable litter for chicks. Clean, dry earth may also