New Chicks & Their Set-Up
Babies just brought home from the feed store. So little and cute.
Got new chicks to add to my little flock. Two Brahmas, one light, one dark, and a Speckled Sussex. I had a Brahma before, but she passed away this winter for reasons unknown. She was big, comical, a good layer, and above all, very gentle. Another Brahma or two was therefore an easy decision. The Speckled Sussex represents a choice to add a new dimension to my yolk factory. They, too, are reported to have many of the same characteristics of the Brahmas, with even better egg production, and less fuzzy feet! Assuming the newbies do indeed all turn out to be girls (there’s a 10% chance of their being incorrectly sexed), then I will have a Dominique, a Plymouth Rock, a Buff Orpington, and the newbies. A colorful mix of chicken types and personalities.
The little darlings at about 2 weeks. Note how quickly their wings have developed!
The chick brooder I used before worked so well, I’m using it again. It’s a very large Rubbermaid storage trunk, with a homemade chicken wire top. The top is necessary for at just two weeks old, the little darlings have already discovered the 3rd dimension to their world, the space above them, and are attempting leaps into that unknown. The wood-framed wire lid is keeping them safely grounded, as it were.
Another important aspect of the brooder set-up is the heat lamp attached securely to a camera tripod. The tripod is easy to set up, safer than clipping to the side of the brood box and allows for heat adjustment by either raising or lowering the lamp. I’ve positioned it at one end of the brooder so the chicks have warm and cool zones to hang out in.
My assistant performing a chick-check. Brood box, chicken wire top, and tripod are partially visible here. The whole set-up is housed in a spare bathroom so the door can be closed and heat contained.
The chicks will stay in this temporary home for 6-8 weeks, depending on how quickly and large they grow. They have water, chick feed (medicated to prevent Coccidia), chick grit (important for digestion), and a little roosting bar (made from a stick and scrap blocks of wood). I’m checking on them at least twice a day to make sure they haven’t literally fouled anything up too much; and I’m also making it a point to hold them daily, so they are very much used to human touch. The next challenge will be integrating them into the adult flock. Stay tuned.