They will be on baby chick starter for about 6 weeks. Then they will be put on a high protein growing feed. At about 4 months they will change to "laying pellets" which increases production for the hens. At that age, they can eat cracked corn and stuff.
I'm still learning as I go...lol. Doing lots of research on the internet. SO far, none of the 54 have died. My dad, who raised several hatches when I was a kid, says thats actually very good for chicks that were shipped in the mail. He had brood hens (hens that sit on the nest) and also did mail order chicks.....and usually you lose some of your mail order chicks in the first few days. We have been working very hard to keep their surroundings as clean as we can, fresh water, heat, and plenty of food.
Tomorrow they are moving outside to the shed.......Yay!....We can finally sleep....lol
omg they are cute ! it reminds me of an i love lucy show where they had bought a farmhouse and bought a load of chicks. they had got loose and were all over the house. running around in little groups. they were so cute. i too like the ones with the stripes down their backs. way too cute.
Don't forget their grit, and of course, when they start laying, their oyster shell...
As birds often die w/in 24 hrs. if they get sick...remember that tetra[four] is for four legged animals, erythro[egg] is for birds...In other words, tetracycline does not treat birds, erythromycin does. Don't forget to get Newcastle vaccine when they are old enough. It is a drop in the eye, only. Do you have slanted, egg isolating, laying boxes ready?
Lol Jess! That's a cute pic! Are you the redhead? There are so many of those yellow flowers out there! Last time we were up, we took a ton of pics of the kids surrounded by those flowers. I can't believe how much they cover the hillsides in Mink Creek.
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-The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
