3d • General discussion
Things to do before getting any chickens
Part 1
You think it would be fun to have baby chicks or chickens someone is giving away. That’s great, but before you do that you need a safe place for them to live.
Baby chicks require high heat that is gradually lowered as they grow and feather out.
That requires some form of a brooder, a box, room, playpen, pack n play etc, where you can have heat set up in one area so if they get cold they can go to it. If too hot they can move away from it.
It is very very important that whatever you choose to start them out in is very safe, no areas they can get trapped into, no electrical plug ins/outlets, exposed nails, tacks, staples, wire, strings or any other sharp or possibly dangerous materials that is near them or they can get to.
Think infant babies when you set your brooder up. Like a baby they need to feel and be safe.
Make sure whatever you have them in they can’t jump out of it also. Yes these wee little things can act like popcorn!
To be safe, I always put netting over mine as if they get out, it’s easy for them to pass away from hunger, thirst, being too cold or get injured.
I get netting from the fabric store that is used for wedding veils. It allows air to circulate and is easy to remove to change water and feed, plus see the chicks.
Make sure the netting is no where near your heat source, especially if it’s a standard red heat lamp. They are hot enough to burn you and will catch any flammable items on fire. Its better to have the netting tented up above the heat lamp and checked often.
If you use what I use, chick heaters that can lay on the floor or up again the wall areas secured you don’t have to have the netting up so high as these heaters are just warm enough to keep the chicks comfortable only.
Using an outdoor thermometer to keep track of the temperature inside the brooder helps you keep on top of how hot or cold their area is so you can adjust it.
Using a surge protector is also a very smart thing to plug your items in to that require electricity.
So if a power surge or something you use sparks it automatically shuts off.
Having a smoke detector near the brooder instead of up on the ceiling or high wall areas allows you to immediately know if something happens in there and you can react quickly.
Just know if a fire does occur and you use a fire extinguisher it will kill the babies if you haven’t gotten them out before hand.
I am not trying to scare you but these are things you need to know.
Now lets talk about feed, some use medicated feed that helps prevent coccidiosis a fatal intestinal disease and used up to 8 weeks of age.
If the chick/s have already been exposed to coccidiosis it will not cure the disease, it is used as a preventative measure.
There is a non medicated chick starter feed that has no prevention medication in it.
It is up to you to decide what you want for your chicks.
I personally in 19 years always use the medicated starter as it is brutal to watch a baby die or have to be put down due to not being able to help it.
Coccidiosis is a parasite in feces from an infected bird ( wild or any bird). The hen who hatches the eggs can’t pass it into the egg but will pass it through her poo that the chicks can get into and be exposed.
So you have your babies in a safe place, not let outside but they can still get this disease.
You just walking outside, gardening, playing with your kids or other pets means you may get infected wild bird poo on your shoes, hands, bare feet, clothes from kids or pets jumping up on you or touching you.
You go in check the chicks and thought washed hands would be ok but you pick one up, hold it to your chest, lap or put it on the floor next to you and it pecks on your clothing, shoes or bare feet and picks up the parasite. The parasite can live months in the soil, bedding and equipment.
Now with the Amprolium (blocks Thiamin/ Vitamin B1) blocks the parasite Eimeria from developing and starves them.
Without the medicated feed the Eimeria feeds on the Thiamin/Vitamin B1 to multiply and it settles in the intestinal lining and causes poor nutritional absorption and can cause secondary infections.
It's not a antibiotic, so it doesn’t stay in the body or go into the laid eggs. Once on normal Grower feed the chicks rebalance their Vitamin B1.
Ok I think this is enough for now and will continue this later where I talk about grower feed and setting up a coop before they are released from the brooder.
Michele’ 🙂🐣
0
0 comments
Things to do before getting any chickens
