[NicandChic]

Any advice for the coming weeks much appreciate as first time chick owners.

[Q]

Great photos...   

How many eggs did you buy from ebay to get those 6 little beauties?

I just hatched 5 out of 6 light sussex eggs from ebay and also managed to hatch 1 of my own light sussex / welsummer cross at the same time.

[Stereo]

My advice would be to plan space for them carefully. They will grow FAST. The biggest mistake we made on our first hatch was not being ready for that. Although, we did 40 odd so it was a bit more major. But in 10 or so weeks time you are going to have 6 nearly full grown birds.  Plus, what about any cockerels? They might all be cockerels or you might not get any. Are you going to keep them? Eat them? Do you have any existing cockerels that might try to kill them? You don't want to get in that situation where you can't keep them, can't give them away and can't face killing them. Do you want the boys getting it on with their sisters?

So it's planning really. Have a good idea of where they are going to grow and live and assume they will be full grown sooner than later. This year, we are holding off hatching until we have all the brooding, housing and pens totally in place to take them through to point of lay or slaughter. Lessons learnt!

[NicandChic]

Thanks 

I started with 12 (I dropped 1  4 didn't develop & 1 fully developed but never hatched, had a look & it was the wrong way round in the egg so couldn't pip  )

We've got them in the spare room in a large tub with heat lamp, chick crumb & water, I've given them some blocks of wood to jump about (and poop on) they poop soooo much!

When do you start letting your guys out? I'm slowly reducing the heat, but not sure when they should be off heat completely - I imagine if they were outdoors with mum they would already be running about!

Do you have any pics of your additions? 

[NicandChic]

My advice would be to plan space for them carefully. They will grow FAST. The biggest mistake we made on our first hatch was not being ready for that. Although, we did 40 odd so it was a bit more major. But in 10 or so weeks time you are going to have 6 nearly full grown birds.  Plus, what about any cockerels? They might all be cockerels or you might not get any. Are you going to keep them? Eat them? Do you have any existing cockerels that might try to kill them? You don't want to get in that situation where you can't keep them, can't give them away and can't face killing them. Do you want the boys getting it on with their sisters?

So it's planning really. Have a good idea of where they are going to grow and live and assume they will be full grown sooner than later. This year, we are holding off hatching until we have all the brooding, housing and pens totally in place to take them through to point of lay or slaughter. Lessons learnt!

Plan is to keep them..fatten & eat the cockerels (sell them if I bottle it) or possibly keep them to use with our next batch depending how attached I get - keep any hens for laying. Lots of space, complete enclosed stone barns with electric & water, also 2 wooden sheds (still dismantled) which I think may suit them better along with some huge mobile fencing I found over the weekend for making mobile pens. Ideally I want them to free range like the ducks then 'inside' for the night / feed & egg laying.

[HesterF]

At least they're not ducklings which grow twice as fast! They need to be on heat for a while yet. It's still cold outside so they need to be properly feathered before they go out - over a month away. But you probably will need a bigger indoor space for them at some point.

[NicandChic]

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe in the next couple of weeks moving them to a larger pen in one of the barns along with the heat lamp, they will have more space, can introduce perches & things for them & will be a bit more going on for them. Theve got a few feathers starting to come through, amazing how quickly they change.

[Victorian Farmer]

Large silkies in there brooding pen. And some wyndotts

[NicandChic]

Thanks Victorian Farmer, could take pics of them all day  our 6 are supposedly Wyandottes, can see black & white feathers coming through, not sure about the yellow chick though 'Marilyn' 

[Victorian Farmer]

I wish you lived nera i have a very good brooding box made of marine ply to take 25 chicks 2 heat lamp bulbs and drinkers and feeders .would like them to go to a newbe free .Its the best start chicks can have 3 weeks in the broodi nice and strong also have the 8/6 cage there in bolt to gether 6 months old .

[NicandChic]

That's a shame, sounds fab, had a quick look & seen your up Aviemore way t'is a bit far - we had our honeymoon in Aviemore

[Stereo]

Generally it's 5 weeks to go off heat but does depend on the temp outside. Could be 4 or 7 if it's hot or cold. 6 birds in the house is going to become a struggle soon. I would look at a safe place in a barn corner where you can bung loads of straw, put in heat and keep rats etc out. Pretty soon. Once they are 5-6 weeks you can think about letting them out but there are more predators (cats / rats/ raptors) at this age so that needs thinking about.

[NicandChic]

Thanks Stereo.

Got a rabbit run they can pop out into on sunny days for short periods to start.
I've got a room within one barn with 13 rabbits in, few pens etc so will be moving in their to start I think, when 3-4 weeks old, as you've said they will soon be too big to stay where they are!

[NicandChic]

Made the big move from spare room to one of the barns, next Wednesday they will be 1 month old, should I look at introducing grit / sand / treats moving them on to growers pellets?
Horrible feeling I've got 5 boys & 1 girl (I'm really hoping I'm wrong)

[chrismahon]

Growers pellets are slowly introduced at 6-8 weeks NicandChic. We used Smallholder as the pellets are smaller than other brands and make an easier transition from chick crumb. We did have one slow Orpington who refused to eat even those small pellets and we had to crush them for her. She's still a fussy girl but lays fantastic eggs.


Our first hatch of Wyandottes produced 1 magnificent hen and 8 cockerels, but over the next 6 hatches it all evened out to roughly 50:50. I think the third hatch produced 10 hens and 2 cockerels. We ended up with 23 cockerels and 19 hens if I remember correctly. I have been told 45:55 is the ratio of hens to cockerels typically.