So I am finally going to be getting some chickens! I am going to be getting a barred rock, a buff Orpington, a silkie, a jersey giant, and my favorite breed- a Brahma! I do have a couple of questions though.
So I am setting up the “grow out tub” (my reptile brain has kidnapped the proper term) and want to check and see if it is good plan.
It is around 50 gallons if I remember correctly so they can stay in it a bit longer as we have tons of birds and raccoons around. Once they are about two weeks old, I plan on switching them over to aspen. I am planning on using aspen over pine as I can use some of it for Elmo without actually have to pay for it myself . I know they don’t start to roost for a little while but it is just there for a bit of enrichment and it gave me something to do for 15 minutes. Is there anything I should add?
And for feeding, how often should I sprinkle chick grit onto their food? When should I move them onto chicken grit? What about onto adult food?
For my chicks i use pine shavings from when they are first born, you can probably do that with aspen too. If you’re just feeding the chicks crumbles then they shouldn’t need any grit until they’re moved onto grower feed at around 8-10 weeks old. Then they can be moved onto layer feed at around 16-18 weeks old.
Here’s my chick setup right now. These guys are around 5 weeks old right now and are going outside several times a week with supervision for around 30 mins if weather permits. They also get some time to cuddle and be outside the crate every day.
We also are going to be getting a slightly altered chicken list. We are getting 2 brahmas; a light and a dark, a lavender Orpington, a blue jersey giant, and a barred rock. They are being shipped on the 3rd so I am hoping to get them on the 4th or 5th!
I have no experience with the other breeds but i do have a jersey giant and she is the sweetest chicken ever! I’m so excited to see pictures of the babies!
Lol, we’ve had everything but the Jersey. Barred Rocks are super sweet, ours will come up to us begging for food, Brahmas are super chill, and have the tendency to go broody (Good if you want chicks, bad if you want eggs) and the lavenders I’m not super sure about (Most of ours were roosters and got eaten while we were away for the summer) but Orpingtons in general are chill too.
the Only thing that made my mom agree to getting a chicken was if she could name one. I think it is pretty easy to tell which that is
But really, I am so happy! We ended up actually getting 6 with Prudy being a thrown in extra. Jingle is a dark Brahma, princess a light Brahma, Luna a blue jersey giant, Goldie a buff Orpington, Star a barred rock, and I am not sure on prudy but I think she is possibly a blue rock
Oh and if anyone is in the market for chickens, I can’t recommend Mt healthy hatchery more. They were shipped this morning and got here before 11:00 am! They are all very active and drinking and eating a ton!
They look great! I always forget how fast chickens (and most birds, for that matter) grow. It’s crazy that they go from being tiny little balls of fluff to looking like actual chickens in just a few weeks.
I know next to nothing about chicken breeds, but do silkies keep that fluffy texture to their feathers into adulthood? Seeing how fluffy she still looks compared to the others, now I’m wondering if that’s why they’re called silkies. Also, does she have some weirdness going on with her beak, or is there just something stuck to her face?
Yes she does have a deformed beak, called crossed beak. We were originally going to give her back to the breeder for a new silkie but upon further research and watching her we decided to keep her. She is able to eat and she runs around and forages just as much as the other chicks, however she does have a bit of a harder time eating and eats more often than the others. She uses a scoop method and her tongue to get the food and it works just fine for her! If we do notice her not being able to get food and water on her own then we will analyze her quality of life but for now she’s doing just fine.
They are all getting so big and friendly . Luna seems to have become one of the largest and is definitely the most social. She jumps up onto my serve or arm a lot of the time when I put it in the brooder
These guys are ruthless. They have made the same spot bleed multiple times and after it starts bleeding they go after it more and more. I think they are liking the taste of blood now. There goes my perfect little chickies
Oh they are blood thirsty creatures. They will really mess up other chicken who are bleeding, so you have to be really careful about that. They are cannibals…
. I know they don’t start to roost for a little while but it is just there for a bit of enrichment and it gave me something to do for 15 minutes. Is there anything I should add?
. Luna seems to have become one of the largest and is definitely the most social. She jumps up onto my serve or arm a lot of the time when I put it in the brooder
