I will be getting 20 Comet baby chicks on Thursday or Friday. What is the best chick starter feed you've tried? How long will I need to keep them in the box with the drop light? Any other things I need to know? The chicks are coming to our local Farmer's Co-op so I won't be getting them directly in the mail here. Thanks in advance! (this is exciting...my rabbits are doing great....next will be Angora goats I'm hoping!!!)

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001

Answers

Hi, I usually just buy the feed from the feed store where i purchased the chicks . I usually leave the lamps on them until they get feathers and then only at night till it warms up a bit, so they won't pile up and smother. the only other thing i did that you should think about is vitamins in their water for a few days. It costs a couple of dollars for a little bag but is worth it in the long run.Enjoy your 20 chicken dinners. yum yum !!!!!!!

-- Debi (evittranch@hotmail.com), March 19, 2001.

Hi Suzy, Congrats. I remember the first time we raised chicks. The kids were so excited that every morning they used to eat their breakfast in the basement with the chicks! That was about 4 years ago, we just hatched out our first batch of chicks starting last night. My son is doing a science fair project. I don't think that new babies ever stop being exciting!!

What we do is always put a thermometer in with the babies to check the temp. It should read 90 the first week. You can then raise the lamp to lower it by about 5 degrees per week. You will likely want to keep them in a basement or barn as they make a real mess (says me who raised turkeys in her kitchen last year!!). I also just use the chick starter supplied by the farm store and being cheap I usually just buy one bag and then move them onto regular scratch.

Enjoy and let us know how they are getting on! Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), March 19, 2001.

How great your first chicks.... I found these sites and they will answer your questions, www.backyardchickens.com and www.feathersite.com Chickens are fun to raise. I've started them in the house using a cardboard box and have also made plywood brooders with wire on the bottom. I had good results with both. Cardboard boxes have to be changed more often. Love having the internet to look things up quickly. Joanne

-- Joanne (ronandjo@sisna.com), March 19, 2001.

I'm no expert by any means, we have hens, now 1 yr old. We raised them from chicks in our basement, they are messy, feathers, dust and smelly. We used a cardboard box, I would use several layers of newspaper, then add litter on top, we used wood chips and straw mixed. We changed the bedding daily by rolling up the paper as far down as it was wet and adding more paper and litter. You can do this with the chicks in the box, we only had 14 chicks They spill alot of water so the paper helps to absorb it before it hits the box. The temp is important, especially if in a garage or barn that are unheated. We bought the feed from the coop, don't forget grit made for chicks. Good luck, we've sure enjoyed ours and plan on hatching some soon.

-- Kelle in MT. (kvent1729@aol.com), March 19, 2001.

Hi Suzy, congrats on the new ones coming. I just bought 32 new chicks the past few weeks. I have 8 different varieties this time. Your co-op will have a chick starter, so go with what ever they recommend. They are all pretty much the same and only very by a few % points in the protein. I've used the electolytes as suggested, but didn't see much difference, so I haven't used it for 6-8 years. It's not too expensive, so it's good insurance. I usually run the brooder light about 6 weeks, but depends on the outside temps. You can tell if it's too warm or cold. The chicks will spread out like a wheel if it's too warm and bunch up under the light if it's not warm enough. How big a box? As long as they have room to get away from the light and heat you don't have to worry much about moving it. I'm using shavings now for bedding, but have used straw in the past. The shavings are a little easier to clean up. You can use paper for a few weeks if you don't mind cleaning it up more often. Use some hardware cloth on the bottom so they have something to stand on. Otherwise they will slip on the paper and possibly damage their hips. Chickens are so interesting, with a variety of personalities. You're going to have a great time. PS, keep the box covered so the cats and critters don't get in.

-- Kent in WA (kent@premier1.net), March 19, 2001.

Suzy, I'm raising chicks now too. I have a simple 100 watt bulb (no drop lite) and it seems to be perfect. Their litter is crushed corncobs which are very absorbent. I feed them starter crumbles and yesterday, their 1st week birthday, I started giving them coarse corn meal as a "treat" (my adults love corn, so I thought I'd introduce corn to them now) My one baby Araucauna is growing SO FASTand she's a bully. Let's hope she stays a she.For the 1st week, I put 3 tablespoons of sugar into their water to get them through the "weak" baby stage. Worked like a charm. So far so good. Now their feathers are coming out.

-- Michele Rae Padgett (michelesmelodyfarm@Yahoo.com), March 20, 2001.

My two 2.5 week old white leghorns are already flying up to the roosts and getting into the laying boxes!....this is the first time I"ve had so many different varities at once. It's so much fun watching them play. I'm not familar with Comet. What do they look like Suzy. Hope your new ones make it safe and sound.

-- Kent in WA (kent@premier1.net), March 21, 2001.

All the answers so far are good. If you can keep them in the house for a week or so do it. They will be out of the moisture and humidity. We use a shoplight with a 100 watt bulb. We set this on top of a large box, we set a window screen on top to hold the light in place. You can tell then by watching to make sure they don't pile up. We use the newspapers too, and change daily. We move them outside in rabbit type cages with cardboard in the bottom after that to a protected area or in your established chicken house. Keep the light until they feather out. Good luck!

-- T. Crockett (pbandjallen@jcn.net), March 21, 2001.

Just a suggestion. Newspaper is very slippery and the chicks can develop splayed legs (which you have to tape to cure.) I use a 4 foot long dog cage for a brooder and I put 1/2 inch hardware cloth about 6 inches up from the floor, for a floor. Good footing for the babies and the poop falls thru to the empty feed bags that I've cut open so they lay flat on the floor. Altho I change the paper daily, I sprinkle it with food grade Diatomaceous Earth. No smell!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 22, 2001.

Great idea Rogo! Glad I red your post before building the box :) thanks!

-- tang (tang@mtaonline.net), March 22, 2001.

Tang, I should mention that I put the 1/2 inch hardware cloth around the 4 sides of the cage so the little ones can't get out.

I put a blanket over the cage and it covers the back and 2 sides. The gate side is open. I hang a 100 watt bulb in a reflector from the top of the cage in the back. This gives the chicks plenty of room to move away from the heat if they want to. If you put a thermometer by the light, you'll know how high or low to hang it.

A 60 watt and 40 watt are better than a 100 watt. That way, if one burns out before you see it, they still have some heat. Since mine are in the house, it's not much of a problem.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 23, 2001.

We had Golden Comets for several years. I liked them as they didn't get as large so didn't eat as much as Rhode Islands/Barred Rocks, etc., yet produced alot of nice brown eggs. They laid excellently during the cold weather, too--better than other breeds.

You did get them for laying, didn't you?

-- Alana in VA (lester@erols.com), March 24, 2001.