Our chicks (a mixture of 25 straight run Cuckoo Marans and 15 Cherry Egger pullets) are almost ready to leave the Universal Box Brooder we have raised them in so far. We have a new chicken coop - 8 x 12' - that we have partitioned so that there's a 4 x 8' section that's fenced off for the chicks, where their brooder is currently located. What kind of material would you put on the floor so that we can keep them reasonably clean until they're ready to go outside?
We are just finishing installing one of those doors with timers for the laying flock, and once that's in and the roosts are completed we'll be moving them into the new building, too. We were hoping that the two sets of chickens would get used to each other if we used this kind of arrangement! Last spring we had an incredible amount of aggression from the older hens toward the young ones when we finally let them mingle.
Surface for 4-Week-Old Chicks?
I really like pine shavings .
I use pine shaving too.
We bought some pine shavings, but do you have to keep changing them or what? We use litter in the henhouse, but those chickens spend most of their time outdoors, so there's not as much of a buildup of droppings.
Also, our supplier ran out of medicated chick feed so we had to buy the nonmedicated. We like to keep the young ones on medication at first to prevent coccidiosis. I ordered some amprolium from Randall-Burkey, to add to their water, instead, but I'm wondering what y'all do about that. We use non-medicated feed for our laying flock, of course, but we like to have a bit of extra prevention for the babies.
If you keep the bedding very, very dry cocci can usualy be avoided...but the slightest moisture and it blooms like crazy.
You can stir up the shavings and put in a clean layer without changing it too frequently.
This message was edited Jul 31, 2009 9:35 AM
Catscan, (whatEVER you look like, but I'm going for the girl in white in the back!) what do you do for your babies? It's awfully hard to keep the bedding totally dry if we've got a waterer in there, too! Do you medicate or just keep your fingers crossed?
We lost a couple of goslings to coccidiosis several years ago, before we realized what was going on, and once we did we were able to rescue the ailing ones and prevent it in the others with amprolium in their water. We've never had a problem with chicks, but then, I think we've always fed medicated feed for starting them.
I start them with medicated now too, gg. I used to use unmedicated and I still think that is a good idea if possible...but when my chick populations grew beyond a few cosseted babies I had to accept that I would not be able to avoid all moisture--and I did lose a few before I learned that you can put antibiotics in the water once the problem starts.
I've noticed with my free-range broodies that they keep the chicks moving around the yard and I think that helps them not be exposed to the high levels that can build up in a brooder while they are developing their own immunity.
You ARE good.......:0)
This message was edited Jul 31, 2009 1:10 PM
We start with day-old chicks; none of our hens seems about to take on maternal duties. So there is a whole set of new kids on the block who have to integrate with the old ones, and last year it was not a pretty picture. Most of my Salmon Faverolles dies; they just couldn't get enough to eat and were being pecked, too.
Oh, I got it, did I? I was never good at those logic puzzles either, so that's cool! Neat to have a face to go with those zany, laugh-out-loud posts of yours!
Leslie
But I guessed the girl in white and got a confusing reply...
Not from me, you didn't. You, grow and gg are all "bang on."
And so am I! :0)
Gah!!
Pbbbttttt!!! :-)
I am the obfuscator!
I use pine shavings too, with newspaper underneath.
I put paper towels on top--for the first few days...
What's the point of the newspapers underneath and/or the paper towels on top?
For me, they keep the shavings drier because they are absorbent.
And the paper towels are easier to learn to walk on and to learn not to eat. At least for the first few days.
And newspaper underneath can make it easier to clean--just lifts up.
I put the paper towels on top to help the chicks find their food the first few days. Otherwise they lose it in the shavings or eat the shavings instead. The paper towels are rough so the chicks don't risk developing straddle legs which they might on smooth newspaper.
Crossed, grow!
This message was edited Jul 31, 2009 3:26 PM
Thanks, people!
Claire, do you change the litter regularly? That might be hard in a 4 x 8' space. We'd like to let them go outside, but we have to finish the older hens' side of the coop so that we can move them into it and then somehow get rid of the old coop, which is blocking the side of the new one where we plan to make the chick run. Always something!
How many chicks in a 4 x 8 space? They make such tiny poopsies, I think it'd be weeks before you would need to change anything! I keep mine in a cosy brooder lamp for the first couple of weeks, which is about 18 inches square. I change that about every 3-4 days. If they were in a 4x8 area, I'd probably change it every 2 weeks or so?
We have 25 straight run Cuckoo Marans and 15 Cherry Egger pullets. They're in a Universal Box Brooder right now, but they're getting awfully big.
I'm planning to use a deep-litter method once I get the adults in there, and I'm hoping that will work for the chicks, too. One more reason to keep them on medication a little longer. I'll see how it works out, though; if the droppings look too dire I'll change the litter. More for my compost pile anyway.