Newbie Question

Hi All!
I have a question about a few chicks I just purchased. This is my first time raising chicks (for eggs) and I am unsure of the age of my newly purchased chicks. I didnt think to ask and they place I purchased them at is closed until Tues. They are rather small and I am not even sure if one can tell the difference between 5 day olds and 2 weeks olds. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Oh! one more question. At what point can I let them eat greens, grass, or oatmeal?
Thanks again!
impatiently waiting.
They already seem to be trying to fly the temporary coop.

p_trubaAZ, Looks like about a 4 or 5 day old americauna to me. I put some grass in with mine at about 3 weeks old. Last April was my first attempt with chickens and I stll have them all today, Out of 10 hens I had 205 eggs so far this March. Dumb luck and lots of reading I guess. Have another batch coming on 4/21 from Welp. Hope all goes well with yours!

yes, i was going to say about a week old. lovely looking chick!

welcome to Dave's Poultry Forum! hope you find a lot of info here and good friends too.

tf

I agree on the age.
You can start giving them oats failry early. They love it. Our new babies are about 2 weeks old and we have given them oats, bread crumbs and cantaloupe. You can also give your little ones some buttermilk. It will help build their immune system. It takes a bit to get them to drink it. We put it on a small plate with a jar in the center so they don't run through it. Let it sit just a bit to warm up before you give it to them because right out of the fridge it's a bit cold for them. I'd tap the plate and make a clucking sound to get them interested and even dabbed a little on their beak. Once they start drinking it they love it.
Good luck with your little ones.

oh, they love goats milk too! and dried parsley... and watermelon!

Thank you to everyone for all the helpful responses. This is my first attempt and I am so excited! the only other person I know that has raised chickens is my father-in-law and well, he's crazy. He told me that it was ok to throw the chicks outside in the coop with no light or heat source. We do live in Arizona and it has been about 80-85 degrees during the warmest parts of the day but it is still about 68-75 degrees during the evening. He thinks I am babying these little chicks but I think he is nuts!
Thanks again.

hey, YOu are the chicken MaMa, so you do it YOUR way ;-)

I baby my poultry, during the real cold spells they get 2-250watt heat lamps, plenty of fresh hay and lots of fresh veggies and now that it has warmed up they only have one heat lamp plus all the goodies. They get their choice of the feeders one has cracked corn, one has game bird crumbles and one has layer pellets.

I wouldn't throw them out in the pen, but he father-n-law is right in a way. If the babies were hatched by the mama chicken they would be outside. BUT....when it is cold or there is danger the mama chicken would have them under her.
We had a chicken hatch eggs last year and she had them out and about by the second day. She also had them in the nest and to bed early. By about 6 she was calling them to bed and as they got older she would let them out longer. It was interesting to see. We keep our babies in when it is cool at least until they are fully feathered. When they have no mama chicken they need us replacement mamas :)

here is our mama chicken.... i think she is about 9 weeks old now, a "Buckhorn". she started raising the sex-links when she was 4 weeks old, well that would make her 10 weeks, now, or more... she loves her little batam chicks. if she only knew the inside brooders are filling up again LOL, but we can't stand to have her in the house. esp when the incubator starts peeping, she is an alarm clock LOL

how sweet!

I just found this site its great!!! I am a newbie allso,my chicks will be here the 16th of may,I ordered five black sexlinks and five golden comets and one rooster.I live in northern maine so my chicks will not be outside untill the middle of June.We still have a lot of snow on the ground and its still very cold down to 14 tonight.

welcome to Dave's!

Welcome all the newbies! I agree on the age and
it does look like an ameraucana. I put mine outside
when they were fully feathered, except for their heads,
with a heat lamp on at night. We had a couple nights
in the 40's, and they have pine shavings deep for a
bed, so they were and are fine. Mine are about 8 weeks, now.
As others have mentioned, keep them on starter for sure
for the first few weeks. I tried introducing the treats a little
too early, and they got diahrea. Oats or even budgie seed
won't hurt at any time. Some feed extra small grain scratch
to them if they do get diahrea, and it helps clear it up.
I also give my birds some grapes, apple and orange
whirled up in the food processor til course ground. I know
they love to pick at the apples and oranges, I really only do
it so they can manage the grapes. They also love the
leftover corn cobs to keep them busy. i spoil them so
bad.
Please feel free to ask any of us anything, we are here to
help. I know I have been helped so much by so many.

This was my first post even before I had chickens.

GREEN How Cool... I was re reading my first post which I see Dr Doo started... Oh the memories..