My chicks, geese and ducks are suppose to be on their way to me and arriving tomorrow morning (fingers crossed). I'm finishing up their brooders and it occurred to me that I didn't know a couple of things. Here they are:
A) do I mix their water (and electrolyte/vitamins) tonight or after they're here?
B) can I fill their food dishes tonight so they're ready tomorrow am?
C) I put down shelf liner instead of bedding to avoid splayed legs. At what age can I stop worrying about splayed legs and put them on bedding?
D) why didn't any of you stop me when I started talking chickens, ducks and geese? ^_^
MollyD
Which comes first??
hmmm A & B: i like to have mine set up a day in advance. water should NOT be cold or even cool...
C: somebody will know
D: WHAT? and miss all your soon-to-come questions? and pictures? and not share in all of your joy? I'd be nuts to discourage you [like you would isten anyhow!]
♥tf
A&B - I would, why not, be ready.
C - Once they get more steady on the feet you can stop using the grippy stuff. Ideal suggested not anything slick for the first week. We left our last batch on paper towels for a couple of weeks before we switched to newspaper. They are now about 4 weeks and no spayed legs.
D - say what? Stop you? Not a chance :)
LOL okay I'll get everything set up tonight. Here's hoping I'll get that early morning call from the PO tomorrow!!
I'll keep them on the shelf liner for their first week here at least.
I keep thinking back to the summer so many years ago that I raised two batches of chicks and I wonder how they all made it! I can't even remember what I put down in their box. All I can remember is a cardboard box and the fact that they all kept escaping from it LOL
I know they made it to adulthood cause we ate all of them.
Thanks guys! I'll stand by with camera in hand.
MollyD
Oh I cant wait to see them!!!!! Its going to be like Christmas Eve!!!! Except the postman is Santa!!
I'm scared there will be extras I'm not prepared for! I've now got everything ready. The brooder with the heat lamp is slowly warming up. At the cool end it's 78.8 The geese and ducks have a cooler wattage red light since they don't need as much heat as the chicks do. There are 3 separate brooders set up for the. Paul usually watches tv in that room so the poor dear is now in "the red light district" LOL.
MollyD
Good luck with your new ones!
Thanks LoraK. Check out my thread on them ^_^
MollyD
oh, goodie, a new thread!
so it's not hijacking to say my new chicks are here too!
tf
hijack away! LOL
MollyD