For more information, contact Marolyne Nabors 276-952-1870
Baby Chicks Arrive in Meadows of Dan, Virginia!
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They're here! The post office called at 7:30 this morning to tell me I had a peeping box to pick up. One thing people often ask is how they can survive shipping. It can only be done with just-hatched chicks. Just before hatching, the chick absorbs the rest of the yolk into it's abdomen and lives off that for up to two days. It's nature's way of giving the hen time to wait for all to hatch before heading out with them to learn to eat. These girls were in the mail for two days.
On arrival it is imperative to start right in showing them how and what to eat and drink. You have to be the mother hen. She will peck at food or water and say "took-took," which is chicken for eat this. So you do a lot of poking and took-tooking. My daughter was very good at it. This is my first group that I've started on my own. Either they are very smart or I learned well from Rachel. They learned quickly. They also seemed very happy to be able to scamper around for a change.
The three yellow ones, I am brooding for friends. They are red sexlinks, a hardy cross breed that lays lots of brown eggs. The five black ones are the new blood for my flock. They are black sexlinks. They are also hardy cross breeds that lay brown eggs like a pro. I have the best results with those sweet reds and thought I would try the black version. I will be able to easily know their age in a mixed flock. Welcome home girls. (Oh yes, you can order them sexed, so I know who they are. I also paid extra for vaccination.)
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A proper brooder. The floor is covered with sand. If they peck it up, it passes through. Wood shavings or sawdust are a no-no. If any decide that it's food, it blocks the gut and they die. All drafts are solidly blocked and stay that way until they are fully feathered at 5 weeks old. They can't control their body temperature, so the heat lamp is essential. They have plenty of space to move under it to get warmer and away from it if too warm. The weather is very warm now, so I used a 75 watt bulb. If it were early spring, I would use a 150-watt infra-red.
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Learning to use the feeder. It's low to the floor with small openings so they can't try to sleep and poop in the feed. A good surrogate mother will drop in frequently and encourage the chicks to eat and drink. Poke, poke. Took-took. A hen would be with them constantly. So... if you call and get my voice mail for the next little while, I may be at the brooder and will call you back.
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Learning to use the waterer. It's baby-sized so they don't climb in or fall in and drown.
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For more information, contact Marolyne Nabors 276-952-1870
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