WEEK 3 Update on little miss Ladybird (Barred Rock Plymouth) and Cornelia (Ameraucana).
Here is how I take care of my baby chicks in Week 3.
Follow along with me each week until these baby chicks have fully feathered and joined my flock around 8-12 weeks old.
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Week 3:
🐥 The lamp temperature can go from 90° down to 85°. I have an open space cage, so they can move around freely to where they are comfortable, but I always have a minimum temperature of at least 85° available to them. If you have them in an enclosed plastic bin, monitor the temp very closely so that they do not overheat or get too cold. I can turn my heat lamp off during the day, since mine are in the garage and it’s warm enough on its own, but I have an alarm to make sure I turn it back on when it gets cold in the evening.
🐥 Make sure they always have chick feed and fresh water.
🐥 Pick them up and cuddle often for more friendly hens later on! I’ve been exposing them to my dog (That is Charley, he diligently guards them when they are outside!) and my daughter likes to get in their temporary pen and sit with them. Pet them gently and move slowly. These particular breeds are normally pretty sweet tempered and social, so it’s been easier this time around than with some of my other breeds.
🐥 Keep checking for poopy butts! It’s less common as they get older, I haven’t had to clean any booties this week, which is nice!
🐥 Introduce new healthy snacks. I added grapes, a little banana, and spinach this week. With their daily trips outside, they should be getting enough grit for digestion. If you’re unsure, offer up more sand/dirt for them to free range from as needed.
🐥 It is time for short, daily trips outside! Start with 30 mins to an hour, and adjust depending on how comfortable they seem. Put them in a sunny spot, but offer a little shade, too. Make sure they still have fresh water and chick feed available at all times. Keep a close eye on them in the beginning! They will most likely be scared at first as they adjust, but watch for “huddling” or shivering, this means they are cold or unhappy. They will probably be noisy at first, but should settle down and start scratching around and pecking. They should nap, burrow, and scratch around without much complaint after the first day or two. If they are very noisy and seem cold or very uncomfortable, they may not be ready. Wait another couple of days before trying again.
🐥 Overall – they’re growing bigger every day! They chirp a little less now when I lean in to pick them up, they’re definitely getting used to people and our dogs. Hoping they will fit in well with my other 4 once they get old enough to defend themselves and join the flock.
Click here to jump to Week 4, and Happy Chickening!
Please leave your tips and comments below, I’d love to hear your own experiences and successes! (Or lessons…)
– Kate
Next time you get chicks you need to get a couple of white Wyandotte bantams — if only for the joy of listening to them twitter when they are chicks! It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard (except for lovings from my grands). They didn’t cheep or peep — they had this soft little twitter. When I got up in the night to pee, they’d twitter softly and I’d murmur something to them and they’d twitter again amongst themselves just like they were reassuring each other, “Oh, it’s just Mama,” “Yeah, just Mums,” and then they’d all go back to sleep. My favorite animals of all time. 🙂 You’re being a lot more conscientious than I was — such a good mom. I never checked their bums, and it was winter, so they never got outside until they were about 3 months old. But they made it okay (lucky for me). There were seven of them and they went everywhere together like a litter of puppies — so funny. 🙂