Hatching a new batch

[Peachy Clean Soap]

awww so cute'

 

[Tara_H]

Yes, we have 8! One of them spent a lot of today thinking he was still an egg and trying to curl up again, but he's finally accepted that he hatched and is now drinking, eating and pooping

 

[KimW]

Awweeeee - poor little guy. He's doing good for thinking he was still an egg. So CUTE

 

[Tara_H]

They're getting so big already, and growing wing feathers!

I tried to get some pictures for you guys but it's kind of tricky since the camera is so fascinating!

 

[AliOop]

Between your chickies and CB’s bunnies, I am beside myself.

 

[KimW]

Captioned...

 

[Tara_H]

Today's excitement; their first encounter with grass! It's terrifying!



The guy in the front was sneaking up on it and jumping back every step or so making alarmed noises! The rest are on the roof cheering him on

Also, it makes their beaks wet when they peck it, which is alarming and gross and requires cleaning said beak immediately

This was just now, they're getting a little bit braver:

 

[KimW]

Oh no - that's too funny and too cute! Great green hairy beast has entered their domain - yet they're brave enough to (sort of) peck at it! Love it.

 

[Tara_H]

Oh and I nearly forgot! Yesterday some of them were getting a bit poopy (it's a health risk when they're that small) so warm baths were had. The bath part they quite enjoyed, getting dry not so much!

 

[Tara_H]

I have some great videos from today but they're too big for the video upload so need to figure out a good way to share...

 

[Tara_H]

Today there was a lot of practising with wings, and trying to escape!

 

[Quanta]

View attachment 58578

Today there was a lot of practising with wings, and trying to escape!

I love the would-be escapee. They overestimate their abilities.

 

[maryloucb]

Well that’s it—I just must get some chickens!!

 

[Tara_H]

They've started to get very opinionated about bedtime. Now instead of snuggling under the brooder, they want to come and roost with 'mom' (otherwise known as me...)

This little lady almost escaped, them when I picked her up to put her back in, settled down happily on my finger and looked like she was planning on spending the night

 

[cmzaha]

View attachment 58595









View attachment 58596

They've started to get very opinionated about bedtime. Now instead of snuggling under the brooder, they want to come and roost with 'mom' (otherwise known as me...)

This little lady almost escaped, them when I picked her up to put her back in, settled down happily on my finger and looked like she was planning on spending the night

View attachment 58597

They are adorable.

I have a question, do you always put the brooder heat plate on the bottom so they stand on top? My granddaughter's chicks always congregate under their heat plate. I am just curious and always willing to learn something new.

 

[Tara_H]

They are adorable.

I have a question, do you always put the brooder heat plate on the bottom so they stand on top? My granddaughter's chicks always congregate under their heat plate. I am just curious and always willing to learn something new.

Oh, the heated part is underneath! They just like to jump up on top of it when they're not feeling chilly. A bit like cats, chickens like to be on higher ground looking down

Edit - this is what they look like when they're quiet and sleepy... It's happening less and less often though!


Not long before this I heard a mad flapping coming from the playpen and looked around to see this:

She was very proud of herself!

 

[Tara_H]

We have officially gotten over our fear of the grass. Next problem: we don't all fit on it at once!

 

[KimW]

We have officially gotten over our fear of the grass. Next problem: we don't all fit on it at once!

View attachment 58615

I just spit out my tea...

 

[cmzaha]

Oh, the heated part is underneath! They just like to jump up on top of it when they're not feeling chilly. A bit like cats, chickens like to be on higher ground looking down

Edit - this is what they look like when they're quiet and sleepy... It's happening less and less often though!
View attachment 58603

Not long before this I heard a mad flapping coming from the playpen and looked around to see this:
View attachment 58604
She was very proud of herself!

I know where the heated part is, my granddaughter's chicks always like to cuddle underneath but her house gets really cold many times she has chicks. Also, they are in a large enough tub with a temp gradient and ceramic heat Lamps.

 

[Tara_H]

I know where the heated part is, my granddaughter's chicks always like to cuddle underneath but her house gets really cold many times she has chicks. Also, they are in a large enough tub with a temp gradient and ceramic heat Lamps.

Ah ok I thought you were asking was it a different kind.
Are you saying she has a brooder but has it raised up high? the point of those ones is that the chicks can actually touch the heated part if they want to. We start ours very low and move it up gradually as they grow.
I'm a believer in keeping things as natural for them as I can, given the circumstances, so I don't do any heat lamps or gradients no matter what the conditions are. The brooder is plenty warm, and they learn very quickly (matter of minutes) how to get back there for heat when they need it. I find this setup encourages robust and curious chicks, they venture out to explore and then run back to 'mama' when they want to warm up.
As you noticed, they already spend most of their time in the unheated part, at about a week and a half old. The room they're in is about 18C (cold enough that I get chilly if I sit too long) but they are perfectly comfortable with it. In fact I ran a heater a couple of times to make it warmer for me, and they flopped down and spread out their wings like they were too warm.
(Just sharing info - there are as many ways of doing this as there are chicken keepers, so no offence intended.)