Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

I've gotten in touch with a local breeder who is willing to give me day old chicks I'm soon going to order a brooder "electric hen" and a few other bits and build a spot for them. The only problem is that the chicks are a selection of a few different breeds, so I won't know what breeds they are and wether or not they're cockerels or hens. All the breeder told me is that "There's a few Anconas there, a few buff and white Orpingtons, and an odd Silkie."

Since I'm a beginner at this I kinda need some advice on the do's and don'ts of rearing chicks without a mother hen to teach them how to drink, eat etc. I'm going to read the hatching guide that's somewhere in the forum after I'm finished writing this.

My main questions at the moment are

What kind of a house etc. do I need to build for them or is a cardboard box sufficient?

How do I teach them to eat and drink etc. since they don't have a broody/mother hen to teach them.

 

Thanks millions

 

Mr Rhode Island Red

[percy049]

I'm not an expert, but i do know that they need different temperatures according to how old they are, and to show them how to eat you need to tap the food with your finger, like a mother hen would.

[Redwing]

When they are small they need a small brooder, about two to three times the size of the electric hen so they can get away from the heat source if they need to

 

A plastic storage box with no lid or a wire top or cardboard box is fine, an indoor rabbit cage (plastic base, wire top) is ideal

 

J cloths are ideal to line the brooder floor for the first few days, the chicks will attempt to eat anything else until they know what food is! after that woodshavings are good if the brooder is in an outbuilding, if its inside they will make a mess but you could use woodshavings - I use wood pellet cat litter which doesnt get chucked around as much!

 

the electric hen will have adjustable legs, set the level quite low to start with, the chicks backs should be able to make contact with the plate then raise it as they grow, I set mine at an angle so the chicks can choose their comfort level themselves

 

Use shallow dishes for food and drink, to get them to drink gently lift one us, angle it downwards and dip its beak in the water, once one catches on the others will follow. to get them to eat drop some crumb down in front of them, they will be interested by the movement and peck at it, again one will teach the others

 

these are my tips....

 

DO: raise the water a little after they go on to proper bedding as it will get filled with bedding, a raised water drinker (it must be shallow) a rabbit water bottle (if you can teach them to use it!) are both good, I use normal chick drinkers but place them on an upturned seed tray to keep them out of the way of the bedding

 

DO: use medicated chick crumb or do your homework surrounding the pros and cons of it, Coccidiosis is a horrid condition and whole batches of chicks can get it

 

DO: Use warm water to fill up the drinkers

 

DO: keep the drinkers clean!

 

DO: understand that chicks grow!! so 10 chicks need progressively bigger housing, a rabbit hutch and run is ok when they go outside at about 6 weeks but then they'll need a proper coop and run later

 

DO: Learn how to cull a chick so you can react in an emergency

 

DO: provide lots of shelter once they are outdoors

 

DO: set the electric hen up before you get the chicks, they take a while to get warm

 

DO: be prepared to deal with the boys when the time comes

 

DONT: be tempted to get more than you can handle as adults, they are so small its easy to forget that they grow up!

 

DONT: use deep drinkers, chicks feel the need to launch themselves in to bowls of water quite readily

 

DONT: worry too much, chicks are pretty hardy really and it wont take long for you to get in to the swing of it, just do the homework that you are proposing to do and youll be fine

[quickcluck]

Fab comprehensive advice Tasha

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

Thanks for going to the bother to post that information for me Redwing, it's greatly appreciated

 

THanks millions

 

Rhode Island Red

[LuckyChickenLover-]

Good Luck Mr RIR!

 

Great advice Redwing.

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

Thanks millions for all the help

 

Mr Rhode island red