Chicks!

Our second-hand incubator - big enough to fit 70 eggs!

Hatched on 7th Sept!


Unfortunately, only one hatched out of 12 originally, then culled the number, when I candled them, to 5. Other 4 has dark masses in them however something stopped them from developing any further as the yolks were runny. Who knows...

A day old inside the cage with lamp keeping it warm


Two days old on the lounge, posing for me. It recognised me as its mother and would hop on my hand when I call 'pippippa'...

Ah as chooks need company to feel good, so I had to do a mad dash around and obtained two extra chicks - Here they are on the floor for their 'outside cage exercise' while I clean their cage. The fence's not chick-proof as the two little ones kept escaping! lol...

This is Pippa, our hatched chick, with the large chick 'Rosie' (an Australorp chick) on left. Rosie have adopted the mothering role for me however it's only 5 to 6 wks old.

And 'Shay' the silkie. It's the smallest of all and will always be due to its breed. I am not sure what type of silkie as I was told it could be a cross bred. We'll see when they've feathered out fully anyway.

Inside their cage in the lounge - it is getting smelly lately so soon they'll have to go outside. I will have them moved outside within 2 weeks and hopefully the other chooks will take them in kindly.


I am hoping like mad they're all pullets! If they're cockerels, then they're in trouble. heh...

Things I've learnt with raising chicks are:

• They eat way so much!
  
• They make too much mess.
• They don't drink much water as I've led to believe. However the water get dirty regularly.
• They only need chick crumble from day old till they go outside.
• Treats including shredded lettuces and peeled apples (though chicks didn't really take apple as much as they did with lettuce).
• Cage needs to be cleared every day.
• I used newspapers however it is recommended that wired floor or wood shavings are better. Today I've thrown out newspaper and put in a mixture of wood shaving and straw. They absorb better than newspapers. Chicks shreds papers too easily when they scratch!
• Chicks like to be on the shoulders - view or closer to voice?
• Its harder to raise chicks on your own - get a broody hen to do it for ya!
• They make lots of noises.
• I constantly worried about the ceramic lamp - overheating or whatever.
  
• Chicks can jump and fly from 2 weeks old.
• Pippa likes to roost! So time to put in a dowel in for them to roost during day as it will be above the lamp. Gotta train them now anyway before they join the flock.
• Next time I'll just let a broody chook to do all the work for me!
• Wonderful experience for kids as well as for me.

Cheers till later!