Baby Silkies

Report

There is a new flock of baby silkies at the barn. They are amazingly smart even at only a few days old. I was a little worried that the weather was getting too cold at night for them, but they are actually plenty warm when they sit under mom's wing. It is funny to come into the barn and not see the babies anywhere and gradually they peek there heads out from under mom. When my hen Butterscotch hatched 7 eggs out this summer, she would tuck them underneath her until they were strong enough to be exposed to the cooler air.

Needless to say they are still eating grower and will do so for several more weeks. They have a lot to learn from mom but it is still important for them not to get bored, especially as the pecking order is getting established.

In a few weeks we will be prepping the barn for the winter. It takes quite a bit of work to put up the corrugated clear plastic on the outdoor coop, clean and sterilize the coops, get the heated dog bowls ready, adding new protein to the feed, adding lights and making sure each bird is in top condition going into the cold weather.

Lastly here are a 13 tips for raising happy chickens.

(reported from stories at home, thanks M+D for taking care of birds)

New grey silkie

The future of the barn

Every year during the spring an average of about a dozen birds gets added to the collective population of the barn. This year had its share of the new birds except, many of them were added during the summer, including one added merely a week ago. Yes, I am talking about the homegrown babies that Butterscotch and Peach hatched. With a combined eight babies between them, I think they did a very fantastic job! One week ago today, I was still at camp Kieve having a great time, except that it is not the reason to be excited, one week ago one of my blue cochins hatched a baby chick! One chick sounds like nothing compared to the seven that Butterscotch hatched in mid July, but take no credit away from Peach, hatching a single egg is a very tough task and she did a great job. I feel some empathy for one of the other blues (blue cochins) named Sassy who was unsuccessful in her attempt to hatch a few eggs, by now I'm sure she has moved on and is probably looking forward to next spring/ summer when she will get another try.

When I walk into the barn, there is the unmistakable high pitched chirping of the babies chatting with their mothers. The excitement that both the babies and the mothers show for each other is amazing. Of course the mothers are happy to teach their children basic necessities of what to eat and what not to eat, while the babies are eager to learn. As I approach Butterscotch's coop holding a fresh corn cob, she immediately and easily gather her babies by calling them over. As they lock their eyes on the cob of corn, nothing else matters, All they want at that moment is to sink their beaks into the big, fat, juicy kernels of corn. It is great to see that something so simple as a cob of corn makes these birds so genuinely happy. Since today is the one week anniversary of Peach's baby, Fudge, being born I think will celebrate by giving her some mushed up corn that will be nice and easy for her to eat. If there is one thing that can be gathered form these amazingly cute babies it is that they are the future of the barn an will be for years to come.

My hen Butterscotch hatched out 7 new silkies!

New baby in the barn.

WELCOME HOLLY.

I just returned from a month a camp to find a 2 day old baby chick hatched by Peach, my standard blue cochin. She is an awesome mom.

So you are about to get baby chicks. A few Tips.

My blue cochins as chicks. That is Peach.

If you are planning on getting chicks this spring here are a few tips:
1. Make sure you have extra time on the day you pick up or receive your chicks. You will want to be with them of course, but you will also want to check in on them every few hours to make sure they are ok.

2. You can certainly mix different breeds together, just be aware that different breeds have different personalities and each bird has a unique personality. Every flock has a Boss. In my flock it is Paprika a white Brahma, she is big, loud and always is the first to greet me at the barn.

3. Choose a location for the "brooder" (this is the hen nursery). It must be predator (including house pets) proof! And also must be draft free. Babies need to be warm.

4. For the brooder you could use a big box with holes in it, a big plastic tub, a cardboard box unfolded and rolled into a pen. You get the idea. Just make sure there is plenty of ventilation and that each chick has 2 square feet of space. This seems big, but watch how fast they grow!

4. HEAT! Babies need to be hot. For the first week of life they need the brooder to be above 90 degrees. Then the temperature can come down about 5 or 6 degrees each week after. I use a 250 watt infrared heat lamp. I hang it over my brooder (which has a thermometer in it) and am constantly checking to make sure it is the right temperature. Here is one thing to look for - if the chicks are all huddled together under the lamp, they are cold. If they are at the edges of the brooder they are trying to cool off. They should all be simply walking around and exploring with each other.

5. Line the brooder with newspaper under pine shavings (NOT CEDAR - too perfumey). Deep shavings though because just plain paper can make for a slippery surface and the chicks can hurt their legs with only newspaper. Change the bedding often.

6. Water. Use a specific chick waterer. A dish can be dangerous. You will also have to teach your chicks how to drink. When you first get them gently dip their beaks into the water.

7. Feed. Get a chick feeder. I actually used a little bowl once and they tipped it over and trapped one of their flock mates. Luckily I was right there. I would recommend an organic chick starter (Not Layer). Starter has more protein. Feed them as much as they want.

8. By about 6 weeks your chicks should be able to go out. It should be above 65 degrees.

9. "Pasting up". This can kill your chicks so look for it every time you are at the brooder. Inspect each little hen. It is when the poop cakes up on their booty, over the vent. Which means they then can poop anymore. You should try and pull it off immediately. Apply warm wet paper towel to soften it up then peel it away.

List of things you need:
Chicks
Brooder pen (box, tub)
Heat lamp, 250 watt red lamp
Pine Shavings
Chick waterer
Chick feeder
Organic Chick "Grower" feed
Thermometer
Affection