The baby chicks at Red Bucket Farm are nine days old. This is a mellow flock of chicks. They eat, sleep and poop regularly and without drama. We've experienced no pasty butts (when dried feces blocks the vent which can quickly lead to death), no weakness or wobbliness, no aggression, no drama at all. It's very soothing to sit and watch them. I'm sure it lowers blood pressure!
Little chicks grow so quickly it seems you can practically watch them change. Pin feathers began appearing at their wing tips in only a few days. In the photo above, notice Andromeda's tiny comb beginning to form as well as the black and white stripes of her adult coloration (Barred Rock). Do you see her teeny little tail feathers?
Although we intended to keep the brooder in the garage this spring, current weather conditions have been too cold to allow that. For now, the brooder is in the basement. We hope to transfer them to the garage in a couple of weeks, before they begin to kick up their usual dust. The brooder box is heated by two heat lamps. Heat lamps have ceramic bases (rather than plastic) to allow for higher wattage bulbs. We recently decreased wattage because the girls are growing enough feathers to keep them warm.
Our brooder box has a sturdy cat-proof cover made of an old window frame and hardware cloth. Better safe than sorry!
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