I took the plunge and picked up three Rhode Island Red chicks on Saturday. They were 3 days old, having been born on the 22nd.
Angry Birds Level 1
The woman at the feed store was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, advising me on how long they should stay indoors, which accessories were necessary and which weren’t, and what to look for to ensure they stay healthy.
I had a 30 gallon aquarium at home, which she said would work just fine as a starter brooder. I also had a gooseneck lamp with a 75 watt light bulb. No reason not to jump in, so in addition to the chicks themselves I picked up:
- a 1 gallon plastic waterer
- a long plastic feeder tray
- a hanging “chick stick”, which is basically a bird seed hanger that the chicks can peck at
- 15 lbs of organic chick feed
- a 40 lb bag of wood stove pellets
All together less than $60. Not bad.
That last item, the bag of wood stove pellets, was interesting to me — apparently wood pellets work marvelously well as bedding for chicks. It isn’t slippery like straw or shredded newspaper so they won’t get splay-legs, and it isn’t fine like pine shavings, which chicks tend to eat. As the chicks walk around on the pellets, they eventually crush down so that it looks like the chicken feed. “When it gets to that point,” said my new best friend, “Scoop it out or the chicks will think it’s food and eat it.”
She also advised putting a feather duster into the brooder to act as a surrogate mother — when startled, the chicks run up and hide around/under the feathers of the duster.
The chicks came through the first night just fine, but I’m going to get a better lamp, one with a clamp that can attach to the aquarium. I’m also getting a higher wattage red bulb. The one I have currently is only 75 watts and doesn’t keep it quite as warm as the books recommend (95 degrees F for the first week). And I want a red bulb because I suspect they’ll get neurotic from being in “daylight” 24/7. Red light won’t have that effect on them, but will still keep them warm.
They won’t need grit for another 2 weeks, and they won’t need nesting boxes or supplementary oyster shell until they start laying, which won’t be for another 4 – 6 months.
Who says aquariums are just for fish?
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I continue to be amazed at your resourefulness. You are a great inspiration to me. In fact, after reading your posts, I decided to reduce my cooling costs by insulating the walls of my house with ice cubes. This will not only reduce my electric bill, but also add incredible value to my home. I am also in the process of running extension cords (through ABS pipe, of course) from the neighbors house to my various appliances. This should reduce my electric bill as well.
Have you considered installing a wind generator? You could use large fans plugged into those same extension cords to power it when there’s no wind, and then sell the generated electricity back to the power company. It worked on The Simpsons.
That is an excellent idea. In fact, I actually have large fans placed around my property now that attract small chickens from Japanese pagoda style coops. I am currently using the no longer needed feathers to insulate my walls as the ice seems to have taken on a liquidish property.