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Post by darbyponygirl on May 9, 2007 18:37:08 GMT -5
I am getting a chick and had a few questions for anyone that has had them. Do I need to get two of them or will one be fine by itself? What do I feed it? How do you tell female or male? How much and how often do i feed it?WIll a cat eat it? Thanx Darby
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bndranch
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Post by bndranch on May 10, 2007 10:23:23 GMT -5
If you are getting chicks you need to get more then one. When you get them from the feed store they are very tiny and they rely on each other to stay warm. With that said you also need to make sure you have a heat lamp on them. Give them a place with the heat lamp about a foot or so off the ground, but make sure they can get away from it if they get too warm. Second when you bring your chick home you will need to dip its little beak in the water so it knows where the water is at. As far as food goes you will need to pick up a bag of medicated chick starter from your local feed store. Make sure you keep feed and fresh water available at all times for them. As far as male or female, if you buy a bantie chick (breed) the feed store does not sex them so you will find out later on by the look if you have a hen or a rooster. IF you buy a full size type chicken they can sex these are the store. As far as the cat yes the cat will eat it so make sure you keep your chick in a safe spot. Yes chicks are cute and cuddly, but remeber just like any animal make sure you have the appropriate set up for when it gets older and bigger. We have been raising chicks for over 5yrs now and we love them they are a hoot to watch but we have lost our share as well. There are MANY breeds to choose from. Banties are the minature version of chickens. Some are meat birds that do NOT make particularly good pets and some are good egg layers. Good luck.
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Post by twosuperstudponies on May 10, 2007 11:46:27 GMT -5
That was very good information, bndranch! We have chickens for about 7 years and fortunately our hens do most of the raising. We have raised some store bought Rhode Island Reds and a few BB Reds. I had them in my kitchen in a big square laundry basket lined with newspaper. I used a clip on desk lamp with a 60 watt light bulb to keep them warm. I had to change the newspaper several times a day because there were 30 of them and shooowee do they stink after a while. I hope you enjoy your chickens. We sure do! This is a picture of my 4 year old with her two new babies! i151.photobucket.com/albums/s121/beccawilson2005/104_0992.jpg
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 10, 2007 16:03:36 GMT -5
Thank you guys so much! BnD how many would i need to get? Also would they be safe living in a stall in the barn oris that t o hot/cold? We were planning on putting like a bunny plasy penm like thing (if you have seen those) in teh stall and having a desk lamp over for the heat and once a day to get more excercise let them roam the stall and maybe give them a little outside time. I am nervous now that my cat will kill them I htink the stall will be safe though if i keep it closed he is kinda a lazy cat? Will it be ok to keep them together if they are hen and rooster?Will the cat still probvably eat them when they are fully grown. SOrry about all the ?'s just want to make sure that they have a good healthy long life lol
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bndranch
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Post by bndranch on May 10, 2007 17:00:00 GMT -5
BnD how many would i need to get? Personally I would get a minimum of 4. The stall would be fine, however I would definately put a red heat lamp over them at night to make sure they are warm enough. I would make sure the cat can't get in there until he is used to them and he realizes its not okay to bother them. We have cats and they don't touch our chickens BUT we have had some momma hen's beat the tar out of them if they tried to get their babies. Of course! However down the road they will breed and there is nothing wrong with that. If you don't want babies then you just continue to take their eggs and don't allow them to sit and hatch out a clutch. If the hen wants to have babies they will gaurd their eggs and make it difficult to get them but you can still take them LOL. Generally speaking no we have always had our cats be more interested in them as chicks but by the time they are older they tend to leave them alone. Good luck and if you have anymore questions just ask away!!
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 10, 2007 18:39:02 GMT -5
Thank you so much ok i will make sure that I keep all this in mind and ihave to go to feed store soon to get flax seed and more horse fed for the ponies and will get the chick food and all there I( will probably let the hen have a few but eventually i will have to start taking htem away can't have the chickens taking ponies stalls lol!!!!
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 10, 2007 18:40:18 GMT -5
I don't know how many she will let me have cause this is from school my teacher (science teacvher) has eggs in an incuvator
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Post by twosuperstudponies on May 14, 2007 9:34:34 GMT -5
Will the cat still probvably eat them when they are fully grown. That reminded me of another picture I took of my little girl! No, Anna, that is not what I meant when I said "Feed the Kitties!"
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 14, 2007 13:55:48 GMT -5
lol that is to cute
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 19, 2007 19:09:10 GMT -5
I don't think she will let me have more then one if she won't then do i need to go buy more???
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bndranch
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Post by bndranch on May 20, 2007 13:40:31 GMT -5
Idealy you should have more then one, however if you have a nice warm spot for him he "SHOULD" be alright. Good luck
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 20, 2007 15:54:49 GMT -5
Thank you I will get more if she only gives me one
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Post by twosuperstudponies on May 20, 2007 18:33:07 GMT -5
I don't think she will let me have more then one if she won't then do i need to go buy more??? Tractor supply usually has chicks for $1.50 or so, just in case you decide to get a few!
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Post by darbyponygirl on May 20, 2007 20:34:00 GMT -5
OK i will go there and check it out if i need more and we have a feed store (Travelers Rest Feed and Seed) which usually has some i think
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bndranch
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Post by bndranch on May 21, 2007 16:45:25 GMT -5
If you were closer I could give you a few! I have close to 20 babies running around here!
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