Re: Chicks' first night out...

From: Ronny 1 (crafti1_at_webtv.net)
Date: 06/11/04 

Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 22:58:26 -0500

Group: sci.agriculture.poultry Date: Thu, Jun 10, 2004, 12:02am (CDT+1)
From: cosmicNospam@comcast.net (Ray Drouillard)
"Ronny 1" <crafti1@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:19983-40C7D78C-120@storefull-3331.bay.webtv.net... Group:
sci.agriculture.poultry Date: Mon, Jun 7, 2004, 10:59pm (CDT+1) From:
cosmicNospam@comcast.net (Ray Drouillard) We have 54 chicks that are
about three weeks old. We have been raising them in in a couple stock
watering tubs, but quarters are starting to get crowded.
A few days ago, I made a chicken wire enclosure that measures perhaps 15
by 20 feet. The chicken wire is surrounded by three strands of electric
fence to keep marauding predators out.
After I built it, I carted all 54 of the little critters out there. They
immediately started jumping and trying to fly. They bounced all over the
place and seemed to be having a grand time. It was really funny watching
them spar. I hated to bring them back in, but nights were still a bit
chilly and I was worried about rain. There wasn't any shelter out there
at the time.
We did the same thing for a couple days, but nights are now warm, and I
used one of the stock tubs to build a rudimentary shelter for them
(stone, covered by a plastic stock tub). Later in the day, we caught all
of the chicks and put them into the shelter, then left the pen to let
them leave the shelter on their own. They did that, and continued to
peck around and take dust baths (red pine needles make wonderful litter)
and do other chicken things. Later, they all started to complain, then
settled down in a pile in the corner of the pen. After they settled
down, it was easy for my son and I to pick them up and stuff them into
their shelter. They seem to still be there, so all is well now.
Hopefully, they'll figure out where they're supposed to sleep soon.
Ray
 
Seems they are doing very good. :-)

I wish I could put my larger and smaller guinea keets out on the ground
now;but I worry about the fire ants we have here. I hate those things
and it is past time I put out some more poison for them as I've noticed
several mounds in the yard and outside the yard.

It is good to see any young poultry flapping around and trying out their
wings for the first time! LoL
Ronny
 
I can sympathize about the fire ants. I'm sure that if we had them, I
would hate them. I hope the guineas will feed on them once they grow up.
Here in Michigan, I hope they eat all the deer ticks in the area.

I know when I had guineas before they would wipe out a fire ant nest.
I'm not saying they went after them on their own though,as I had read
where you could put hen scratch on a fire ant nest,get the guineas to
notice that and as they ate the feed they would also eat the fire
ants,so that's what I did a few times. :-) And I would notice that in a
day or two that fire ant mound was gone! :-)

Today I was out in the back yard hurriedly cleaning out a little plastic
brooder near sundown. I had to reach down to pick up the water hose end
that was on the ground. Didn't really think about those fire ants as
there was no mound there;but then they don't always make mounds! :-( So
I picked up the water hose and was washing out that brooder when I felt
the biting on both my hands and feet! Wouldn't you know I would be
wearing flip flop shoes with no socks! LoL I just started washing off my
hands and feet as fast as I could with that water hose! Now I will soon
have little pus filled blisters where they stung me on the hands and
feet and the strange part is those things are hard! You can break them
open with your fingertnails;but boy does that ever hurt! So the best was
is to simply use a sterilized needle and then put some time of
disinfectent on the small sore places. And you've probably already
heard about this;but you get near a fire ant nest,much less just barely
touch it and those ants just come boiling out of that nest and they are
ready to sting anything that is messing with their home! LoL
Ronny

For the past two nights, the chicks have all gone into their shelter
without help. It looks like they learn quick.
Today, they figured out how to get out of the pen. They were hungry, and
they mobbed me when I approached the gate. They found a little hole and
kept coming out. I have noticed that the barred rocks are particularly
brassy little monsters.
Ray

LoL I'm just laughing thinking about what that must of been like! LoL
Ronny

I had my son guard the hole while I grabbed a bunch of chick starter and
chick grit. I also retrieved that cricket that was still chirping away
in the keet brooder (I moved them to the 100 gallon stock feeder and
they are having a grand time). The little white rock that took the
cricket from me knew what to do with it :-)
Ray

Good for that one! LoL
Ronny

The chicks followed me to the feeder (It holds something like five or
six pounds, so I didn't expect it to run out so quickly), trampled over
my feet, and generally participated in a feeding frenzy.
Ray

You know I don't think your guineas will be near as tame as those
chickens. They are just a wilder type bird. I have read where some
people tame them by handling them a lot from say one;but I just haven't
had time for that.
Ronny
 
By the way, I recall a post by someone who's young chickens flew over a
six foot fence in search of greens. I saw our chicks do exactly that
with the four foot chicken wire fence that we have. They actually ran up
the fence with wings a-flapping. They didn't bother with such gymnastics
after I fed them. That's good, because I would hate to have to figure
out a way to keep them from going over. Maybe a strand of electric fence
wire an inch or two above the fence...
Ray Drouillard

Sounds like you are having a time with those chickens! LoL I laugh;but I
don't know as I would be laughing if I had some doing that and maybe
even getting out and over the top! LoL
Ronny

Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake
when you make it again.

http://amazingforums.com/forum1/UKQUAIL/forum.html (UK Quail Forum)

http://www.shaywood.com/index.htm (That Quail Place)

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/NDG/Quail/JapQ/BRKJapQ.html
(Japanese/Cortunix Quail)

http://community.webtv.net/crafti1/Quail

http://community.webtv.net/crafti1/RaisingRabbits

http://community.webtv.net/crafti1/PoultryIncubator

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/matilda.htm

http://www.transload.net/~wondoh/WEBCAMS/eagles-3cams.html

http://www.thecozynest.com/ (The Cozy Nest/ Guinea- Poultry Group)

http://www.guineafowl.com/board/ (Guinea Fowl Message Board)

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Guineas/BRKGuineas.html (Feathersite
Guinea Page)

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