Wednesday, March 04

Welcome to your updates on your chicks.

They arrived at the farm a day early, much to our surprise. However they have settled into their new coop well and are moving around a lot more today, eating and drinking well. There are 200 Mistral Gris, which are your meat birds. We also ordered 100 Barred Rocks and 10 New Hampshires to add to our own flock.

You will see from the photos that they are still very small and relying on heat lamps and artificial heaters for warmth. These heat lamps will stay on constantly until the develop feathers. At this point, the temperature of the coop needs to be a constant 90 degrees F.

The coop is insulated and designed to grow with the chicks. While they are so young it is beneficial to have them in a small space and close together. They can huddle for warmth if needed and to sleep at night.  As they grow, we can move the internal walls to increase the space. There are also removable perches which we will put back in as they show desire to roost. They will stay in the coop full time until they are old enough to free range.

We have purchased GMO free chick starter feed from the Otter Co-op to get them going. To give them the best start possible, we use some natural ways to promote good health.  For example, adding garlic to their water supports their immune system. They also get Apple Cider Vinegar to improve digestive health. As they get bigger and stronger, we will switch on the automatic waterers but for now, the manual waters are allowing us to monitor how much these tiny chicks are drinking.

As with any new chicks, there are always a few casualties. We did lose a few last night. We've been watching them closely. Luckily, we have some broody hens who are acting as foster Mom's for any chicks that aren't looking strong.  We've put 2 Mistral Gris, 2 Barred Rocks and 1 New Hampshire in with the foster hens to help them along and they appear to be doing well.