Octomom Update.
No, not her - me.
I'm happy to report that all eight chicks are still doing fine. One is clearly smaller than the rest but has become a sort of scrapper so I like that. Both Plymouth Rock hens keep pasting up, so not only is that disgusting, but it's exhausting for them to get things straightened out. I actually feel very badly about taking them from their nice warm home and poking and prodding and getting them wet. I'm not used to feeling badly about doing things that need to get done.
Speaking of their nice warm home, at what temperature do you suppose I'll get fried chicken?
It was 115 degrees right under the light today! Of course there were other areas of the brooder where is was 80, so it averaged out okay, but they were sprawled out right under the fry-o-later light. I raised the lamp, but they are either too stupid to move to a more conducive-to-life temperature, or they were shipped from some where near the equator. So I fixed it so that right under the light was 100 degrees and now they're all huddling up together. Maybe it's the thermometer.
Well, here is little chick's eye view of how happy they seemed and sounded today.
I'm working on perfecting the camera angle, and I really tried to get some chick yoga in motion, but they're kind of just fun to watch anyway (if not here, then definitely in real life).
I'm happy to report that all eight chicks are still doing fine. One is clearly smaller than the rest but has become a sort of scrapper so I like that. Both Plymouth Rock hens keep pasting up, so not only is that disgusting, but it's exhausting for them to get things straightened out. I actually feel very badly about taking them from their nice warm home and poking and prodding and getting them wet. I'm not used to feeling badly about doing things that need to get done.
Speaking of their nice warm home, at what temperature do you suppose I'll get fried chicken?
It was 115 degrees right under the light today! Of course there were other areas of the brooder where is was 80, so it averaged out okay, but they were sprawled out right under the fry-o-later light. I raised the lamp, but they are either too stupid to move to a more conducive-to-life temperature, or they were shipped from some where near the equator. So I fixed it so that right under the light was 100 degrees and now they're all huddling up together. Maybe it's the thermometer.
Well, here is little chick's eye view of how happy they seemed and sounded today.
I'm working on perfecting the camera angle, and I really tried to get some chick yoga in motion, but they're kind of just fun to watch anyway (if not here, then definitely in real life).
Comments
It looks fun and all, like the wooly-bear caterpillar thing we did with our oldest... but are you planning on killing/eating these chickens? Or breeding them somehow? Is this a science experiment?
I'm cool with any of these things, but I'm not sure why you have these beings in your house.
I picked the breeds because they're all supposed to be good layers (beginning at about 5 months), hardy in winter, and don't mind living in a smaller space - Northeast Urban Chickens. (Ooh. I feel a t-shirt design coming on.)
They won't be in the house too long, though, just another few weeks - then it's out to the coop.
But c'mon - aren't they kind of cute?
As far as the heat lamp---go with the chicks' behavior, not the thermometer. If they huddle, they are cold and need the light closer. If they spread out to the edges, it's too warm and you need to raise the lamp. Just make sure they have lots of fresh water.
They are randomly about the brooder this morning, so I guess they're happy with the temperature.