Chook Me!

are these things right to raise baby chicks?

im going to get 2 baby chicks and i prepared this for them: 1 a bird cage. 2 a thick glass bowl with water so it doesnt fall over. 3 a large metal bowl to keep them both well fed. 4 bird food from your local pet store. 5 the cage floor is coverd with natural backyard soil. 6 i instaled a rain hood so they cant get wet.

Public Comments

1. With the set up you are talking about the baby chicks will be dead in five days. They need a brooder. Two baby chicks don't do well alone like that. They do better in groups. They help teach each other also. They need to be kept warm in a brooder for a few weeks. They need to have 16% protein Starter and Grower to feed them. They will need this for about 6 -- 8 weeks. If you buy in in large quantities it will need to be kept fresh. IF you leave it open it will get stale and lose it's goodness. They don't need to be on damp soil. They need to be on wood shavings. They will fall into a bowl and die if that is what you put your water in. There are little caps that you screw on a mason jar and put their food and water in. They will need to have their water changed several times a day. They will poop in it, get food in it and the wood shavings get into it. Baby chicks will stick their head through 1/2" bar spacing and hang themselves. You need to do some reading because your chickens won't last five days.
2. They are going to poop in their feed and water, I would highly recommend getting chick feeders from your local farm store. They are small, easy to clean and its harder to get messy! They're only a few bucks. They also need a heat lamp and some hay or wood shavings to get off of the damp ground. Chicks chill very easily.
3. Maybe you should wait and get some a little bigger your set up wont do its to small and peeps will get hurt and most likely die besides you really need more than 2 plus you have no heat source for peeps
4. 1. The bird cage probably has wire bars (am I right?) which, first off, they can get their heads stuck in. Second, it is not a good place to keep heat in. Baby chicks need a heat lamp. 2. They will drown in it. The best things to use are chick waterers you can buy at feed stores. They can't drown in these. 3.Large is not good. They will crawl on top and poop all over in it. Again, get a chick feeder. They have a harder time messing up and wasting food. 4. Good. 5. Natural backyard soil can have lots of unwanted pathogens in it, which can make your birds sick. Your best bet is to use chopped up straw. Wood shavings are sometimes mistaken for food and are then eaten. (Which of course is a bad thing...lol). 6. Okay...why are they outside? Are they baby chickens or some kind of pet bird? Either way, they should be in a sheltered area, like a shed. They CAN NOT be in an area with a draft. That can kill them within hours. Chicks get sick very easily. Good luck!