Day 3 Update - Getting Their Wing Feathers & Importance of Brooder Temperature

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.

It's amazing how much the girls have changed in just 3 days.  They're continuing to eat and drink well and they all finally have names.  The 2 Dominique's will be named Ruby and Ruthie.  Denise wanted to name one Ruth but we decided that we're likely to call her Ruthie.  Our 4 year old, Karson is also loving the chicks.  His favorite is Bob, the Buff Brahma that he decided to name.  Even though he has a clear favorite, he likes them all and wants to watch them in the brooder several times a night, and helps check them for pasty bottom or other issues  Every day he has to take a minute right before bed and hold Bob and gently pet her head.  It's so cute!

Karson holding Bob for their goodnight moment.

The thing that I found so amazing tonight is that all the girls have, in just 2 days, started developing their wing feathers.  Bertha has the least development, with her feathers just starting to come in.

Bertha's emerging feathers

You can see at the ends of the feathers where the next ones are coming out.  Ruth is next.

Ruth's wing feathers

Then Ruby -

Ruby's getting feathers!

Molly -  I'm intrigued that she's got black and white feathers coming even though she's supposed to end up being all black.

Molly's feathers

And finally, Bob.  It's amazing how developed her feathers are compared to the others.  She's going to have beautiful coloring.

Bob's close to having wings!

Pretty soon we'll have to put the lid on the  brooder so that they won't be able to jump/fly out of their crate.  I'll keep you posted on their growth and development as the days pass.

After solving the issues with finding the right combination of food ingredients, the most difficult challenge about having the girls is making sure that the temperature in their brooder is right.  During their first week, chicks need at least a portion of their brooder to be at 95 degrees.  Each week, you decrease the temperature by 5 degrees until they're ready/able to go into their permanent home.  They can have difficulty surviving, especially early on, if the temperature isn't correct.

I keep a thermometer in my brooder and move it around occasionally at the end where my heat lamp is to monitor the temp.  When it's laying on the brooder floor, it registers near 100 degrees but leaning on the wall it's about 90 degrees.  I was initially concerned until I watched the behavior of the chicks.  If chicks are too cold they will huddle under the brooder lamp and if they're too cold, they'll go to the other end of the brooder.  Thankfully, my girls generally sleep under the brooder but are very comfortable walking throughout the brooder and seem very comfortable, even though my temperature readings are a little inconsistent.  As the weeks go by I will move the heat lamp further and further away to get the desired lower temperature.