New chicks....what should they be doing???

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Brad26

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New chicks....what should they be doing???
« on: April 12, 2011, 22:29 »
Hi i've managed to hatch 3 out of the 6 eggs i've been incubating and they've now been transferred to the brooder and i've dipped their beaks in the water as i read is the usual thing to do. This is my first time and i would just like to know what behaviour they should be exhibiting in these early hours/days. Should they be up and down running about or is it normal for them to have a bit of a rest after all that hard work hatching, and should they be eating straight away or do they not really eat/drink much in the first few days as i've heard the yoke keeps them going for that long. Sorry to ask so many questions but i want to make sure they're doing ok.

Many thanks

Brad

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Casey76

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Re: New chicks....what should they be doing???
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2011, 08:08 »
Hi Brad, did you leave them in the incubator for 24 hours to fluff up?  You're right, the yolk which they have absorbed will keep them going for up to  72 hors, so it is usual that they don't eat many crumbs during this time... don't worry, they will make up for it later on ;)

Usually the first days are filled with frenetic running around, for about 30s at a time before they flop over and have a sleep for a while, almost in mid step... rinse and repeat lol.

Once they get to four or five days old they will start to stay awake for a bit longer and start to do remarkable chicken-like things (scratching in the bedding, dust bathing etc), as early as a week or so old, they will start to have play fights, flying at each other and bumping chests

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Brad26

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Re: New chicks....what should they be doing???
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2011, 09:31 »
Hi Casey, thanks for the info.......i knew i had to wait for them to fluff up before removing them from the incubator but didn't realise it had to be around the 24 hour mark. I removed them as they were fluffed up which was about a few hours for each one and then moved them straight into a brooder which i'd had switched on for the last day. They're all pretty active but i see what you mean about the flopping over bit. lol .

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Lindeggs

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Re: New chicks....what should they be doing???
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2011, 10:49 »
Oh little animals are so lovely!  They're either running around full-steam or asleep - puppies, kittens, human babies are all the same.  I do adore them (and I adore giving them back to their parents when the brooder needs cleaning too.)


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