June 14th - Chick Ready

Everything is set for the chicks to arrive either today or tomorrow.  I had ordered the chick starter kit from http://www.mypetchicken.com/ when I ordered the chicks back in January.  It included 10 panels that are 24 inches high that have slots in them so they fit together and they recommended that most people start with 6 panels when the chicks arrive. 

After putting them all together to see how big the pen was going to be once the chicks start to grow, we decided that 6 seemed more manageable to maintain the starting temperature of approximately 95 degrees.

The garage floor is covered with plastic, then there is about 2 inches of the pine shavings for cushioning and for the first day or two it will be covered with paper towels so the chicks don't slip around too much.  It also will allow them to find their food more easily until they recognize what it looks like.

In the beginning, the most important thing will be water as I unload them from the shipping box.  If you look closely in the photo, you'll see that I've added rocks into the tray so that if they fall asleep while drinking, they don't drown!  Sounds terrible, but I guess it does happen.  Then once they've all figured out how to drink and where to find it, I'll start to put down some food on the paper toweling and see how that goes.  All I need now is the chicks!