How active should day old chicks be?

[chickenfan]

I have had three chicks hatch on separate days under a Pekin broody. The first one to hatch is 3 days old and now very active, but the one that is two days old and a day old are sleeping most of the time. I had a complication in that the broody did not like the last chick to hatch and kept pecking it, so it is now under an electric hen with the two day old. They come out and eat a litle bit every hour or so. Is this OK? Or have I slowed down the second chick by putting it with one that is much younger and less active?

Hope someone can advise what to do for the best.

 

[NEWTODUCKS]

Are they warm enough? or are they staying near the heat source to keep warm? I doubt you'd have slowed the 2nd one down by putting it with the 3rd younger chick. They may just need a period of adjustment as you've had to move them. So long as they are eating and drinking then I would have thought they were ok.

 

[Marigold]

When I had quail chicks last year I found they were much more active under a heat lamp and when I tried to move them to an electric hen they spent much more time under the hen and were not so constantly out and about as under the lamp. So I put them back under the lamp and they resumed activity. When you remember that chicks hatched in an incubator need the same temperature in the brooder as in the inci at first, reducing only gradually by a degree or two a day, this is not surprising. Even indoors, I found the temperature was quite hard to maintain in the brooder, especially at night, when I had to lower the lamp several links of the chain to be sure they didn't get chilled. I presumed the problem with the electric hen arose because quail chicks are so very tiny and thus have a greater surface area in relation to body size. But the brooder has to have a warm enough area outside of the electric hen to tempt them out, I expect, especially if there are only two to keep each other warm. I found insulating the sides with the silver stuff used behind radiators helped to keep it cosy quite effectively.

BTW, I used a ceramic lamp, which gives out heat only, not light, so they can sleep at night and less power is used keeping them warm.

 

[chickenfan]

Thank you very much for these two replies. As the hatch was going slowly, I brought them in, but is my single chick with its mum able to go outside in her broody coop again in this weather (wind and snow)?

If so, I could put them in a very warm room with their electric hen. If this doesn't work, I'll certainly look for a ceramic lamp.

 

[NEWTODUCKS]

I would have thought it is too cold outside. Here in the north east we're expecting -7c with the wind chill taken into account and it's snowing!

 

[Margaid]

That's warm Newtoducks! The met office says -11 with the windchill here in Shropshire, it's been snowing on and off all day although it hasn't really settled. Drinkers were freezing and I had no water until 2.30 pm.