November has brought a few cooler mornings to greet the flock. Our local stores have enormous bags of quick oats that are not only delicious for the kids, but also provide a pick-me-up for the layers.
I use approximately 5-6 cups of oats at a time; placed in a casserole dish. Boil water and add to moisten the oats, but I try not to make it watery. Then I top it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Turns out Kevin loves this morning treat too! Since she (yes, Kevin is a gal) didn’t get any the first day, I made her a special batch.
The big batch of chicks arrived yesterday after several days of constantly checking the USPS tracking log! All of them arrived alert and oriented and they have been drinking and eating. Upon arrival to Owlcatraz, each chick had her (hoping they’re all ladies) beak dipped in water to encourage intake.) We added just a little sugar to their water to give them a boost after their journey from Iowa (Murray McMurray Hatchery) to Pennsylvania. These chicks have already had a busy first couple of days, take a look at this video giving a tour of the hatchery where they were born.
Looking good gals!
There are 27 chicks total in this order; with breeds ranging from brahma to polish chicks to Jersey giants and more! Our friend, BigFootFarmer, took home a couple of chicks to add to his flock too. The family is thrilled to be able to watch these gals grow! Hopefully our matriachs (Isabelle, Pearl, Nugget and Truck) will welcome them into the flock in the coming months.
The temperature in the brooder will stay between 90-95 degrees for the first week and drop 5 degrees each week afterwards. The larger bantams we have (brought home a week ago) are in a different brooder for the time being. The chicks are eating a commercial chick starter and we will sprinkle some chick grit on their food after the first week or so.
Owlcatraz Farm 