May 12, 2025

Best Practices for Brooding Baby Chicks-Part 2

Best Practices for Brooding Baby Chicks-Part 2
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Season 2

In Part 2 of our series on best practices for brooding baby chicks, Rip Stalvey and Jeff Mattocks continue their discussion on creating the ideal environment for young chicks. This episode dives deep into important factors like adjusting brooder temperature, choosing the right protein levels for chick starter feed, managing amino acid intake, monitoring crop fill, preventing pasty butt, and why grit and probiotics can make a big difference in early chick health.

Topics covered include:

·      How to fine-tune brooder temperature as chicks grow

·      Understanding protein and amino acid requirements for healthy growth

·      Practical feeding and watering tips for young chicks

·      How to use crop fill monitoring to gauge chick health and feeding success

·      The role of probiotics and using milk as a natural option

·      Brooder lighting and bedding management best practices

·      How to recognize signs of dehydration and respiratory issues early

·      Real-world advice from experienced poultry nutritionist Jeff Mattocks

Whether you're raising a small backyard flock or preparing your next generation of breeding stock, this episode will give you actionable insights to help your chicks thrive.

Visit www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com for show notes, bonus resources, and more expert poultry management tips.

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WEBVTT

00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:04.379
Hello and welcome to another episode of The Poultry Keepers Podcast.

00:00:05.009 --> 00:00:12.310
In this episode Jeff Mattocks and Rip Stallvee finish up their session on the Best Practices for Brooding Baby Chicks.

00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:15.910
Let's join them now as the pick up where they left off last week.

00:00:26.169 --> 00:00:32.859
Know what we recommend, I noticed that most of the Chickstarter protein now is about 18%.

00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:35.378
Most of the over the counter stuff.

00:00:35.829 --> 00:00:38.639
It's all over the place and I see growers all over the place.

00:00:38.639 --> 00:00:40.859
I see people using game bird starters.

00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:46.319
I see people using, and, 20%, 20 to 22.

00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:47.579
Okay.

00:00:47.698 --> 00:00:53.719
Because we do have breeding birds and show birds and not commercial birds.

00:00:53.768 --> 00:00:59.009
Those feeds that you're seeing, advertised at, different places around and.

00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:05.998
Those are for commercial meat birds, that's primarily what they're growing them for or what they're putting that on the shelf for.

00:01:06.149 --> 00:01:13.509
And, but yeah, for fancy birds, with great plumage and a aspirations to be breeders somewhere down the road.

00:01:13.509 --> 00:01:18.039
I like 20 to 22 as long as those amino acids are correct.

00:01:18.429 --> 00:01:21.368
And I know I've beat amino acids for the last three years.

00:01:21.409 --> 00:01:22.459
So it's but.

00:01:22.998 --> 00:01:28.049
Every time we do this we got new people listening and it's like those amino acids are criticals.

00:01:28.778 --> 00:01:29.528
I'm all, a few shows

00:01:29.528 --> 00:01:30.099
ago.

00:01:30.998 --> 00:01:34.688
Yeah, a couple shows ago, somebody asked me, what is the best Kickstarter?

00:01:34.688 --> 00:01:40.118
And I said to be honest it was, carries show pro Kickstarter.

00:01:40.174 --> 00:01:43.953
And'cause we know that the amino acids are.

00:01:44.313 --> 00:01:44.823
Perfect.

00:01:44.823 --> 00:01:51.698
They're spot on and it's got meat, protein, it's got the right fat levels, it's got the and it's amazing.

00:01:51.698 --> 00:01:56.599
He's astonished at how many people actually, place the order and Got it.

00:01:56.778 --> 00:02:04.688
And I'm happy for him and those people are, if they do it right, management wise, you've started chicks on it, you know what I'm talking about.

00:02:04.769 --> 00:02:14.438
So it's, it is hands down, when you ever get your hands on that perfect Kickstarter, it's like, where have I been my whole life?

00:02:14.653 --> 00:02:26.883
It, and you've been doing it 50 years and that's, I you've been doing it 50 years and, you just did it the first time here in the last couple years, using a, a superior enhanced Kickstarter.

00:02:27.274 --> 00:02:29.343
And it's you were amazed, right?

00:02:29.343 --> 00:02:29.433
Oh yeah.

00:02:29.463 --> 00:02:34.473
Just listening to your comments a couple years ago, it's like, where have I been my whole life?

00:02:34.533 --> 00:02:35.794
I didn't know you could do that.

00:02:36.364 --> 00:02:37.174
Exactly right.

00:02:37.174 --> 00:02:39.274
I felt bad for all those chicks I started on.

00:02:39.274 --> 00:02:41.193
Anything else over the years?

00:02:41.644 --> 00:02:46.834
Survival Flare wants to know if they can use whole fresh goat milk.

00:02:46.834 --> 00:02:47.584
Will that work?

00:02:48.484 --> 00:02:48.753
Sure.

00:02:48.783 --> 00:02:49.318
Will any,

00:02:49.834 --> 00:02:51.364
any mammal milk?

00:02:51.454 --> 00:02:52.294
I don't care if you got.

00:02:53.193 --> 00:02:58.174
Goat milk, cow milk, camel milk, horse milk, pig milk.

00:02:58.204 --> 00:02:59.463
It doesn't matter to me.

00:02:59.584 --> 00:03:02.044
If you want to milk your sheep, then that's fine too.

00:03:02.213 --> 00:03:04.313
All of those milks will work just fine.

00:03:04.984 --> 00:03:07.774
O milk, cashew milk, coconut milk.

00:03:07.804 --> 00:03:09.903
And those are not from a mammal.

00:03:10.294 --> 00:03:11.193
They don't count.

00:03:11.373 --> 00:03:12.663
They're not real milk.

00:03:13.114 --> 00:03:18.213
I'm just sitting here trying to visualize me trying to milk a hog, but

00:03:19.114 --> 00:03:24.514
somebody's done it because they had an analysis for what you know what pig milk is,

00:03:25.484 --> 00:03:27.704
That's a little bit, somebody milk enough

00:03:27.704 --> 00:03:27.913
to enough to know.

00:03:28.813 --> 00:03:29.104
Yeah.

00:03:29.894 --> 00:03:30.183
Yeah.

00:03:30.818 --> 00:03:33.639
And I don't think she's gonna stand still for it, but that's

00:03:33.998 --> 00:03:35.199
not even close.

00:03:36.098 --> 00:03:36.338
Nope.

00:03:37.058 --> 00:03:37.359
Nope.

00:03:38.229 --> 00:03:39.489
Let see, we talked about Wattles.

00:03:40.248 --> 00:03:42.019
As your chicks grow, we talk about wattles.

00:03:42.068 --> 00:03:43.348
I was, we didn't talk about wattles.

00:03:43.764 --> 00:03:45.204
We talked about the feeders.

00:03:46.044 --> 00:03:56.783
But as your chicks grow, do not forget to raise the height of your feeders and your waterers to just below the back of those chicks.

00:03:57.294 --> 00:04:02.933
That's where you want the lip of those feeders and wattles that will keep your feed and wattles cleaner.

00:04:03.623 --> 00:04:07.734
Plus, they will waste less feed that way Now.

00:04:08.153 --> 00:04:08.334
Wattles.

00:04:09.234 --> 00:04:11.364
People don't believe us people.

00:04:11.454 --> 00:04:12.563
People don't believe us, Rick.

00:04:12.623 --> 00:04:14.213
'cause I still see pictures.

00:04:14.663 --> 00:04:14.993
Oh yeah.

00:04:14.993 --> 00:04:17.213
Of feeders and wattles sitting on the ground.

00:04:17.213 --> 00:04:17.394
Flat

00:04:17.394 --> 00:04:17.934
on the ground.

00:04:18.024 --> 00:04:18.264
Yep.

00:04:19.103 --> 00:04:19.403
Yep.

00:04:20.303 --> 00:04:23.413
And they're like why is my, why am my chicks wasting so much feed?

00:04:23.463 --> 00:04:24.124
Let's see.

00:04:24.543 --> 00:04:27.934
Because you have your feeder on the ground maybe.

00:04:28.834 --> 00:04:29.434
Exactly.

00:04:30.334 --> 00:04:31.653
And it's not good feed

00:04:32.553 --> 00:04:33.004
anyway.

00:04:33.903 --> 00:04:43.434
When I start baby chicks, I will put some brightly colored marbles in that little water tray just to attract the chick's attention to it.

00:04:43.884 --> 00:04:44.903
And they'll picket that.

00:04:44.903 --> 00:04:53.033
And just something I've been doing for years since I started back when I was raising Bob White Quale, I did that and Wow, that helped

00:04:53.033 --> 00:04:54.053
keep you're quail

00:04:54.053 --> 00:04:54.293
from,

00:04:54.473 --> 00:04:55.673
you're right on the money.

00:04:56.163 --> 00:05:10.134
So if you have those little quart flip overs with the trougher on it, there's, or even the gallon size, the reason you want the secondary reason you wanna put those marbles in there is they can't get in it to their feathers.

00:05:10.303 --> 00:05:14.504
So they're not gonna get wet, they're not gonna get Mercedes.

00:05:14.504 --> 00:05:15.973
They're not gonna get dead.

00:05:16.483 --> 00:05:18.194
Yeah, it's.

00:05:19.093 --> 00:05:26.894
And putting those marbles or something like that in there that's shiny, glittery, different color, something to attract them.

00:05:27.689 --> 00:05:28.759
You're right on the money.

00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:28.999
Rip.

00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:31.218
Can you still buy marbles though?

00:05:32.119 --> 00:05:32.418
Yeah.

00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:33.889
You still buy'em?

00:05:33.889 --> 00:05:34.158
I know you

00:05:34.158 --> 00:05:38.749
got a bag from when you were a kid, but I don't know if you, I haven't seen marbles.

00:05:39.238 --> 00:05:44.488
Mary got some the other day for some little Christmas boxes she puts together for kids and Okay.

00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:50.548
I'm pretty sure they came from Amazon, but I've seen them at places like Hobby Lobby and all that kind of place.

00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:53.218
All right, so they still do make marbles.

00:05:53.338 --> 00:05:54.329
Still make marbles.

00:05:55.228 --> 00:05:55.588
All right.

00:05:56.488 --> 00:05:57.358
Samantha Grigg.

00:05:57.629 --> 00:05:57.899
Whoops.

00:05:57.928 --> 00:06:08.218
Where'd it go here, Samantha Grigg wants to know she's jumping in late, but if this has been touched on, is anyone using coarse sand as a bedding for baby chicks?

00:06:08.218 --> 00:06:08.278
I.

00:06:08.778 --> 00:06:10.488
I have seen it used.

00:06:10.949 --> 00:06:12.059
It's not my favorite.

00:06:12.509 --> 00:06:16.814
I you can, it'll it does draw the moisture outta the manure pretty quickly.

00:06:17.233 --> 00:06:36.149
So if you're a person who wants to rake out your bedding and remove the manure on a daily basis, saying could have potential, but, I, I don't know that I wanna recycle it or reuse it from batch to batch, so makes me a little bit nervous.

00:06:36.899 --> 00:06:39.338
But like I said, it's not my favorite.

00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:43.869
So it's, but it can be used as long as it's warm.

00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:49.629
Here's the downside that I'm seeing from people that like to bet on sand.

00:06:50.528 --> 00:06:56.858
It appears to be drawing moisture out of the feathers and the feathers will have a dryer look.

00:06:57.428 --> 00:07:05.733
Okay, so you're gonna if you're doing breeding stock or pretty foul, then you're working against yourself by using sand.

00:07:05.764 --> 00:07:09.213
'cause it's a desiccant that will draw moisture.

00:07:10.024 --> 00:07:12.754
And when your birds, it's actually coarse, right?

00:07:12.783 --> 00:07:14.163
That's what they make sandpaper with.

00:07:14.524 --> 00:07:21.504
So if your birds start dusting in it, you're also gonna have, it's gonna be abrasive to the feathers, during formation.

00:07:22.163 --> 00:07:22.374
Yeah.

00:07:22.494 --> 00:07:23.754
That's my thoughts on sand.

00:07:24.653 --> 00:07:25.374
I agree with that.

00:07:25.403 --> 00:07:29.944
'cause I know when I used to have Bob White quail on sand, the feathers looked horrible.

00:07:30.394 --> 00:07:31.353
Absolutely horrible.

00:07:31.358 --> 00:07:31.538
Yeah.

00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:32.978
Let's see.

00:07:33.428 --> 00:07:34.538
Ingrid had a good one here.

00:07:34.988 --> 00:07:40.389
Ingrid says for water, she used to cut some hose to length and put that in the red part of the water.

00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:43.689
She's talking about like pieces of old water hose and that kind of stuff.

00:07:44.408 --> 00:07:45.038
That would work great.

00:07:45.038 --> 00:07:47.798
And it keeps'em from Yeah, they can't jump in there.

00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:49.024
They can still drink.

00:07:49.084 --> 00:07:50.403
There's enough depth there.

00:07:50.884 --> 00:07:53.774
They can still drink, it doesn't clog the foun, right?

00:07:53.774 --> 00:07:55.723
The F still works the way it's supposed to.

00:07:56.473 --> 00:08:06.204
But there's only like a quarter of anal water over the top of it, so so they learn how to work with a drinker, a water fountain, then that's a safe way to go.

00:08:07.103 --> 00:08:10.884
Imperium ceramics, said Dollar Store has a ton of marbles.

00:08:11.783 --> 00:08:12.564
Nice.

00:08:12.803 --> 00:08:13.824
They probably do.

00:08:14.723 --> 00:08:16.764
I might just go get something to have fun with.

00:08:17.663 --> 00:08:18.863
You'll play for keeps too.

00:08:18.863 --> 00:08:19.524
I know you.

00:08:20.423 --> 00:08:21.144
Absolutely.

00:08:22.043 --> 00:08:26.559
Laura Miller wants to know the regimen for yogurt probiotic.

00:08:27.009 --> 00:08:29.108
Look, milk is my first choice, right?

00:08:29.108 --> 00:08:32.499
I don't want people just jumping ahead trying to get ahead of the class.

00:08:32.548 --> 00:08:39.749
Milk and a disposable aluminum pipe plate half full.

00:08:40.349 --> 00:08:45.989
And what they'll consume first time is two hours after that, what they clean up in about an hour, right?

00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:56.489
And so the regimen is day three, day seven, day 14, day 21, and day 28, and then stop.

00:08:57.239 --> 00:08:59.249
So you're basically doing it one day a week.

00:08:59.653 --> 00:09:05.960
But the first dose is on day three, day seven, day 14, day 21, day 28.

00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:07.129
Okay.

00:09:08.029 --> 00:09:09.080
Then we can use it.

00:09:09.169 --> 00:09:12.350
We can use it later on in life if, okay.

00:09:12.350 --> 00:09:17.590
You see there's a whole bunch of strange looking, droppings in the pen.

00:09:17.950 --> 00:09:21.970
Like they ate something, they might've got some spoiled feed or something like that.

00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:25.450
Fine, let's give them, let's give'em a dose of milk, right?

00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:26.200
But.

00:09:26.644 --> 00:09:33.274
Chickens actually don't digest glucose and some of the things in milk properly.

00:09:33.995 --> 00:09:39.725
So doing it all the time, it'll act as a laxative and can create problems.

00:09:40.325 --> 00:09:40.534
So

00:09:41.434 --> 00:09:42.664
here's a good question.

00:09:43.304 --> 00:09:44.054
Survival Flare.

00:09:44.144 --> 00:09:50.534
Says she has eight, three week old chicks and she says she has a feeling she has five males and three females.

00:09:51.075 --> 00:09:54.345
The roosters are fighting so much, like really fighting.

00:09:54.644 --> 00:09:57.794
Should I separate'em if they're fighting that much?

00:09:57.794 --> 00:09:57.914
Nope.

00:09:57.945 --> 00:09:58.725
Turn down the lights.

00:09:59.144 --> 00:10:00.044
Yep, turn down the light.

00:10:00.044 --> 00:10:01.245
She's got too much light in it.

00:10:02.054 --> 00:10:04.335
And they may be a little bit too crowded.

00:10:05.235 --> 00:10:06.044
I could be too.

00:10:06.524 --> 00:10:06.794
But.

00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:09.929
Yeah, my first go-to is probably the light.

00:10:09.929 --> 00:10:11.309
They're just overstimulated.

00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:12.809
This is amazing.

00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:16.500
I find people that there's too much light in their brooder for too long.

00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:19.350
Okay, so we didn't talk about lighting.

00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:23.429
I'm just gonna give you the really quick, this is the down and dirty on lighting.

00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:24.269
Okay?

00:10:25.169 --> 00:10:28.980
You have two to three days of 24 hours of light, right?

00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:30.840
White light, not bright.

00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:34.240
White light, full spectrum white light, three days.

00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:34.720
Okay?

00:10:34.870 --> 00:10:43.299
Then after that, you take'em down to 16 hours of light with an eight hour rest period, okay?

00:10:44.169 --> 00:10:55.120
And you leave them there for about two weeks, then you're gonna bring them down to 12 to 13 hours of light, and you're gonna leave'em there all the way through the development stage.

00:10:55.809 --> 00:10:56.139
Okay?

00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:58.840
Again, not bright lights.

00:10:59.470 --> 00:11:05.559
You only need between five and 10 foot candles of light or a chicken.

00:11:06.009 --> 00:11:08.080
Okay, that is not a lot.

00:11:08.769 --> 00:11:10.570
And there is, there's a free app.

00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:14.289
You can download it for measuring lux or foot candles.

00:11:15.190 --> 00:11:17.139
Just make sure you get the free version.

00:11:17.769 --> 00:11:18.700
And it works great.

00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:19.899
I downloaded it and.

00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:27.269
So you can check lighting, whenever you like, but just look, turkeys like sun.

00:11:27.269 --> 00:11:29.159
Some birds like sun, okay?

00:11:29.850 --> 00:11:32.879
Chickens are not those birds, okay?

00:11:33.090 --> 00:11:37.855
They are not sun worshipers and they're not gonna go lay on the beach all day long.

00:11:38.394 --> 00:11:39.115
Right now.

00:11:39.115 --> 00:11:41.034
People say, oh, I see him laying in the sun.

00:11:41.095 --> 00:11:41.485
You will.

00:11:41.794 --> 00:11:43.835
They're gonna take 30 minutes to an hour.

00:11:44.195 --> 00:11:46.745
They'll lay in the sun, they'll soak up the rays.

00:11:46.745 --> 00:11:49.985
Get their energy, but they're not gonna do it all day.

00:11:50.524 --> 00:11:52.325
And at your mature lock.

00:11:53.225 --> 00:11:53.495
Yeah.

00:11:53.804 --> 00:11:55.184
Look at your mature birds.

00:11:55.754 --> 00:11:56.475
Where they at?

00:11:56.654 --> 00:11:59.445
From 10:00 AM to about two or three in the afternoon.

00:11:59.565 --> 00:12:01.485
They're gonna be in the shade.

00:12:02.384 --> 00:12:06.225
Her comment is, oh my gosh, I have kept the light on full time.

00:12:07.125 --> 00:12:07.754
That will do it.

00:12:08.654 --> 00:12:10.934
I figured they're overstimulated, right?

00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:17.440
So I tell you, you put me under a bright light for 24 hours a day, full-time for three weeks.

00:12:17.889 --> 00:12:19.179
I'm gonna fight something.

00:12:19.389 --> 00:12:20.259
I'm gonna fight something.

00:12:20.259 --> 00:12:21.235
Something's gonna die.

00:12:22.095 --> 00:12:23.445
And not gonna be you.

00:12:23.894 --> 00:12:24.195
No.

00:12:24.225 --> 00:12:24.809
Let's see here.

00:12:25.710 --> 00:12:28.980
What about some common illnesses people need to be aware of?

00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:33.360
I know the one thing that probably comes to mind right off the bat is pasty butt.

00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:44.960
I used to have an occasional problem with pasty butt, but since I started giving my baby chicks grit and grit is in the feed that I give them automatically.

00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:47.750
But I still offer'em a little container of grit.

00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:51.500
But since I've been giving them grit, I haven't had any more cases of pasty butt.

00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:56.480
Now, I don't know if that's the grit is what's causing it or not.

00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:57.950
I'm just saying that's what happened.

00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:00.100
Grit, you did a lot of things right?

00:13:00.149 --> 00:13:02.914
You went to a really good feed, right?

00:13:02.914 --> 00:13:03.845
Properly balanced.

00:13:03.845 --> 00:13:04.835
You went to a good feed.

00:13:05.465 --> 00:13:06.815
You went to grid, right?

00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:07.429
And.

00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:11.539
You've been hanging out with crazy people like me now for three years.

00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:14.690
So a whole lot of things have changed in your life.

00:13:15.054 --> 00:13:16.284
I keep hoping that some of

00:13:16.284 --> 00:13:19.735
that stuff will wear off on me, but so far I'm questioning all of it.

00:13:20.634 --> 00:13:21.919
No, you're doing fine.

00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:25.409
Pasty butt can come from too high of a temperature.

00:13:25.409 --> 00:13:26.879
Too low of a temperature.

00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:29.529
If the feed's not solid, right?

00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.470
If it's not a really great feed, you can get pasty butt from.

00:13:34.129 --> 00:13:41.360
What worries me is every time somebody sees pasty butt, they immediately want to get some CID or amrolia or something.

00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:41.419
Yeah.

00:13:41.424 --> 00:13:41.434
Yeah.

00:13:42.110 --> 00:13:46.879
And that ain't pasty butt is not always co acidosis.

00:13:47.330 --> 00:13:48.169
And in fact, no.

00:13:49.070 --> 00:13:52.940
I would say 75% of the time it is not coccidiosis.

00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:53.899
Okay.

00:13:54.139 --> 00:14:00.429
You probably just have a little bit of a digestive upset, you can hit'em with some milk, but, Rip your observation.

00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:03.615
So you went to a proper fiber feed, you went to grit.

00:14:03.644 --> 00:14:13.034
You went to a lot of things, and it's just all coming together and, but a lot of times in the brooder, actually in the brooder.

00:14:13.485 --> 00:14:17.174
I see pasty, but related more to temperature, yeah.

00:14:17.174 --> 00:14:18.195
Temperature control.

00:14:18.284 --> 00:14:28.254
'cause if you get'em too hot, if you don't have something that'll regulate the temperature, especially now with, like our days are in the eighties already and our nights are in the fifties.

00:14:28.254 --> 00:14:33.735
If you don't have something to semi regulate that and help you manage temperature swings.

00:14:34.485 --> 00:14:36.375
You can see some pasty butt.

00:14:36.375 --> 00:14:44.174
If you overheat'em, if you get'em too hot, they drink extra water and you know that's where you're gonna get some runny droppings, some pasty butt.

00:14:44.294 --> 00:14:44.534
Yeah.

00:14:45.434 --> 00:14:52.575
John Pelton says he uses apple cider vinegar with mothers as well as grit after a week old, and that helps prevent it.

00:14:52.575 --> 00:14:53.955
There you go.

00:14:53.955 --> 00:14:54.375
I agree.

00:14:54.375 --> 00:14:55.394
Thanks for sharing that, John.

00:14:56.024 --> 00:14:56.264
Yep.

00:14:56.264 --> 00:14:56.355
Yep.

00:14:57.254 --> 00:14:58.065
And Sue Dobson.

00:14:58.065 --> 00:15:02.144
We were talking about heating brooders, and she says she loves brooder plates.

00:15:03.264 --> 00:15:04.284
I've never tried one.

00:15:04.284 --> 00:15:06.205
I maybe, I don't know what I'm missing out on.

00:15:06.894 --> 00:15:08.215
Me neither may have to, me neither.

00:15:08.315 --> 00:15:08.825
May I have to break?

00:15:08.825 --> 00:15:09.514
I'm old fashioned.

00:15:09.514 --> 00:15:16.654
I, I use the old red infrared light, I use the old, the good ones, the high quality that are actually red glass.

00:15:16.804 --> 00:15:16.835
Okay.

00:15:17.335 --> 00:15:19.254
Not, I started using, I had one of those

00:15:19.254 --> 00:15:19.434
ones,

00:15:20.335 --> 00:15:20.485
huh?

00:15:20.575 --> 00:15:26.085
I was gonna say I started using those ceramic heaters that, they look like a Yeah.

00:15:26.144 --> 00:15:28.725
They just screw into a light socket and I've been using those for yeah.

00:15:29.625 --> 00:15:30.434
Six, seven years.

00:15:31.335 --> 00:15:32.809
They're safer, you

00:15:32.809 --> 00:15:33.894
know, not having any problems.

00:15:33.894 --> 00:15:35.125
There's a lot of horror stores.

00:15:35.754 --> 00:15:38.455
If I happen to bump up against it, it gets pretty hot.

00:15:38.754 --> 00:15:39.654
It'll squirt you.

00:15:40.554 --> 00:15:41.544
Yeah, I can believe that.

00:15:42.325 --> 00:15:50.730
I just grew up using the red light bulb and it's worked fine and as long as I'm conscious about it, I manage it correctly.

00:15:51.299 --> 00:15:52.950
It works for me so

00:15:53.440 --> 00:16:01.000
That good management practices that factors in huge into how our birds turn out.

00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:02.860
You know it really does.

00:16:02.904 --> 00:16:03.284
It does.

00:16:04.105 --> 00:16:04.404
It does.

00:16:04.450 --> 00:16:06.759
Good management, good feed, and good genetics.

00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:08.440
You're off to a good start.

00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:12.730
Sue Dobson says they self adjust to their needs.

00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:17.470
I do tilt them and no one area is really warm or another really cooler.

00:16:18.370 --> 00:16:19.389
Sue, you keep it up.

00:16:19.389 --> 00:16:21.340
I'm gonna have to break down and get one of those rascals.

00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:23.289
A lot of people are using them.

00:16:23.769 --> 00:16:23.980
Yeah.

00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:24.160
Oh yeah.

00:16:24.339 --> 00:16:24.578
Wow.

00:16:25.479 --> 00:16:26.229
Let's see here.

00:16:26.889 --> 00:16:30.198
Oh distress signs in baby checks and a bruer.

00:16:31.099 --> 00:16:35.479
If you hear loud chirping, that sounds really distraught.

00:16:35.928 --> 00:16:38.119
You need to check and find out what's going on.

00:16:38.568 --> 00:16:41.629
Your chicks may be too cold, they may be too hot.

00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:43.219
They may need feed.

00:16:43.803 --> 00:16:44.884
They may need water.

00:16:45.783 --> 00:16:47.974
Just don't ignore that.

00:16:48.333 --> 00:16:48.903
Please.

00:16:49.203 --> 00:16:51.063
You gotta stay on top of those kind of things.

00:16:51.964 --> 00:17:02.403
I like to see, and we didn't touch on this when we were talking about heat, but I like to see chicks that are evenly distributed throughout the brooder when I see'em.

00:17:03.303 --> 00:17:10.354
Peddling up in a corner or up in one side, then I start worrying about drafts coming from the other direction because they're trying to get away from it.

00:17:11.473 --> 00:17:19.693
If I see him forming a circle around inside of that's telling me that it's starting to get a little bit too warm under that brooder.

00:17:20.594 --> 00:17:27.554
But as long as they're evenly distributed around the brooder and running around and eating and pecking and just doing chicken things.

00:17:28.453 --> 00:17:29.773
I'm completely happy with that.

00:17:30.673 --> 00:17:30.943
Yep.

00:17:31.213 --> 00:17:31.693
I agree.

00:17:32.594 --> 00:17:39.703
But you can get those, you can get that kind of go to the, you're talking about drafts, if you see a bunch of'em in a corner or something like that.

00:17:40.134 --> 00:17:43.814
I've actually seen it where like there's a shadow in the room.

00:17:44.173 --> 00:17:51.144
Or, Something that moves across the top of them, and their instinct is that, that's a predator.

00:17:51.354 --> 00:17:53.594
And of course they group together, right?

00:17:53.773 --> 00:18:01.604
So yeah if you don't think it's temperature or you don't think it's a draft, just look for the reason why they're going to that corner, right?

00:18:01.784 --> 00:18:03.614
So there's gonna be a reason.

00:18:04.513 --> 00:18:07.394
Pretty soon you can get to where you can start to think like chickens.

00:18:07.894 --> 00:18:09.094
I hate to admit that's not a good thing.

00:18:09.993 --> 00:18:10.604
Yeah, I know

00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:12.098
that's not a good thing.

00:18:12.999 --> 00:18:13.328
Oh, mercy.

00:18:14.479 --> 00:18:22.263
Jeff, what about, what's your feelings on electrolytes and vitamin packages for baby chicks?

00:18:22.263 --> 00:18:23.163
Do they need it?

00:18:23.824 --> 00:18:24.933
Do they not need it?

00:18:25.834 --> 00:18:26.763
They shouldn't need it.

00:18:27.023 --> 00:18:35.284
I, these foil, pouch pack electrolytes or stuff that, when I read down through the label there's, yeah, exactly.

00:18:35.294 --> 00:18:36.614
There's too many chlorides.

00:18:36.644 --> 00:18:40.183
Okay, there's sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride.

00:18:40.183 --> 00:18:42.314
Folks, those are all salts, okay?

00:18:42.493 --> 00:18:50.364
Everything that, they're all salt and they're designed to go into the bloodstream quickly.

00:18:50.423 --> 00:18:51.054
I get it.

00:18:51.263 --> 00:18:51.713
Okay.

00:18:51.894 --> 00:19:01.213
So there's a time and a place for electrolytes, if you detect some dehydration, and you can see that by skin.

00:19:01.213 --> 00:19:02.804
You can look at their feet and see that.

00:19:02.804 --> 00:19:17.163
You can see around their eyes if their eyes are a little bit drawn in or sunken in from normal, if they're stressed, I, I just don't, they just sell those electrolyte packs like crazy and they're gonna keep selling them no matter what.

00:19:17.163 --> 00:19:17.554
I say.

00:19:17.584 --> 00:19:18.183
It doesn't matter.

00:19:18.183 --> 00:19:19.834
But, do we really need them?

00:19:19.923 --> 00:19:20.253
No.

00:19:20.594 --> 00:19:23.023
We need really good clean water.

00:19:23.618 --> 00:19:26.409
You can put a little apple cider vinegar in it if you want.

00:19:26.798 --> 00:19:27.578
That's fine.

00:19:28.179 --> 00:19:30.179
We put put on the group sites.

00:19:30.179 --> 00:19:36.269
We put the homemade electrolyte mix out there works as good as anything you're gonna buy in a foil pouch.

00:19:36.888 --> 00:19:40.429
But just don't do it because you think you're supposed to do it.

00:19:40.429 --> 00:19:41.868
Do it for the right reasons.

00:19:41.929 --> 00:19:41.959
Okay.

00:19:42.449 --> 00:19:45.614
Again, you knowwhere if you're seeing some distress or something like

00:19:46.513 --> 00:19:47.114
thatwhere Jeff somewhere.

00:19:47.114 --> 00:19:57.374
I've got some photos and I think I posted them one time of signs you can look for on baby chicks to see whether they're dehydrated or not.

00:19:57.374 --> 00:19:59.144
I'm gonna have to see if I can dig those out.

00:20:00.044 --> 00:20:11.973
That would be great if you can get some good pictures to show people what the signs, I know how to do it only by looking at the viscosity or the moisture content of the manure dropping, right?

00:20:12.844 --> 00:20:22.624
So the quick, easy way to say this is I want a man nore dropping to be wider than it is tall.

00:20:22.874 --> 00:20:28.273
So if I see manure that is stacking up, that's not a good thing, right?

00:20:28.324 --> 00:20:39.084
The right amount of moisture to the right amount of solids, I'm gonna get a nice, like quarter size dropping that's maybe a quarter to three eighths of an inch high.

00:20:39.294 --> 00:20:39.534
Okay?

00:20:39.753 --> 00:20:41.554
It's not gonna be stacking an inch or.

00:20:42.003 --> 00:20:49.094
And there's variables to that because if they're, if you're measuring the poop on the roost at night, it's gonna be taller, right?

00:20:49.153 --> 00:20:50.173
And it's gonna be drier.

00:20:50.203 --> 00:20:53.663
'cause they haven't drank, from sundown till whatever.

00:20:54.203 --> 00:21:00.324
But it's their daytime droppings, I'd to see, they should be, you should be able to see the moisture.

00:21:01.028 --> 00:21:05.078
And the other way is take a putty knife or a stick and see how soft they are.

00:21:05.169 --> 00:21:05.439
Right?

00:21:05.528 --> 00:21:09.519
Just squish'em out and see if they're hard, like a rabbit pellet.

00:21:09.608 --> 00:21:10.749
Then we got a problem.

00:21:10.749 --> 00:21:17.949
You're not getting enough water into your birds, whether it's not easily accessible, for whatever reason, they're just not right.

00:21:18.848 --> 00:21:20.378
They're not getting enough water into'em.

00:21:21.278 --> 00:21:24.999
Their water consumption should always be.

00:21:25.614 --> 00:21:28.044
Twice as much as the feed.

00:21:28.403 --> 00:21:28.824
Okay?

00:21:28.824 --> 00:21:35.243
So if they eat a pound of feed, they should drink two pounds of water.

00:21:35.634 --> 00:21:35.963
Okay?

00:21:36.683 --> 00:21:41.094
There's the rule of thumb for poultry forever.

00:21:41.663 --> 00:21:45.723
This is, we've known this for a hundred years two to one by weight.

00:21:46.624 --> 00:21:49.354
You keep pushing my buttons and getting me going down the wrong road.

00:21:49.983 --> 00:21:53.554
That's partially the intent, but I do it with a good heart.

00:21:54.453 --> 00:21:56.659
You just like to see me get up on my soapbox.

00:21:57.159 --> 00:21:58.628
I've been there a time or two myself.

00:21:58.628 --> 00:21:59.439
Now let's face it.

00:21:59.739 --> 00:22:00.308
All right,

00:22:00.398 --> 00:22:00.578
all.

00:22:01.479 --> 00:22:05.409
John wants to know what's your thoughts on respiratory problems in baby chicks?

00:22:05.528 --> 00:22:07.209
Had one about two weeks ago,

00:22:08.108 --> 00:22:10.358
boy, John, I got the airflow.

00:22:10.358 --> 00:22:11.558
If we've got the, okay.

00:22:11.739 --> 00:22:14.048
People bundle up their baby chicks, right?

00:22:14.108 --> 00:22:23.499
And they do not exchange the air in the brooder often enough, so no matter where the chicken lives, okay, brooder.

00:22:24.368 --> 00:22:27.459
Sitting on your lap, out in the chicken coop, wherever.

00:22:27.669 --> 00:22:28.028
Okay.

00:22:28.868 --> 00:22:37.269
We need a hundred percent air exchange, a minimum of six times per day.

00:22:37.929 --> 00:22:38.259
Okay?

00:22:39.159 --> 00:22:40.838
That's even down at the chick level.

00:22:40.838 --> 00:22:46.868
So we have to figure a way to mix it and remove it, okay?

00:22:46.929 --> 00:22:51.848
And it's not gonna hurt the chicks to be cooled for 10 or 15 minutes.

00:22:52.223 --> 00:22:52.523
Okay.

00:22:52.733 --> 00:22:54.384
It's not like it's gonna be forever.

00:22:54.983 --> 00:22:57.534
So gotta have air quality.

00:22:57.683 --> 00:22:59.124
Gotta have air.

00:22:59.183 --> 00:23:02.804
And that's the best way to avoid those, that.

00:23:02.894 --> 00:23:09.203
And, managing your bedding are the top two things for managing respiratory issues.

00:23:09.894 --> 00:23:10.044
Yeah.

00:23:10.044 --> 00:23:11.483
In any age of chicken.

00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:18.199
And if you're around your breed brooder and you smell ammonia, you got a problem.

00:23:18.199 --> 00:23:18.259
I.

00:23:19.544 --> 00:23:29.173
Poultry are much more sensitive to ammonia than we are, and if we can smell it up on our level, just imagine what it's like for those little chicks down there having to breathe that stuff.

00:23:29.743 --> 00:23:31.723
That will cause respiratory problems.

00:23:31.723 --> 00:23:33.614
It will also cause eye damage.

00:23:34.114 --> 00:23:38.423
Yeah it'll burn the retina in no time or the coronary stay.

00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:39.798
Stay after that.

00:23:39.798 --> 00:23:41.058
Keep that bedding dry.

00:23:41.959 --> 00:23:42.288
Let's see.

00:23:42.288 --> 00:23:47.898
Katie wants to know, was it one of you guys talking about how the birds, like the cat drinking fountains?

00:23:48.229 --> 00:23:49.669
I believe that was Jeff.

00:23:50.568 --> 00:23:50.838
Yep.

00:23:51.038 --> 00:23:56.078
If you, whenever you can have moving water, chickens will consume more.

00:23:56.588 --> 00:24:05.919
So I got a friend of mine in Florida, he actually rigs up specialized kind of shelters for his turkeys to drink.

00:24:05.919 --> 00:24:05.979
I.

00:24:06.548 --> 00:24:07.929
And he's what they call spa.

00:24:08.648 --> 00:24:08.888
Yeah.

00:24:08.888 --> 00:24:12.128
He's got spaghetti tubing and he just lets it dribble.

00:24:12.229 --> 00:24:15.499
And it goes into a trough so they can drink out of a trough.

00:24:15.499 --> 00:24:22.909
But he found that his turkeys will consume more water if it's moving.

00:24:22.999 --> 00:24:24.229
And the same happens.

00:24:24.229 --> 00:24:31.769
You flip over, if you flip over one of your chicken drinkers and it runs away across the bottom of the coop, you know they're all gonna chase it.

00:24:31.929 --> 00:24:32.769
They love,

00:24:32.769 --> 00:24:34.148
they'll get right to where it's going.

00:24:34.638 --> 00:24:40.804
Yeah if you had, a little pump and you had a way to just keep it moving Yeah.

00:24:41.044 --> 00:24:43.983
It's gonna attract'em, they're gonna consume more, they're gonna be healthier.

00:24:43.983 --> 00:24:44.013
Okay.

00:24:44.913 --> 00:24:52.384
And that's a good thing for you to have going, particularly when it's hot weather gets'em to consume more water.

00:24:52.388 --> 00:24:52.598
Yeah.

00:24:53.499 --> 00:24:54.578
Let's see.

00:24:55.314 --> 00:24:57.173
Joy says, I have noticed my chicks.

00:24:57.173 --> 00:24:59.423
Having extra light makes them flighty.

00:24:59.814 --> 00:25:00.503
You betcha.

00:25:00.653 --> 00:25:00.864
Yep.

00:25:01.763 --> 00:25:01.943
Yeah.

00:25:01.943 --> 00:25:06.413
It's amazing how many people think chicks need all this intense lighting, right?

00:25:06.534 --> 00:25:06.864
All this.

00:25:06.864 --> 00:25:07.253
Bright.

00:25:07.374 --> 00:25:07.554
Yeah.

00:25:07.884 --> 00:25:08.574
Bright lights.

00:25:09.443 --> 00:25:15.064
And when you get'em down to, like I said, 10 foot candles.

00:25:15.894 --> 00:25:19.773
Again, download that app and get'em down to 10 foot candles.

00:25:20.673 --> 00:25:23.114
And I'm gonna look and see if I can get the app for you.

00:25:23.114 --> 00:25:23.473
So

00:25:24.374 --> 00:25:33.273
you can also look for a for photographer's app for your camera too, that, that will read the temperature of the light and the whole nine yards.

00:25:34.173 --> 00:25:37.324
So the app is just called Lux.

00:25:37.324 --> 00:25:37.384
Okay.

00:25:38.013 --> 00:25:41.463
I don't know if anybody can see on my phone.

00:25:41.463 --> 00:25:42.364
There we go.

00:25:43.114 --> 00:25:44.344
LUX yellow icon.

00:25:44.824 --> 00:25:45.634
LUX?

00:25:45.634 --> 00:25:45.723
Yep.

00:25:46.084 --> 00:25:46.294
Okay.

00:25:46.753 --> 00:25:56.413
I just look for a free light meter, and it's measuring it in here in my room right now I'm in 13 and a half foot candles.

00:25:57.223 --> 00:25:57.253
Okay.

00:25:57.403 --> 00:25:59.483
But it, it gives you readings.

00:26:00.288 --> 00:26:02.989
You can switch it from lux to foot candles.

00:26:03.479 --> 00:26:06.239
It gives you the max, the minimum, the average.

00:26:07.138 --> 00:26:11.128
So if you want to pay for an ad free version, it's gonna cost you money.

00:26:11.128 --> 00:26:13.469
But I got that one for free.

00:26:13.858 --> 00:26:15.628
Just took me the time to download it.

00:26:16.199 --> 00:26:18.118
And it's a handy tool to have.

00:26:18.269 --> 00:26:19.439
Very handy tool to have.

00:26:19.439 --> 00:26:19.858
It is.

00:26:20.608 --> 00:26:20.969
Well,

00:26:20.969 --> 00:26:33.199
And like I said, I was sitting in Kelly's chicken house, and I downloaded that thing and I'm sitting there and we were we were like 400 foot candles between four and 500 foot candles.

00:26:33.249 --> 00:26:33.644
And oh,

00:26:34.094 --> 00:26:36.013
It was a greenhouse plastic cover.

00:26:36.314 --> 00:26:36.644
Okay.

00:26:37.078 --> 00:26:42.239
And it was letting you know, so on those sunnier days, you know that light was coming right in there.

00:26:43.138 --> 00:26:44.009
I imagine So.

00:26:44.098 --> 00:26:44.489
Wow.

00:26:45.388 --> 00:26:45.749
Okay.

00:26:45.749 --> 00:26:46.709
Put sunglasses on.

00:26:47.608 --> 00:26:47.969
Yeah,

00:26:48.868 --> 00:26:49.949
so it's,

00:26:50.848 --> 00:26:53.278
I don't know if we've got any more comments.

00:26:53.848 --> 00:26:56.338
I think we've got through'em.

00:26:57.548 --> 00:27:03.278
Joy says she has been doing daylight and shutting some birds on sunny days.

00:27:03.278 --> 00:27:04.568
No extra light.

00:27:05.469 --> 00:27:06.068
Good deal.

00:27:06.969 --> 00:27:14.489
Yeah, and Kelly chimed in and he said that you know the break sunny, windy days, you make his foul high strung.

00:27:14.558 --> 00:27:16.273
So they get pretty, yep.

00:27:17.173 --> 00:27:17.993
Pretty crazy.

00:27:18.894 --> 00:27:19.463
Indeed.

00:27:19.913 --> 00:27:23.183
Folks, that gets us down to the closeout of another show.

00:27:24.084 --> 00:27:24.983
I have enjoyed it.

00:27:24.983 --> 00:27:25.973
I hope you have too.

00:27:25.973 --> 00:27:26.844
I hope Jeff has.

00:27:27.423 --> 00:27:28.864
But I always enjoy this show.

00:27:28.864 --> 00:27:29.163
That was

00:27:29.163 --> 00:27:30.064
a short show.

00:27:30.544 --> 00:27:30.784
I know.

00:27:30.784 --> 00:27:31.894
Was that really an hour?

00:27:32.463 --> 00:27:33.394
Is that timer right?

00:27:33.844 --> 00:27:36.094
One hour, two minutes, and 56 seconds.

00:27:36.094 --> 00:27:37.173
57 seconds.

00:27:37.624 --> 00:27:38.644
When we get questions.

00:27:39.544 --> 00:27:44.788
The right and left bandwidth that makes great shows, but it also makes it go fast.

00:27:45.239 --> 00:27:48.499
And you keep pushing my buttons about, feeding water and

00:27:48.888 --> 00:27:49.278
me

00:27:49.278 --> 00:27:50.989
grit and yeah.

00:27:51.229 --> 00:27:51.739
Thanks buddy.

00:27:52.638 --> 00:27:53.269
Thanks buddy.

00:27:53.669 --> 00:27:57.169
Before we go I've got a little quote that I want to share with you.

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Just so you know, that Jess's not the only ones that pushes buttons, but this one hit me today and I thought I'm gonna write that down and share it with everybody.

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If you try to raise poultry the way the masses on the internet tell you to, you'll eventually learn that the M is silent.

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That wraps up our deep dive into the best practices for brooding baby chicks.

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Remember, getting things done right during those first critical weeks lays the foundation for happy, healthy, productive birds.

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If you found today's live stream helpful, be sure and follow up with us for more poultry keeping tips on one of our Facebook groups.

00:28:36.548 --> 00:28:39.909
Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Poultry Keepers Podcast.

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Don't forget to checkout our website at w w w dot, The Poultry Keepers Podcast, dot com, for more great tips, information, and help so you can raise your best flock ever.

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Be sure to drop us a note and tell us about your birds.

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We hope you have a great time enjoying your birds and we'll be back next Tuesday.