Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The shanks of each of the girls are a different color. Honey's are pinkish, Tilda's
are yellow, and Amelia's are a greenish gray.
WEEK 4
Dust Bowl
By their fourth week of life, your chicks will start to look like miniature versions of their
future selves. Most of the feathers are now in or soon will be. And they're now skilled
in the art of jumping and flapping their new wings at hummingbird speeds as if determ-
ined to get out into the big world that awaits. They'll more and more gravitate toward
their perches, even resting on them for hours at a spell, their tiny dinosaur feet holding
on tight, learning to balance. However, these dramatic changes come with a price - and
friends, that price is dust.
Oh, the dust! A thin, creamy-white film of dust will cover everything within a few feet
(sometimes farther) of the brooder. It's neither toxic nor smelly, but it isn't the kind of
thing you want coating your toothbrush in the bathroom. To keep your belongings clean,
wipe down your surfaces with a damp rag or some natural home cleaners. You don't
want to throw down industrial-strength bleaches near those tiny beaks. And make sure
to periodically wipe the dust film off your heat lamp. It can clog the bulb socket or coat
the wires.
While you're checking the heat lamp, consider it the ideal time to do your weekly as-
sessment of the temperature situation. By now the brooder temperature should be about
75°F (24°C). Adjust the position of the lamp - likely a bit farther from the chicks - as
necessary.
