I was intending to be very sensible and wait until after I'd moved and built a proper setup to get any chickens but it seems my daughter and her partner have had some sort of falling out and the upshot is that I'm going to adopt their two Welsummer chicks. I think they are about 5 weeks old and when I first saw them I could tell that one was definitely female as she had very well defined "eyeliner". The other was larger but I don't know if that's because it's male or it's just a little bit older than the first but I read the male comb becomes obvious early in this breed so I expect I'll know soon.
I've ordered an ark for them which looks sturdy

I've read so much about chickens for the last few months that I thought I must know everything but now it's going to happen I'm starting to worry about not knowing nearly enough! Things keep popping into my head that I'm not sure about so I already have a couple of questions to ask:
At what age do the chicks start to use a perch and should I provide them with a nesting box full of bedding to snuggle up in until they get big enough?
I read growers' food is from 8 weeks so would it be a problem if they start having it a bit early or would it be better to get chick food and give it for longer?
TIA!
I'm very excited at the moment and I bet I'll come up with more questions soon
