3 years ago I got a small handful of chicks from the local Tractor Supply. About a dozen of various breeds, mostly Rhode Island Red, Ameraucana, and white Leghorns . At about 5-6 months the hens started to lay eggs. It was a fun, considering it was my first experience with getting into chickens.
Unfortunately, after about a year I had to find a new home for the chickens when my elderly parents started needing more help and I was away from the farm a lot. Now that I have some more time I’m starting to think about getting some chicks again.
I was hoping to find laying hens all ready to go through Craigslist, but the price of a mature laying hen is a little off-putting. So I’ll likely go back to starting with chicks. These are some of the things I’m reading and researching about before jumping back into chicken ownership.
Where to Buy Baby Chicks
Hatcheries
Purchasing chicks from hatcheries allows you to get specific breeds shipped right to your door (or at least the local post office). Reputable hatcheries have personnel trained to accurately sex and separate breeds. Some specialize in quality show birds, while others focus on variety or value.
Research the hatchery’s reputation, location, and policies on reimbursement before ordering. Once in a great while chicks won’t survive shipping, usually because of extremes of temperature en route. Knowing if the hatchery will replace dead chicks, free of charge, might influence where you buy them from.
Feed Stores
You can see and select chicks in person at some feed stores and farm supply shops from about March through May. Some even offer free chicks with each bag of feed purchased on special “chick days.” Experienced staff can provide advice on raising chicks. But not all stores accept returns if chicks turn out to be less healthy than expected.
Local Farmers
I’ll leave this one to last because the quality of chicks can be highly variable. Some people that keep chickens are very conscientious about cleanliness and health of their flock. Others, not so much.
Connecting with local farmers that raise chickens can sometimes be a great way to find baby chicks. Small-scale backyard chicken owners often hatch chicks from their own flocks and sell them locally. Meeting the farmer allows you to ask questions about the parent birds, what they feed them, their general health, and policies if any issues arise with the chicks.
They can also be a valuable source of advice for a new chick owner. Buying local also helps support small farming in your area.
Baby Chick Supplies
Before bringing home chicks, set up a proper brooder with:
- A large plastic tote, large cardboard box, or kiddie swimming pool (bigger for more chicks)
- Pine shavings for absorbent bedding (not too much or they’ll “drown” in too much bedding)
- A heat lamp to keep temps at 95°F the first week
- Specialized waterer and feeder made for chicks
- Non-medicated chick starter feed
- Grit so chicks can grind food in their gizzards
I’ll monitor temps and make sure they have clean food, water, and bedding. I need to watch for pasting up where droppings stick to their fluffy butts. It’s a problem I haven’t had to deal with yet. Online sources say to gently clean them up with a warm wet cloth if needed.
In a few weeks they can enjoy supervised playtime outdoors (in an enclosed run) on nice days once they feather out around 6 weeks old. Then I’ll move them to more permanent coop and run space, but still provide shelter and extra feed until they transition to adult food.
It’s Key to Start Right
As with kids, baby chicks’ basic needs are simple at first — eat, sleep, poop. Cleaning up after them is easy. But as they grow, their care gets more complex. Making sure my new chicks thrive requires vigilance those first few weeks.
One thing that surprised me the first time with chicks is how dirty they become after a couple weeks! Between their feather dust and dust kicked up from the bedding the whole garage ended up with a fine coating of dirt. With the next batch I’ll keep the brooder in a corner of the coop.
Few things are more important than temperature regulation. I’ll set up brooder lamps to create warm and cool zones so they can self-regulate. I’ll watch their behavior closely to make sure the overall temp is ideal.
I have a heated plate that they can get under, kind of like a mother hen. Although this time I’ll rig up a way for them to stay off the top side. Too much poop to clean off later, otherwise.
Pasty butt is another potential issue where droppings stick to their fluffy butts and can even block their vents. I’ll gently clean them with a warm, wet cloth if needed to prevent this dangerous blockage.
Along with heat, chicks need constant access to clean food and water. I’ll check it multiple times per day to make sure it’s full and not soiled. Clean, dry pine shavings are important too, absorbing messes and offer a bit of insulation from a cold floor. Stirring them daily and replacing fully each week.
With some vigilance during these first delicate weeks, I can give my new chicks the healthy start they need to grow into a small backyard flock bringing me fun and fresh eggs again soon.
I’ll keep posting pics as they grow bigger!
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