An easy way to start raising chickens is by ordering them through the mail. Yes, you read that right. You can order chickens through hatcheries and get them delivered through the mail. Of course there are always other options like incubating eggs or buying from a store or farm.
Things you will need before buying your chicks:
- A brooder box; a temporary home for chickens that can keep them warm, safe, and clean. It can be as easy as a cardboard box. Some use plastic tubs but I wouldn’t recommend this since a heater is used. Be careful to make sure the chicks don’t get stuck in the corner as they often pile on top of each other and can die. I like to tape some cardboard to round off the corners on the inside.
- Pine shavings; line the bottom of their brooder box with pine shavings. The size of the shavings should be 2-4 inches so that they don’t accidentally ingest it. For the first couple of days put paper towels on top of the shavings so that it is easier for the to walk and eat.
- At least one thermometer. Ideally you should have some type of thermometer under the heater and another one in the coolest section. Some people are able to adjust the heat based on the movements and behavior of the chicks and only need one but for a beginner two thermometers is better.
- A waterer for chicks. Baby chicks can drown easily in a regular chicken waterer or at the least fall in and get sick or die from getting too cold that is why you should get a waterer either designed specifically for baby chicks or put rocks or pebbles in the waterer so that they can drink without falling in. I keep the temperature of the water around 98 degrees for the first few days so that they don’t get too cold. And easy way to do this is to keep it closer to your heat source, but if you are using plastic be careful it doesn’t melt. For the first 4 hours I add 1 teaspoon of plain white sugar per qt. The following days you can add a few drops of apple cider vinegar to their water.
- Chick starter/grower chicken feed. Baby chicks grown really fast when given the right diet. The special chick feed will have 20 percent protein. Since the chicks have to learn how to eat I find it easiest to start by putting the feed directly on the paper towels. You can add a boiled egg finely cut up to their food if you would like.
- Heat lamp. For the first several weeks they will need a heat lamp on at all times but you need to make sure it is not a light as well because they do need darkness to sleep. A ceramic heat lamp is a great option but you may want to go ahead and buy a brooder heating plate instead because that is the safest and most effective in my opinion. These often have legs so you can adjust the height and the chicks go under the brooder to warm up.
Temperature of the brooder:
You will need to have a big enough to have a warm zone and a cooler zone. The chicks will learn to regulate their temperature by moving around the brooder. For the first few hours while they are adjusting you will want the warmer part of the brooder to be 100°F, then 98°F until day 3.
Day 3 -7 you can drop the temperature down to 95°. How you will adjust the temperature depends on what kind of heater you are using, but most likely you will be raising the heater higher up and maybe over a bit to make sure you still have a cooler area.
Weeks 2-6 you will adjust the temperature by 5° F so that on week 2 it is 90°, week 3 is 85°, and so on until 70° on week 6. By week 6 the chicks will loose all the baby feathers and have their adult feathers. You can also start to turn off the heater at night so they can adjust to the outside life.
Pasty butt
This funny name is actually a very serious condition chicks can get when their vent gets clogged with dried on poop and they can no longer get rid of their body waste. Chicks will die if pasty butt is not treated. If you notice this you have to wash their butt in warm water until you get all the waste off and then dry them so they don’t loose too much body heat in the process. Even though I have never needed to tried this, you can add some coconut oil to their bum to help reduce the risk of pasty butt happening again after cleaning it off.
I hope you see that if you are dedicated it is not too difficult to get baby chicks. Check out my other posts for more tips on chicken care!
