The Water Cycle

A Beginners Guide to raising baby chicks - The Farming Foodie

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link* Adding chickens to our farm may have been one of the most rewarding experiences for me and the kids. It has been so great watching the kids care for these little animals. At first they were both deathly afraid of them! But, as time passed so did their fear for the chickens! A year later, our five and two year old are the ones who collect the eggs and feed and water the chickens every night. Start them young, right? The best part about it is they now ENJOY helping with the chores and collecting the eggs. Our five year old has even been going around to the neighbors and to some of my coworkers at the co-op and selling the farm fresh eggs. The money he gets from them, he puts in his piggy bank and then into his savings account at the bank when he saves up enough. He has really learned the value of work and the potential rewards for it! Not only has raising chickens been a great way to teach the kids work ethic, but IT’S FUN!!!! We raised baby chicks this year and oh my goodness was it AWESOME!! It may seem like a daunting task but it is super easy. You just need to be prepared, know what you need, and how to take care of them and it is a breeze! So, I am here to explain everything to you so you can sit back and enjoy those sweet chicks! Get reading! What you need before you bring the chicks home A Brooder This is just a fancy name for what you will be keeping your baby chicks in or their home for the first month or so. This can be as fancy or as simple as you want. You can buy an actual brooder box from the store or online. Or you can use something you already have laying around the farm. A large heavy duty plastic tote such as this, (go with a clear container if you choose this route so you can always see the chicks!) wooden box, or Rubbermaid tub to name a few. Some people use a cardboard box but I would not recommend that because you are going to need to put some type of heat source on the chicks for the first month of their life. Majority of the time people use a heat lamp. Cardboard+heat lamp= fire hazard in my book. If you prefer to use a cardboard box I would recommend using a Brinsea Eco Glow Brooder. We used a 300 gallon poly stock tank for our brooder and it worked perfectly! We had one laying around the farm, but it would be a good investment if you are planning to raise chicks for several years to come! It was super easy to clean, it had enough space to compensate for when the chicks grew and they could play and stretch their legs. It is also tall enough so they can not fly out! (Don’t forget, plan to have an outdoor chicken coop ready for them when they are ready to transfer!) PINE shavings Notice how Pine is in capital letters. Be sure that your shavings are Pine as some are made out of Cedar, which can be toxic to chicks in large amounts. These will be used as the bedding for the chicks. You can also use newspapers or paper towels. Shavings seem to work the best as they absorb any spills from their water and any droppings. On that note- make sure to clean the brooder out every week or so, depending on your chick/space ratio. Make sure their feet are kept dry! Shavings are also pretty inexpensive so they are a good choice for the bedding! Water This is pretty self explanatory. Here is the one we used. It comes in galvanized or in plastic. Be sure to be giving them fresh water each morning and night! Chick Starter This is what the baby chicks will need for food for the first few months of their lives. Something similar to this. I would recommend getting a medicated feed with amprolium. Amprolium is a medication to help prevent coccidiosis in chicks. Coccidiosis is a disease that affects the intestines and can cause blood and mucus in the stools. Ya, it’s not pretty so get the medicated, at least for the first few weeks of their lives. You also need a little feeder such as this plastic one or a galvanized one. These two are upright feeders. They also make a flip top feeder that is long instead of tall. However, I have found that the chicks like to perch on this kind and then they poop in their food! Heat Source The chicks need to be very warm the first few weeks of their life. You can buy a heat lamp with an infrared bulb (the red makes it easier for the chicks to sleep. Can you sleep with a light on all night?! Me either.) Or you can use a Brinsea EcoGlow Brooder as mentioned above. I would also suggest putting a temperature thermometer in the brooder so you know how warm it is! The brooder box should be about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit the first week and then reduce it 5 degrees a week until they reach 70 degrees. Week 1- 90-95 Week 2- 85-90 Week 3- 80-85 Week 4- 75-80 Week 5- 70-75 A good indicator if the chicks are too cold is if they are constantly huddling together or climbing on top of each other or if they constantly sit underneath the heat lamp. If they are too hot, they will sit on the opposite end of the heat lamp and spread out from one another. You can adjust accordingly if you think either are occurring. Placing a thermometer inside the brooder will tell you exactly what the temperature is. I would also suggest to set up the heat lamp on one end of the brooder and their food and water on the other. This way the food and water do not get too hot and the chicks will move around and exercise their legs a bit. It also helps in the chicks regulating their own temperature as they feel comfortable. Where to get baby chicks There are several places that you can get baby chicks. You can get them from almost any farm supply store. They usually keep several different breeds stocked during the spring months, so you can just walk in and pick out which ones you want. If you are looking for a specific breed, you may need to order them through the store in advance. They can get almost any breed you would like. Chicks can also be bought directly from the hatcheries. They will usually be shipped through the mail (unless you live super close to one). Go online and research hatcheries close to you. The third option is to look on Craigslist, go to farm swaps, or check Facebook pages for chicks. You would be surprised at how many there are! Something to keep in mind about having your baby chicks mailed through the postal service is that it can be stressful on them. They do not get any food or water during that time and they are usually only a day old! The chicks can be a little dehydrated and lethargic. If they are coming through the mail, you may want to give them electrolytes, vitamins, and/or probiotics to help get them back up and running. Also, you may need to check their bottoms as their poop ducts can become plugged if they are dehydrated. Use a warm, damp wash cloth to remove anything stuck and dried on. That’s the dirty truth. How to take care of the chicks at home Now that you are all prepared for the babe’s arrivals, the rest is a cake walk. Make sure they have access to fresh food and water daily, clean out the brooder as needed and don’t forget to enjoy them! The chicks may be a little skidish at first but they will warm right up to anyone who handles them. They are really like any other pet. The more time spent with them, the more loving they will be. They like to be held and petted and all that other fun stuff! But be careful they are very fragile the first couple weeks. You will also be surprised at how fast they grow! One day the kids and I tended to them before we left for work/school and when we came home we swore we could see new feathers that had grown during the day! Their sweet little down feathers will only stay a week or so. They should start to feather out after about a week and be fully feathered around 6-8 weeks. Next step, on to the coop!