Is it really this complicated? Feeling a bit overwhelmed!

[3KillerBs]

Its also possible to buy started pullets so you don't have to buy all that extra equipment for raising chicks. But your choice of breeds may be limited.

I'm asking around to see if I can find someone local who is going to raise chicks who would raise 4 extras of my choice of breed/breeds for me if I paid for some of her chicks and some extra feed as well as for my chicks.

 

[bobbi-j]

Ours are in a brooder for 6 weeks. This way we can monitor the temps. At 6 weeks of age they go into the coop. Isolated from the flock for a few weeks, they have a heat lamp if the temps go below 50 deg F at night. After that they join the flock!

In the Brooder


At 6 weeks of age in the coop and isolated from the flock


Hope this helps!

Nice set-up! Mine go in the coop with a heat lamp or two, depending on outside temps (we live in MN). For the first couple of weeks, I have a plastic garden border thing in an oval shape so they don't get piled up in the corners. I don't monitor the temps, exactly. I just watch their behavior. If they're crowding under the lamp, it's too cold and I lower it. If they're trying to get away from the lamp, it's too hot and I raise it a bit. I give them plenty of room so they can be under or away from the lamp as they wish. I should state that the coop they went into last year is an 8x16' shed-type building. My other coop is an 8x12' shed-type building. Both have attached runs, and the larger one can be split into two separate pens.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I started last year and had my coop built first. It was a tractor but it took a few weeks for my husband to complete as he'd never done one and then we got rain, making it impossible for him to work on it for a while.

Once completed, I got 4 pullets. Found them on Craigslist. I wasn't sure I was ready to deal with chicks or if this was a passing "phase" or if I'd really like having chickens at all. A year later, I LOVE my chickens, am building a permanent structure coop, and will be getting chicks in a few weeks.

My point is that you might want to go easy on yourself and just ease into this, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed now. Get your coop done and then get a few pullets. I'm glad I did it this way as it gave me some time to learn more about chickens before jumping into dealing with baby chicks.

 

[cinch920]

definitely wait til your all settled and have a coop. Then get some chicks for it. Don't rush it! It's exciting to start out but its worth the wait to get everything figured out first.

 

[CoolClucker]

Thanks so much everyone! I will see if I can connect with some local farmers, maybe I can get chicks that way or give them roosters if I don't want them. It's just a lot to take in, something brand new to learn! Think I will just take a step back and figure out the coop first. And it isn't like there's an expiration date on chicks, I can get them anytime even if the local stores don't carry them. Thanks again for all the helpful advice ! *deep breath*

 

[CoolClucker]

 

[bobbi-j]

I'd like to add one more bit of advice. It's really not that complicated. Despite all you read on here, it's not that hard to raise happy, healthy chickens. They need shelter, food and water. If you can free range them, fantastic! They are much happier when they can be out scratching and pecking and doing all the things chickens love to do. If you can't, then make sure you build a run big enough so they can get out and move around. Don't worry about "square feet per chicken". Build as big a coop as you can, and watch your birds. If you see signs of picking, fighting or feather-eating, they're too crowded. Reduce your flock size. If you have chicks, read what I posted above about heat lamps. It's real easy to tell if they're too hot or cold. They don't need insulation or heat in the coop in the winter. Draft-free, well ventilated, yes. Give them enough room and they won't get "bored". Plenty of water. Mine get commercial feed. No, it's not organic. You have to figure that one out for yourself. There are pros and cons to every decision you make. Remember that people have been raising chickens for many generations without all kinds of gadgets and gizmos for them. It's good that you're planning ahead for roosters. Even buying sexed chicks from the feed store isn't a guarantee that you'll get all pullets. Mistakes happen. Good luck and enjoy your birds when you get them!

 

[lorain's fids]

My 5 chickens will be 2 this year on June 29th. I was brand new to having chickens. Didn't have a clue on anything, so we had started looking at coop pictures and getting info on how to build it. Size needed for 6 chickens and heights of roosts and nest boxes and such....the beginning of that June my husband started buliding it. I got the 6 chicks(minium here in NJ) who were 2 days old. I set up a nice pen for them in my dogs old crate and they lived in my wash room. My coop was finally done in mid August. It took a little longer than planned due to the extremely hot weather we had that summer and rain, and also since my husband was doing it in his extremely limited spare time. While the chicks were living in my wash room, during the day I would bring them outside and put them in my old rabbit hutch, this way they got fresh air and were safe from any preditors. Everything worked out fine for me--I learned as I went along. So If you are going to build a coop remeber to add in some extra time for delays. And also when you get baby chicks they don't go right into the coop, they get to hang out inside for a few weeks or so. Good luck!

 

[heybarb]

Last March my husband finally agreed to chicks, so I dashed out and got 6 (minimum purchase at Tractor Supply) before he changed his mind. We kept them in a big cardboard box for the first 8 weeks, and worked on our coop on the weekends. Before the coop was finished, we had added 4 bantams. And then since we our coop was almost completed, we "rescued" two more from a friend that got chicks as an Easter gift for her kids. Any way, it worked out fine! Our coop was done with plenty of time to spare.

 

[kdwag]

I was like you at first too. I started with 4 pullets which has been very manageable for me and I'm glad I started small because it is overwhelming. I picked mine up from a hatchery a couple hours drive from me. They stayed in a brooder in my garage until they were 8 weeks old. This was in November, they had a great deal of feathering and the weather was still somewhat mild (I live in NW Ohio). I put them in a coop (prefabbed that I ordered on line) and added a heat lamp but only turned it on if it got too cold (20s). I now know that probably wasn't necessary but I was a new chicken mom and worried since they were still so young. Funny, I got my coop in July and didn't get my pullets until September! LOL That was totally not necessary. In hind sight,I wished I would have had a coop design in mind and built. I don't know that you need the coop when you first get them but know that they may need to go in it by 6 weeks or so if you don't have a good place to put a brooder. WIth only 4, your accommodations don't need to be quite so large. My brooder was a large wired dog crate with the removable plastic floor, supplied with 1 foot high card board around the inside to protect them, some newspaper and pine shavings, a small feeder and waterer and a heat lamp. When they reached about 3-4 weeks, I made a larger brooder with card board boxes taped together, 3 ft. by 5 ft. with a piece of garden fencing over the top (they learned quick how to fly out). The floor was the same, newspaper and shavings feeder and waterer. It was challenging to clean but a lot of times I just let them out to run around the garage while I cleaned, they never went far. Once they were 6 weeks, I put them in their fenced run and coop area during the day but returned them to their warm garage at night until they were 8 weeks and then they were in the coop for good and used to it due to the playtime they got previously. So, that's my experience and I just learned as I went and continue to learn through this great web site. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.