when i get my chicks in january should i give them vitamins? how long should i feed chick starter? also, how old should my chicks be before i move them out of the brooder. any help is very welcome.
HERE is a very good overview of how to care for them during their first couple of months. They do not need anything but fresh water and chick feed, though some people do give some other things for a few days.
I don't give vitamins on a regular basis. When I get chicks shipped I do give Save-A-Chick in the water for a few days, especially if I have any slow or stressed chicks. After that just plain, fresh water and all the chick starter they want to eat. Their starter is a balanced feed so it's usually not necessary to give a lot of extra vitamins unless there is a problem. Chick starter or grower can be fed all the way up until hens start laying. You don't want to switch to layer until they start laying or are about to. Chicks are usually ready to move into their coop full time when they are fully feathered, about 5 weeks old. Though I usually start taking them out for a few hours a day at about 3 weeks old in a safe pen, either outside, weather permitting, or with a heat lamp in their coop. Unless you have a very large brooder by 4 and 5 weeks they are getting big and active and will be cramped and bored.
You don't need to give them vitamins, though vitamins can be beneficial, particularly if the chicks are stressed from shipping or something else. If you do decide to give vitamins, I would recommend water soluble ones. Mix the vitamins into the water at the correct dosage and give them for a week or so. You have two options when it comes to chick starter, and it all depends on what feed is available in your area. Generally, you want to feed chick starter to your chicks until they are 6-8 weeks old. Then, if it is available in your area, you can switch to grower feed and keep them on that until they reach 18 weeks old or begin laying. Differently, if your feed store doesn't sell special grower feed, you can keep feeding your birds chick starter feed until laying age. There is also a type of feed known as starter/grower feed, which is a combination of the two feed types--that is what I use. The age you can transfer your chicks outside the brooder depends on their feathering state and weather conditions. If temperatures are at least 60 degrees Farhenheit or so, you can usually move chicks outside when they're 6 weeks old. Rarely, they're ready at 4 weeks. If temperatures are colder, though, or they seem poorly feathered, it is best to wait until they're 8-12 weeks old.