EDIT: Purchasing Australorps instead.

i love buff orps are u getting chicks? or full grown hens? where are u located..

 

Spend some time here reading older posts and order your birds when you are
ready. Most hatcheries only ship on Mondays or Tuesdays so you have plenty of time
to work out the BASICS.

 

My brooder was a large furniture box with a post across it and a reptile heat lamp suspended from the post. We varied the bulb and height for the lamp, covered the floor with pine chips and away we went. The chicks are now 9 weeks old and doing great.

Have fun with yours!

 

Hee. We're "dog people," so our brooder is very, um... Well, our basement has linoleum flooring, so it's easy to clean and disinfect. For each batch of birds, what we've done is put down a circle with a brooder guard (one of the cheap little $5 ones from the hatchery), pile up a few inches of shavings, then put a doggie X-Pen around the brooder guard. Probably the most hilarious touch is that our heat-lamp hangs from the long nozzle of a professional SpeeDee stand dryer for dogs.

Belinda

 

I bought the Chick-N-Hutch to brood my girls in and they stayed in it about 3 to 4 weeks and then went to the big coop. Most people use the big rubbermaid totes with a heat lamp over the top. Use Pine shavings in the bottom and paper towels over the top of them for a few days. I use Ideal Hatchery in Texas as they will ship 3 or 4 chicks to you cheaper the My Pet Chicken. I get them overnight and they are always healthy. Alot of members use Ideal in fact. Trudy

 

sounds good!
get layer feed for the hens
and regular feed for the roo ( layer isnt good for roos)
sum scratch, waterer feeder, house and run (or free range)
GOOD LUCK!!!

 

My buffs are 12 days old now and we have them in a 2x4 brooder, there is 24 of them, it will do for another week but by then the coop had better be ready. i got mine this side of the boarder because of the expense at customs, I paid around $2.55 a chick (non sexed), I also have 10 Silver laced wyandottes keeping them company and they seem to be happy in the area. You would do well with a 2x4 for your 4 for a fair old time ( here's my brooder tip) ild interior doors, they are around 30 inches by 80, get 3 old ones and nail them together to make the bottom and 2 sides, then a piece of ply or anything on the sides and a mesh screen for the top. Now you have a nice size brooder then can be taken apart and flat packed, the doors are usually painted so will wipe down easily and if you ever have a sick chick you can put in up in minutes. This is a bit late for you but it's worth looking around for some supplies now. The doors will also help for insulation and if you decide to give it up, they will burn and keep you warm in the winter

 

Howdy seen you on chat tonight...good luck with your chicks! Your going to LOVE them!