I would start in the learning center:
first exposure to the soil pathogens. First dust bath, and plenty of play opportunities.
Wow thats cheap, people around here sell them for $5 or $6 a dozen and have more people who want them than eggs to sell. I have been telling people I am getting chicks in the spring and already friends are asking will I be selling the eggs.
1. Heating pad brooder.
2. Large brooder: plan on minimum 1 s.f. per bird to get them to 5 weeks. They need that room to stretch their wings and legs, and to allow proper social development.
3. Fermented feed. (Your choice re: medicated or not medicated. There are compelling reasons for choosing either option. Do your homework and come up with your own decision. Do not let an other BYC member, or even an employee at the feed store tell you that you must do it their way.
4. Use Poultry Nutri-drench in the first week. You can also give them a bit of sugar water. Be sure to change the water every 24 hours. Save your money on electrolyte packets. You can make your own electrolyte solution for pennies. (do a google search for home made gator ade or electrolyte solution.)
4. Give them a plug of sod from your yard during the first week: (be sure the yard/garden has not been treated with insecticide/herbicide/fungicide in the last year or more.) Sod gives them beneficial bacteria and fungi, first grit, first greens, first insects/worms, and (yes, this is a good thing
5. Have your coop ready before getting your chicks: They grow fast, and if you build your coop right, with electric access (can be as simple as a heavy duty extension cord with outlet protected from moisture.) Plan to brood your chicks right in the coop. Make that coop large enough to meet your FUTURE needs. Make it predator proof (hard ware cloth instead of chicken wire over all openings) Give it lots of ventilation, and natural lighting. I STRONGLY recommend that you avoid purchasing a pre-fab coop. I have not yet seen one that is appropriately designed to meet the needs of the chicken or the flock owner. For the same cost, you can do your own stick built, or buy a woodenshed that can then be upgraded with perches, windows, ventilation, etc.
6. Every time you observe your flock, assess their activity, general appearance. Also assess the environment with an eye towards their safety. Chicks pop out of the shell and immediately start to look for new and unique ways to commit suicide. They can drown in a tablespoon of water, they can get stuck in, under, behind objects. They can escape the safety of the brooder. They make nice bite sized snacks for 4 legged pets and predators, as well as winged preds. Children need eyes on supervision when interacting with chicks. Too easy to drop a squirmy chick, or even squeeze him too hard. They are especially prone to over heating or chilling. This is why the HP brooder is especially helpful. It allows them to self regulate.
7. Have fun with your little flock, and as you stroll around on BYC, realize that there are many ways to raise poultry. Each owner needs to make their own decisions based on their own flock their own management style, their own environment, and their own risk assessment and tolerance.
