I have four buff orpington chicks arriving in about a month, and I'm just wondering how much of a time commitment the first few days are. They will be arriving on a Thursday, likely getting to my house in the evening, as my brother will be picking them up during the day along with his own order. I have to work the following day, but as luck would have it, I took the next week as vacation (before I even decided to get chicks! Hows that for timing?) My mom will likely be around that first day when I am at work, but how much work is the first day, really? They are coming from a Farmer's Co-op, so I figure they will be at least 48 hours old by the time they get home. How much do I need to prepare my mom to do? Would a few periodical checks to make sure the temp is OK and that food and water is clear be sufficient? And what about the following days- I assume they need less and less checking as time goes by. Am I going to be spending my vacation chick-sitting?
They should be fine, as long as they have a warm place big enough to get away from the heat if they want, clean water and food... Thats about it.
chickens really dont need that much supervision. The know what to do with food and water. If they are hot they get away from the heat and when they are cold they get together around the heat lamp
I did 'dunk' my 2 day old chicks' beaks into the waterer so they knew where it was, but other than that - you have it right. Just keeping the water clean (slightly raised or a paper towel apron under the waterer works the first few days) and available does the trick. They find the food My bigger problem was how to tear myself away from watching the chicks all day long - they're fascinating! Good luck
