Last fall, one of my friends gave me several chickens that were about 20 weeks old. After a very warm, wet winter, all but two of my hens died, and so I had almost given up hope on this batch of chickens. Lo and behold, my two remaining hens went broody and are sharing the responsibility of a clutch of at least 8 eggs!
I'm very excited but also nervous. I've never dealt with chicks before.
My question is, what is absolutely essential for me to know about raising chicks? I bought some chick starter feed, a chick-sized feeder and waterer, and probiotics. Is there anything else I need to successfully raise chicks? Is there anything special I should do for them? Will the hens keep them warm or do I need to keep a lamp in the coop (it's a very small coop on the back of a chicken tractor, and in East TN we've been having very warm weather, but the nights do still get down to about 50 degrees)? Are there any vaccinations they need or should I just go with the flow? Thanks in advance for advice!
I'm very excited but also nervous. I've never dealt with chicks before.
My question is, what is absolutely essential for me to know about raising chicks? I bought some chick starter feed, a chick-sized feeder and waterer, and probiotics. Is there anything else I need to successfully raise chicks? Is there anything special I should do for them? Will the hens keep them warm or do I need to keep a lamp in the coop (it's a very small coop on the back of a chicken tractor, and in East TN we've been having very warm weather, but the nights do still get down to about 50 degrees)? Are there any vaccinations they need or should I just go with the flow? Thanks in advance for advice!
