HELP please! What do you do after delivery of chickens?

[kjpuggles3]

HI Im a young perspective backyard chicken owner and i want to know what I'm supposed to do after I get my three day old chicks in the mail? Ps- i'd love to see your cute pics of baby chicks! I can't wait to see mine! They'll be SOOOO CUTE yay!!! Thanks for the help. So to restate the question: what do I do once my three day old chicks arrive in the mail (not sexed necissarily) for the next three months of life *in detail please* and what tips do you have for the first few days, weeks, and months of my chickies lives? I'm not sure yet (i have to discuss with my parents) but I think there will be 15-20 chicks and a variety (australorps, sussex, rhodies, star chickens and more- the cold-hardy excellent egg layers, you know). Thanks! I appreciate it alot! YAY CHICKENS!

Nothing is "impossible", it says right in the word "I'm possible"!
audrey hepburn

CHICKEN LOVER,
k

 

[kjpuggles3]

also, I live in new england so when should I schedule eggs to be delivered? and is "mypetchicken.com" a reliable source for live baby chickens? Thanks you guys!

 

[JodyJo]

How To Care For A Chick - First 60 Days:

Young Chick Brooder - Can be as simple as a sturdy cardboard box or a small animal cage like one you'd use for rabbits.
Flooring - Pine shavings work best
Temperature - 90 to 100 deg. for the first week, decrease 5 deg. per week. A 100 watt bulb pointing in one corner (not the whole brooder) works well.
Food & water - chick crumbles / starter & a chick waterer
Play time - Play with your chicks when young to get the use to being around people.
Outside time - Section off an area in your yard where the chicks can explore, scratch, etc. Make sure you can catch them when it's time to come in.
More details: Raising Chicks

Chicken Care After First 60 Days, General Chicken Care:

Chicken Coops - Once feathered out you'll want to move your chickens into a chicken coop! Rule of thumb is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside the henhouse and 4-5 sq/ft per chicken in an outside run. Keep local predators in mind and make a safe home for your flock!
Flooring - Pine shavings work best. You can even try the deep litter method for even less maintenance.
Food & water - Most people go with chicken layer feed / pellets. You can even make a homemade chicken feeder / waterer
Treats - Vegetables, bread, bugs, chicken scratch (cracked corn, milo, wheat)


check this out, its from the BYC home page...

Good luck and post pics, here are a couple of mine when mine were little:

**Ask any questions you may have...we won't laugh, NO question is a dumb one! We are all here to help!

 

[kjpuggles3]

Thank you sooo much for your quick and helpful reply! Loooove the cute baby chickens! I can't wait to get mine! Yay! Thanks again!

 

[loanwizard]

Quote:
I have never dealt with mypetchickens so I cannot answer that. I bought mine off of Facebook and Craigslist and a local farm supply store.

When you first get them, make sure you have a warm brooder (mine is a big plastic tub thingy, a long storage bin). By 3 days you can use pine shavings. At one end I have a pie plate with feed (Chick Starter from a farm supply store), at the other a small water dish with a Bottle and nipple over it. You will need a very warm light over it for about a week. They should be at a constant temprature of 95 degrees and dropped 5 degrees per day. Personally I have a grow light over them for the first week, room temperature (dining room table) for the second week and outside after the endo of the 3rd week because I have new babies then. [ Hey! I am single, I can have whatever I want on my DR table if I want lol!].

Chickens aren't hard to care for. They need constant access to food, constant access to water and constant cleanup so there won't be any stink. They waste food so in their 2nd and 3rd week about every 3rd day I scoop out the food water feed mixture out and give fresh shavings. I also try to hold them each a little 2 or 3 times per week for future ease of capture.

Remember, if you get a lot of different breeds, any that you decide to hatch out, most likely will be cross bred unless you are VERY organized.

 

[JodyJo]

I forgot to address your question...delivery...hmmm, since they will be indoors and under heat, I don't think it is an issue of when they are delivered...I would do it sooner than later as the weather is cooling off quickly and in shipment, I am not sure how they fare. How many are you looking at getting?

this is the brooder I used for just 3 of my girls...the large flock I used the typical cardboard ring with heat lamp suspended above...

**notice the thermometer, very important to make sure you have one...McMurray Hatchery sells the entire brooder set...

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/brooder_guard.html
the brooder guard, just set it up, add the feeder, waterer, thermometer, chicks and some shavings...voila!
*some people use old bath towels on top of the shavings so the babies don't eat the shavings, also add some stone or glass marbles to the waterer to keep them from drowning in them...you can also toss the food on the floor of the brooder, so they are encouraged to feed and scratch

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
If you order you should think about the female top hat polish chicklets!!! I have three from them - Clara a buff - Steellllla Stellllla a golden laced and Celeste who is black with a white head. They are smile machines and totally devine

 

[kjpuggles3]

Thanks for all the replies! I am planning on getting 15-20 chicks of various excellent egg-laying, cold-hardy breeds (yes, im ok if they cross breed

) to arrive in late june (?) and they arrive at three days old.

please advise me on what to do day or week by week (ie. what to feed, when to introduce them into coop) Thanks! You are all so nice here! It means alot! Thanks

 

[JodyJo]

start them out on Grower/Starter food, they stay on that till they reach POL (point of lay), about 20 weeks..
fresh water, daily....you can add electrolytes to this to help boost their immune systems, getting them ready to on the 'dirt' outside.
**hold them, handle them softly and talk to them so they get used to you...I have a few that love to be held and carried around like a cat!

After you get them and they grow to about 6 weeks, till they have feathers, you can introduce them to the coop, come back then and we can give you more info.
don't want to give you too much too quickly!

Come back daily and read...READ.....all your answers are here!

 

[jmtcmkb]

Quote:
I live in NH and ordered from MPC the last week of Sept. My chicks arrived Tuesday by noon! I was very happy- I will say that my post office a couple towns away was nice enough to call me when they arrived there by passing 2 more stops before my chicks got to me. I happily traveled 20 minutes to go get then rather than wait the 4 or 5 hours they estimated it would be if they kept going on the normal path that would involve 2 more local post office stops- still I thought Tuesday was fantastic delivery time for chicks that hatch on Sun or Monday.

Good luck