How hard is it to raise chicks

[PortageGirl]

Quote:
Easy Peasy!! and lots of fun!! look under the "Learning Center" there's lots there about it.

You will need:

A small waterer, (about $1.99 for the base, plus a mason jar or even a VERY clean old Mayo jar...)
A small feeder, ($3 to $10 depending) though for just a few you can use a coffee can lid though they'll waste a lot of feed,

A small bag of chick starter
Some kind of enclosure, large cardboard box will work fine!
A 100 watt light bulb, though some people use an actual heat lamp, (I'm old, and never have!) It IS best to get a good solid fixture at the feed store, one with a really good reflector, mount and guard, TSC has some.

Speaking of which, go look at your local feed stores and they may well have day old chicks RIGHT NOW!!!

Go look! You know you want to!!!

Ordering just a few chicks through the mail is problematic, but not impossible. This time of year though local feed stores are really your best bet.

 

[mrsgibber]

You guys are great, I feel more confident already. My only issue with going to a feed store is not knowing if they are male or female. I would like to order some vaccinated too. My coop is only big enough for five or six so I'd be afraid to go with ten to start buy I could probably sell them on craigslist or something right?

I'm more excited than ever now!!!!!!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Heck I would just order the minimum chicks (25 in most cases) and go through a hatchery where you can get all pullets and then sell the ones you don't want here on BYC. I'm SURE someone near you would jump at the chance to grab them up! Especially this time of year

ETA: I sold my extras in 30 min after advertising here

 

[PortageGirl]

Most feed stores only order pullets and will stand by that so if you get any roos, they'll give you a refund. Even if you order only pullets from a hatchery, they still only guarentee between 90-95% accuracy, so you may STILL get a roo at any given time.

One problem if you get 4 hens from a feed store and by bad luck one winds up being a roo, by the time you figure it out, the chicks will all be gone at the store, so you'll wind up one short. For that reason I suggest getting a couple extras. If they all wind up being hens after all (which will really probably be the case) honestly, 7 hens are no more trouble than 6... (or whatever)

It's pretty unlikely, but with just a few chickens if it happens it's crummy. I think 2 is too few.... 2 is a pair, 3 is just barely a flock, and they really are flock creatures. It's a question of group dynamics and making sure the 'pecking order' allows for enough numbers to allow for their social natures. having enough will mean they all have pals to hang with, even if they're low on the order. (I hope that makes sense?)

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
It does make sense. Maybe if I want to make sure I end up with five or six survivors that are hens I should order double that amount.

Thanks!

 

[mrsgibber]

I just called our area agway (no chicks til JUNE) and TSC doesn't know when they will be in. I think I might keep calling them daily until I get a hit.

 

[PortageGirl]

Yep, but double seems a bit high... as long as you are ready to raise that amount or find homes for the extra, that's great though!! The feed stores have them for the first few most dangerous days and have already weeded out the sickly ones, and they're usually pretty hardy if they've gotten into the dislpay, plus you can pick out the perkiest ones if you're calling every day and get there early to select the 'bestest' (my nephew's word which I love, but it's a really bad example *bad auntie*).

They probably order at least 100+ at a time, and out of that, maybe one or two could wind up being roos, so the chances of YOU getting any roos is 'fairly' low, but hey, it could happen. That's the biggest reason I suggest one or two extra... you'll really want more once you have them though,

so yeah, as long as you are prepared for all being hens, and all surviving, GO FOR IT!!!!

We just want PICTURES!!!

(this is from the woman who doesn't have a camera!!!

I really need to get one I think. )

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
Pictures for sure!!! I'm gonna hassle TSC until they have them unless I luck out elsewhere first. I already have a very sweet BYC member offering to meet my halfway (so I don't have to make a full one hour drive) to get some of her hatching chicks to me.

 

[chick2good4u]

They are very easy and fun! I can't keep a goldfish, but I've had no problems with my chickens but BE CAREFUL........they can cause serious addiction problems!

 

[ZooMummzy]

Not hard at all! The hard part is stopping once you have them....all you want is more, more, more!