Info for raising chicks.

[Newtochickens1]

Hello, I'm new here! Planning on getting some new chicks soon. We had 4 but they didnt work out and my daughter is heartbroken. Can I get some advise? The food I was giving the first chicks they wouldnt eat. Is there something special i need to give? I want them to lay so i was giving layer pellets but seemed like they couldnt eat the pellets because they were too big. Also, how long do they need heat? I had the first ones outside and they wouldnt stop screaming. My neighbor has chickens and I've never heard them make noise all night like these ones did. Thanks in advance!

 

[KingD]

From hatching to 5 weeks old chicks will need to be fed chick crumbs. Pullet - From 6 weeks to 18 weeks chickens do lots of growing so will need a type of feed to help them do that. This feed is called 'growers pellets' or 'growers mash'.

They need heat for about 6 weeks. (Until they're fully feathered).

Try and keep them inside if you can otherwise they can become too cold and die.

They will start to lay eggs at 21 weeks aprox.

Good luck.

 

[Newtochickens1]

They need to be fed chick crumb.

They need heat for about 6 weeks.

Try and keep them inside if you can otherwise they can become too cold and die.

They will start to lay eggs at 21 weeks aprox.

Good luck.

21 week!? I didnt realize it took so long.

My neighbor has always out her chicks in the chicken house. I would ask her but currently shes not speaking to me other than telling me to come to this site before getting new chicks. I'll look for the chick crumb when I'm at the tractor supply getting chicks again.

 

[wordgirl]

Hi Newtochickens1!

I'm so sorry about your four that you lost.

Baby chicks do need special feed--they need "Chick Starter" or "Chick Starter/Grower." It comes in small crumbles and can be ground up even smaller if needed for tiny chicks. Layer feed is only for adult hens over 16 weeks old. If you need to double-check whether the feed you are considering is appropriate for the chicks, just look at the label instructions. It should tell you, and it may even have a chart saying which food to feed at which life stage.

They need heat until they are fully feathered, which takes several weeks. They should have 95-degree heat the first week, 90-degree heat the second week, and so on, dropping five degrees each week.

Chicks should be in an indoor, draft-free environment until they are fully feathered. Going outside without proper precautions can cause them to be chilled (they also shouldn't eat bugs and plants without first having chick grit--and they may need to be a few weeks old before getting grit). Chicks will cheep very loudly if they are cold or uncomfortable.

 

[KingD]

I've edited my post with some additional info.

Use a plastic container for the chicks when they're under 6 weeks old. Hang a heatlamp above it keeping the temp at around 35° C
Use something like this with high sides as they can fly from 3 weeks.

Don't buy any more chicks until you know exactly what you're doing. Chicks are delicate creatures.

 

[Newtochickens1]

Thanks for the info! They didn't die, just realized I wasn't ready for them yet. I've tried to get them back but my request have been met with refusal so looks like I will have to spend more money on more chicks unfortunately.

How about the chicken house? I'm not very handy nor is my husband. Would the ones they sell at tractor supply work for 4?

 

[wordgirl]

I've edited my post with some additional info.

Use a plastic container for the chicks when they're under 6 weeks old. Hang a heatlamp above it keeping the temp at around 35° C
Use something like this with high sides as they can fly from 3 weeks.

Don't buy any more chicks until you know exactly what you're doing. Chicks are delicate creatures.

View attachment 2589255

I agree--please make sure to have a good plan for how you will care for the chickens before bringing any home. Chickens can live up to 10 or more years. Adult hens need at least 4 square feet of living space in their coop--so that is 16 square feet for 4 hens. If they will not have an outdoor run, then they need a minimum of 10 square feet per bird, or 40 square feet. As babies, they need safe, consistent heat until they are fully feathered. A container like the one above can be adapted to provide a brooding space for the babies. I would probably add chicken wire or hardware cloth to the top of it to protect the chicks from getting out and to be an additional safeguard to the heat lamp falling (which should be securely chained above the brooder). Heat lamps can cause fires, so be very, very careful about your set-up. I've used them for years but I am still always nervous, and I've switched over to a safer heating element called the "Sweeter Heater." You can also purchase heating plates like the Premier One heating plate if you would like to try something other than a heat lamp. Just make sure to **thoroughly research** everything before getting started!

 

[Newtochickens1]

I agree--please make sure to have a good plan for how you will care for the chickens before bringing any home. Chickens can live up to 10 or more years. Adult hens need at least 4 square feet of living space in their coop--so that is 16 square feet for 4 hens. If they will not have an outdoor run, then they need a minimum of 10 square feet per bird, or 40 square feet. As babies, they need safe, consistent heat until they are fully feathered. A container like the one above can be adapted to provide a brooding space for the babies. I would probably add chicken wire or hardware cloth to the top of it to protect the chicks from getting out and to be an additional safeguard to the heat lamp falling (which should be securely chained above the brooder). Heat lamps can cause fires, so be very, very careful about your set-up. I've used them for years but I am still always nervous, and I've switched over to a safer heating element called the "Sweeter Heater." You can also purchase heating plates like the Premier One heating plate if you would like to try something other than a heat lamp. Just make sure to **thoroughly research** everything before getting started!

Ok, I dont think I can keep them indoors. I was hoping to put them outside right away. Like I said, my neighbor puts hers outside right away so maybe we are warm enough for that? I'm looking at chicken houses online at tractor supply and am a bit confused. I really didnt want to spend too much but the cheaper ones seem too small based on your numbers.

 

[Disheygirl]

I am a new chick owner too - mine are five weeks old. If you don’t have a few hundred dollars to spend (food, supplies, probiotics, bedding, brooder, heat plate, etc) and then a few more hundred to spend on a coop (the wire is like $150 alone if you choose to build one yourself!), then don’t do it.

Aside from the money, you have to want to research and ask questions before and during, and spend a lot of time caring for them. They aren’t low maintenance...in fact, we have dogs, cats, rabbits, and I’ve owned horses, and chickens are the most fragile / take the most time so far. They need to be checked for pasty butt, and then one starts yawning a bunch so maybe there’s a problem with its crop, and what about one being egg bound when they’re laying? 10 times more complicated than I thought before I started researching...you have to be committed...they aren't a toy.

 

[NatJ]

How about the chicken house? I'm not very handy nor is my husband. Would the ones they sell at tractor supply work for 4?

The biggest ones sold at Tractor Supply might work for 4 chickens. The smaller ones will not.

Check what number of chickens each says it is for--they are giving numbers for bantam chickens (extra small chickens.) So plan on half as many chickens as the coop description says. That goes for most other chicken coops too, not just the ones at Tractor Supply.

My neighbor has always out her chicks in the chicken house.

If a mother hen is taking care of the chicks, they can live in a normal chicken house. The hen warms them up in her feathers, then lets them run around a little, then warms them up again.

Chicks can also be raised in an outdoor chicken house if you are careful to provide what they need: warmth, food & water, protection from predators, protection from the weather.

When they are very young, the chicks need somewhere about 90 degrees (fahrenheit). They also need a cooler area. Often, people do this by putting a heat lamp in one corner or end of the chicks space, so that spot is 90 degrees and the rest is cooler. The "cool" area could be 70 degrees or it could be 40 degrees or anywhere in between. The chicks run back and forth and choose the right spot for themselves. It's normal for them to play in the cooler area, warm up sometimes in the warm area, and also sleep in the warm area.

You don't have to use a heat lamp--there are heat plates and various other ways to keep chicks warm. I was just using it as one example of how to provide heat to chicks.

Many people start their chicks in the house, because a house provides great protection from bad weather and from wild animals, and because it's easy to plug things into an outlet in the house, and because they like to watch the cute chicks. But the chicks do not really care what kind of space they are in, as long as they are safe and have the correct temperatures and other things they need.