Is it really this complicated? Feeling a bit overwhelmed!

[The Yakima Kid]

Actually, they can. Mine do. I've been raising chickens for over 25 years and they are in the coop within the first week or so. (The only reason it takes that long is because I like seeing the little fuzzballs running around the box or whatever I put them in for the first couple of days) I live in MN, and last year I had chicks in the coop the first couple of days in April. They had two heat lamps - one a little lower than the other - and plenty of room to come and go under the lamps as they pleased. As I stated before, you don't need thermometers, you just need to keep it draft-free for them, and watch them. If they're crowding under the lamps, lower them a little. If they're trying to get away from the lamps, raise them a little. Your chicks are content if they're scattered around the area, eating and drinking and making quiet chirping noises. If they're peeping loudly, they're not happy about something. You also don't NEED a red lamp. I've never used one, never had pecking problems. (Maybe because they have plenty of room to move around - overcrowding can cause pecking) Here is a picture of my newly hatched chicks last year in their "brooder". You can kind of see it to the right. It's just plastic garden edging - maybe 4" tall, I don't quite remember
- in an oval shape so they can't pile into corners and squash whoever ends up on the bottom.

Your chicks are in a coop being used as a brooder. They may be in the coop - but they are still being brooded.

Red lamps may not be needed with all breeds; but some breeds/strains are cannibalistic even when given very large areas. I had production Leghorns years ago, and they had real cannibalism issues compared to the dual purpose birds I've kept.

The reason I suggest red lamps is that when people brood for the first time it is a good idea to give suggestions that will make the project as simple and successful as possible. Even when you've been doing it for years, it doesn't hurt to weigh the odds as heavily in favor of success as possible.

 

[marvun22]

im not sure if anyone has suggested this yet but www.mypetchicken.com has decent prices and it has a small order minimum order depending on where your located (mine was 6) as for coops mine is a 16' x 16' box with chicken wire running up high. i used 4' x 8' plywood (im not sure how thick it was) it didnt cost anything as it was leftover after we finished building our house. all 8 of my chickens from mypetchicken arrived alive and well. 3 got killed by predators.

p.s. i ordered 8 chickens for 36 and the shipping was 36.

 

[Chicken Kaboodl]

Hi there, i feel your pain, the first thing you need to work out is what age to buy your flock, as you appear to be a first time keeper, i would recommend you start off with POL's point of lays, then work out breeds, are you looking for egg layers, go for hybrids, breeding stock, choose a breed you like, or pets where eggs are a bonus, there is lots of good information on most breeds readily available. buy your stock from a reputable breeder, go and see their set up, visit and a good breeder will answer any questions you have and give you sound advice. as for the housing, buy the best you can afford make sure its solid, made of good wood, 18mm thick, has ventilation perching and nesting areas. Although the internet is a great source of information, it can also be a bit as you say overwhelming, keep it simple, talk to breeders and keepers.
Happy hen keeping

Debi

 

[bruceha2000]

I live in ND and had the same problem last year when I decided to get chickens, though I had beer evading for over a year about the things we needed and what to do.

OK, I'll bite: What is "beer evading"?
Beer: malted alcoholic beverage
Evading: escaping or avoiding
You were avoiding beer for a year while figuring out what to do?
Well, thinking with a clear head IS a good idea!

I'm blown away at the amount of helpful people and advice! I am so glad I found this website! Thank you all so much! You guys are great!

Me too. That is why I bought the Golden Feather membership - to help support the site. I've gotten way, WAY MORE than $25 worth of free information from the very helpful people on BYC.

OK. Baby chicks don't go into a coop for the first eight weeks; they need to be in a brooder.

A brooder can be as simple as a heat lamp (no Teflon coated bulbs) hung over a cardboard box. A red flood lamp is perfect.

Start by lining the brooder with paper towels for the first three days or so. Put chick scratch in the feeder closest to the heat; and chick starter in the one that is farther from the heat lamp. The reason for feeding chick scratch first is that if they have been chilled they can develop pasting of feces on their cloacas; chick scratch seems to prevent this. You won't need chick grit unless you decide to give them access to anything other than chick scratch and chick starter. On day three you can remove the chick scratch entirely. They will need chick grit if you feed them greens, table scraps, etc. The best food for young baby chicks is chick starter.

Take a deep breath, just change cardboard boxes to clean the brooder, and spend the next eight weeks building your coop.

To make life as easy as possible with your first chicks, consider getting a flock of the calmer, gentler, quieter breeds. Dealing with cannibalism and neighbor complaints is never fun, and I've found that keeping calmer, quieter, gentler breeds means far fewer issues with neighbors or chickens eating each other.

Sorry to interrupt but I disagree with some of this.

1. OK so later you posted that where ever the chicks are is a brooder. I can agree with that BUT:

• Most people think of a brooder as a separate place to keep young chicks until they are big enough to go out to a coop without "support". Yes, you can brood chicks in a coop from day one.
• Chicks DO NOT need to be in the brooder for 8 WEEKS! They need to be somewhere safe with food, water, heat and no drafts. After they are fully feathered, they need everything but the heat. Obviously they will need heat longer if you get them in January than if you get them in July or live north of the 48th parallel vs south of the 32nd. Lots of people brood them in the house because that is where it is most convenient to check on them regularly (and they are CUTE!). Plus, some people don't have electricity in their coops for heat lamps. My girls went out to the coop at 3.5 weeks (mid July) because they wouldn't stay in the bathtub. They had a heat lamp at night for 1 week. I don't know if they slept under it or not, I sleep in the house
  
  . After that, they were "on their own" with their food and water. I don't give them grit because they have access to all the dirt and rocks their little hearts desire. They don't need oyster shell until they are getting ready to lay. Chick starter has extra calcium for bone growth. Too much calcium when they are growing is not good for them which is why you don't feed starter from hatch to POL.

Chick scratch.

• First NOT NEEDED.
• Second: scratch is "candy" do people feed candy to their one or two month old children?
• Third: If they have scratch they need grit.
• Fourth: Read this from a feed supplier:

Chick Scratch is not a complete feed and additional supplementation is required. Starting at 6 weeks, Chick Scratch may be fed on top of Chick Starter or in separate feeders. Consumption should not be more than 1part Chick Scratch to 3parts Chick Starter. Scatter insoluble grit over the feed once a week. Provide grit or oyster shell free choice, and keep water in front of chicks at all times.

http://www.ranch-way.com/products/poultry-feed/ranch-way-chick-scratch

and this from MyPetChicken:

"Q: At what age can my chickens begin eating treats?

​

A: We don't really recommend feeding your new baby chicks treats right away, because they should first learn what their feed is so they will be able to get a balanced diet. Treats do not provide a balanced, nutritious diet, and it's important to give your chicks a good start in life."

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...can-my-chickens-begin-eating-treats-H119.aspx

im not sure if anyone has suggested this yet but www.mypetchicken.com has decent prices and it has a small order minimum order depending on where your located (mine was 6) as for coops mine is a 16' x 16' box with chicken wire running up high. i used 4' x 8' plywood (im not sure how thick it was) it didnt cost anything as it was leftover after we finished building our house. all 8 of my chickens from mypetchicken arrived alive and well. 3 got killed by predators.

p.s. i ordered 8 chickens for 36 and the shipping was 36.

I looked at MPC plus other hatcheries and in the end ordered from Ideal. Their shipping is cheaper and they didn't have a 15 or 25 chick minimum. HOWEVER. some places only have those higher minimums during colder weather and the minimums are much lower after March. I also beat the odds, they were 100% on sexing my girls.

... as you appear to be a first time keeper, i would recommend you start off with POL's point of lays, then work out breeds, are you looking for egg layers, go for hybrids, breeding stock, choose a breed you like, or pets where eggs are a bonus,

• POL will be a lot more expensive to buy since you are paying someone else to raise them.
• Further, the shipping cost is much higher for adults and the mortality rate is higher. If one goes for POL hens, buy locally so you can drive them home in your car.
• And then there is the "integration" thing. Unless you get your hens all from the same place AND they were housed together, you'll have to deal with THEM deciding the pecking order. If you get a bunch of 2 day old chicks, they figure it out as they grow. no big trauma.
• Plus, you don't get to watch the little fluffy things grow up!

Other than getting eggs more quickly, I don't see a reason to buy POL instead of day old chicks. Well, the eggs and not having to sweat "is this one a boy or a girl" for weeks and weeks

Brooding for about a month is not complicated or difficult. I suppose it can be "expensive" in the same way your first tomato is expensive considering the cost of "tools", etc.

Minimally you will need a heat source, waterer and feeder. But a basic plastic waterer is about $5 as is a feeder base for a mason jar - we used a 54 oz apple sauce jar which was free (after we ate the contents

). Another $15 for the heat lamp and "reflector" with 8' cord. So if you have NOTHING, the "tools" cost about $25-$30. $8-$10 per chick if you get 3 chicks, but only $2-$2.50 per if you get 12

And if you get more chicks the next year, you already have the tools, just like with gardening.

Bruce

 

[TREX]

I am brand new to this, and am looking into what it would take to start a small flock. It doesn't seem like anything I couldn't learn, but it is starting to get complicated. Right now there are baby chicks everywhere for sale, but I can't bring them home yet because I don't have a coop. And once they come home the timer starts ticking. I am not sure if we're buying or building yet, and the latter will take who knows how long. I was thinking if my window to buy the chicks in stores runs out, then I can just order day old chicks online. But eveyone wants a minimum order of at least 15 and I don't want that many yet. I'm thinking like 4 to start. Ok, so maybe incubating? But incubators can get costly, and there is no way to determine how many chickens I will get and what sex. I really prefer to start with females as I hear males can be mean and I want fresh eggs. So if I incubate and get males, then what?I'm not trying to be overly picky, just simplify to start so I can learn the ropes.

So I'm kinda pulling my hair out a bit, thinking maybe I decided too late in the year. I dunno should I just scrap it and try next year? Am I am making this overly difficult? lol.. !

Any experienced chickeners have any words of encoragement/wisdom?

Don't overthink it.It will drive you nuts.I went through the same thing until I just said to myself I'm getting some chickens this year!!.So I did.

I didn't even start building a coop until after I had already purchased chicks from the feed store.It took awhile to build too because I wanted to reuse an old playground playhouse and it needed to be torn down to the studs and refurbished.I say buy some chicks and it will force you to get going on the project.Plus they are just so darn cute.

 

[Davidlonghair76]

i think you should have your coop ready before you get the chicks that way you don't have to rush to get it done,and you can build ,or buy to suit your needs.i have been working on my coop just for an hour a day afew weeks.I have used all frree lumber I had laying round.Anywho it has not taken that long,what is taking long is figuring what breeds will be right for my location and for me.Wait until you have coop and brooding area READY!!!

 

[missnu01]

What is chick scratch? I have never heard of that

 

[missnu01]

I thought about getting chickens, read a little about chickens, picked up some chickens and chicken food and now I am 100% obsessed with chickens

 

[farmgirl1313]

It's not hard to build a nice Temporary chicken coop. Me and my family had to hurry and make a chicken coop to get the chicks out of the house, before some unannounced family members came.
For the coop you need to buy some;
Plywood (based on the size of coop you want) for four sides and a roof.
2x4's.
A gate with the hinges and lock ( you can find at a lowes).
Hay.
Tin roofing
For the yard you can get;
A large dog kennel
chicken wire.
For nesting boxes you can get premade boxes at tractor supply.
First, for the chicken coop you can use the 2x4's to make the frame. By digging four holes in the ground spaced out of course. Put a 2x4 in each hole and fill it in. Then get another 2x4 to put along the bottom on each side but one. You're going to have to measure the size of the door to see how much you will need to cut off the 2x4. Then place the 2x4 down at the bottom. Now put 2x4's on each side at the top. You may need to run a 2x4 through the top to one side to the other as a brace for the roof. Next get the plywood and place in the sides of the coop and nail them. Next carefully put the tin roofing on, you may want to apply a kind of sealer to make sure there are no leaks. Put the door in.
Now for the chicken yard just put the dog kennel up around the coop or; connect the kennel to the coop, making instead of a square shape a pentagon.
Put the nesting boxes in the coop nailed to the wall low or high or on the ground. just make sure its easy access for the new chickens to get to. Add the hay to nesting boxes and on the ground of the coop.

 

[bruceha2000]

what is taking long is figuring what breeds will be right for my location and for me.

Wait until you have coop and brooding area READY!!!

Post your location in your profile and you'll probably get lots of suggestions! Of course they might be conflicting suggestions.

Nice job on the "use what you have" coop. I bet the birds will like the "unfinished wood" ladder

I'm still going with "make sure the brooder is ready as long as your plans for the coop will allow you to finish it by the time it is needed." You can buy the stuff for the brooder and have it set up in an hour so don't put off ordering your chicks waiting on that. If you are going to get them from a feed store, I absolutely would have it set up at least a day before so you can check the heat lamp by putting a thermometer on the bottom of the brooder under the lamp. You don't want to fry your little babies and you don't want them to be too cold either. Messing with that right after you put them in is NOT the best time

. I didn't make the nest boxes for my girls until they were almost 18 weeks old after getting on the 19 1/2 weeks and still no eggs thread. I had figured 20 weeks was the earliest I would get eggs. Then some people posted eggs at 16 weeks. Put me in gear

First egg from 1 girl was at 18 1/2 weeks, I hadn't cut the hole for the entrance to the nest box yet. But I'm sure she was as surprised as I was. She laid it by the frost free faucet, not in the coop. She laid 3 eggs in 9 days, then not again for 21 days. In the interim, 7 more started to lay between 21 and 22 weeks. Point being - you don't HAVE to have the coop totally completed before the birds go in. It was no harder to attach the external nest box when I did than if I had put it on before the 3 1/2 week old chicks went in. I added an internal nest in January that enclosed the nipple water pipe (warm water circulated by a small pump) so the nipples wouldn't freeze.

What is chick scratch? I have never heard of that

Check the first link in my post number 94. Basically nothing they need, or can "grind up" without grit in their crop. REALLY low nutrition value, 7.5% protien. Chick starter has 23% and has calcium (for bone development) vitamins and minerals. But I guess it tastes good, I have not sampled scratch myself

Bruce.