Please tell me what I need!

[Counting chickens]

Well, If you have plenty of space in the brooder, the chicks can get as far away as they want from the lamp. I think it's cheaper to do a lamp.
Yes, you will have to clean the waterer. I put mine up on a board. It helps a bit, but they still get it dirty.
I think you should wait until until its a bit warmer outside, to order. That way you can move them outside, or wherever, without worrying about it being too cold. What are you getting?

I'm not as far north as you, lol Central Texas..
I'm torn as to what to get. I was going to get Buff Orpingtons (neighbor suggestion)
But I like the idea (another suggestion on here) to get a mix for the first time...

 

[AllenK RGV]

If you ask me for a suggestion for a breed I would check out ideal nursery near Austin. All of their stock should have been bred here and is heat tolerant. Of course if you aren't after the birds for meat and eggs vs just having eye candy I would highly recommend Sunatras. If you like the colors that a grackle displays that is. They seem to be bulletproof against the hawks and are pretty to look at.

 

[Counting chickens]

If you ask me for a suggestion for a breed I would check out ideal nursery near Austin. All of their stock should have been bred here and is heat tolerant. Of course if you aren't after the birds for meat and eggs vs just having eye candy I would highly recommend Sunatras. If you like the colors that a grackle displays that is.

Yeah, I am ordering from Ideal!
We're looking for working girls! We go through a lot of eggs...

 

[AllenK RGV]

Well production chicken produce about 5-7 eggs a week. Do the math on what you really need. Also, some have seasons. Let me attach a file that I hope will help you decide on a breed.

 

[Chullicken]

Play Sand is a no no, looks really nice but it has several draw backs to it. Its so fine that the particles actually cling to moisture more so than larger particulate like you'd find with All Purpose Sand which is larger allowing water to escape more easily. Moisture = nasty microbe snots you don't want near your birds.

I ditched the heat lamp years ago..the risk is to high. I've been using a heating pad 'fake hen' set up and it works wonderfully, uses less electricity and the fire risk is greatly reduced. I haven't read all the comments, but I find using a rubber tote is the best for me. Its reusable, can be disinfected, widely available and cheap. Couple set ups on line and here if you choose a rubber tote. Good luck with those cuties, you'll get hours of smiles and giggle snorts before your cheeks cramp up and your heart burns out from all the satisfying life moments you'll experience raising life. =)

 

[debid]

About to order chicks, but want to make sure that I am ready. I am a Neeeeewwwbie...
I have the nursery coop ready (Not brooder)

So, I need:
brooder box (cardboard, wood? plastic tote?)
heat lamp?
PND
waterer
Starter crumbles
What am I missing?

Add me to the votes for the mama heating pad method. It's much more efficient for smaller numbers and dodges the common newbie mistake of overheating your chicks.

FWIW, I start my chicks in the nursery coop. I started this way because I have a severe dust allergy but there are other benefits such as never worrying about when they're ready to move outside and off heat. They move to the roost on their own. They're also in close proximity to my adults this way which makes them a bit wiser and integration notably easier. You won't see that benefit with the first round but there is still value in having early access to soil.

 

[lazy gardener]

My recommendation: Skip the heat lamp. Heating pad brooding is by far much safer and a much more natural method of brooding the chicks. It comes as close as possible to duplicating the heat and protection/comfort provided by a broody hen. It allows the brooder to be at what ever the ambient temperature is without making the brooder box warm. Those of us who have tried the MHP brooding system will never go back to a heat lamp again!

Poultry Nutri-Drench. All of my chicks get it during the first 2 weeks, whether they are suffering shipping stress or they explode out of the shell like a kick boxer and spend the next day using their unhatched bator mates as soccer balls.

A big brooder: Best: Brood the chicks in a predator proof coop, outside brooder box/tractor. No adjustment time needed to transition chicks from indoor brooder to coop.

Next best: Brood in a garage in an appliance box. chicks double their size every week, and by the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old, they should have 2 s.f./chick.

IMO, brooding in the house should be avoided if at all possible. Chicks create a lot of dander. This is like an oily dust that covers every surface, including vertical ones! It is also very hard on the lungs. I would avoid using a plastic tote, especially in combination with a heat lamp. I and many other folks call this combination, an "Easy-Bake Oven chick brooder. It is VERY easy to overheat chicks with such a set up. Many posts each chick season from folks who's chicks have died, or almost died from being overheated. It's also practically impossible to provide the needed space with a plastic tote.

 

[3chimama]

I've never thought of using a heating pad instead of a light...can you tell me exactly how you use it and is it just a regular old heating pad that we use for back pain, etc? Do the chicks get it wet? Thank you in advance.

Play Sand is a no no, looks really nice but it has several draw backs to it. Its so fine that the particles actually cling to moisture more so than larger particulate like you'd find with All Purpose Sand which is larger allowing water to escape more easily. Moisture = nasty microbe snots you don't want near your birds.

I ditched the heat lamp years ago..the risk is to high. I've been using a heating pad 'fake hen' set up and it works wonderfully, uses less electricity and the fire risk is greatly reduced. I haven't read all the comments, but I find using a rubber tote is the best for me. Its reusable, can be disinfected, widely available and cheap. Couple set ups on line and here if you choose a rubber tote. Good luck with those cuties, you'll get hours of smiles and giggle snorts before your cheeks cramp up and your heart burns out from all the satisfying life moments you'll experience raising life. =)

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[dunnmom]

Buff Orpingtons are great chickens! I have 6. I live in central OK, so I know what sort of climate you have. My advice if you get the Buff Orpingtons is keep in mind they are not very heat tolerant due to all of the extra feathers. They need a little special consideration during the hottest parts of summer. BTW, mine were bred in MO and still have heat issues.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I've never thought of using a heating pad instead of a light...can you tell me exactly how you use it and is it just a regular old heating pad that we use for back pain, etc? Do the chicks get it wet? Thank you in advance.

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Yes it really is just a regular old heating pad without the auto shut-off feature.