Raising chicks while at work during the day?

[Ol Grey Mare]

To answer your question @Molliep2, Yes it is entirely possible to raise checks while working full time and no they won't end up of street gang of thugs if you do so. In fact, though probably be grateful for the fact that you're out earning a paycheck which will keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. As has already been noted arranging to be home for the 1st day or so is always a good idea so that you can make sure that they are settled and oriented to food and water and warmth. Once that has been established they are quite fine on their own for extended periods of time as long as you are sure they have access to feed water and warmth in your absence. As to the assertion that your constant presence is necessary in order for them to bond, I have neither the time nor the crayons to respond.....

 

[chickenmeadow]

I am currently working 5 days a week. So... I do the chickie brooder & chicken chores before I leave in the morn & the same when I get home before walking in the front door. I agree that it is important to socialize with them, so the weekend is that time for me; my soft words & singing may also help when doing their chores. Chickies & adult chickens are all happy & healthy here, it just takes some extra effort - "come rain or shine".

The chickie brooder is set up well to avoid mishaps of running out of water, too much or not enough heat, drafts, other pets getting into the brooder, etc. Post questions & surely you will get lots of help here on the BYC that will help you plan & prepare; also if you haven't already, check out topics in the Forums tab at top of page. This pic is of 3 new Speckled Sussex that I picked up that day from the feed store. You'll see that there is a hot side & a cold side available to them. Best wishes.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Is it possible to raise chicks while at work all day?

Yes...absolutely. Ideally, you should get the chicks on the weekend so that you can make sure the food and water are stable. Chicks have a tendency to kick bedding into both, and you don't want it tipping so that they are out for hours.

Once you get them set up with stable food, water, and a heating method (and I recommend Blooie's mother heat pad vs. the heat lamp, which is a fire hazard), they are fine.

They have each other to bond with. They are happy being chickens, scratching, chasing each other, pecking up food, and sleeping long hours of the day.

As they grow, they will need a lot less heat, and more room to chase each other, chase bugs, and scratch in the dirt.

I'm sorry this thread got hijacked by an obvious "troll."

Chickens are not humans, nor do they have a human social structure. They have a chicken flock structure with their own style of communication. We actually confuse them a lot when we interrupt their normal lifestyle with ours, which in turn can upset their flock dynamics.

I have "hand raised" chicks, and I have had hens raise chicks.

If you want a pet, you can teach a chicken to interact with you. Some like it a lot more than others, but don't assume the chicken is getting more out of it because you spend more time. You can actually stress them out a LOT by over handling them.

The scariest thing for a little chick is the big hand coming down on top of them and picking them up to squeeze them. You have literally become a predator grabbing them. That causes a lot of stress and can actually make them sick.

At the end of the day, enjoy sitting and watching your chicks. Put some treats in your hand, like bird seed or meal worms or scrambled eggs, and quietly sit by the side of the brooder with your hand flat on the floor.

Let them get used to your presence, then eventually someone will take some food. Ah ha. You have just become the food dispensing machine. You are now "friend" and not "foe."

At the same time, repeat that. In time, actually rather shortly, they will anticipate your coming home to spend time with them and be waiting for you. Continue to remain calm, quiet, slow moving in their presence, always allowing them to come to you, never chasing or grabbing them.

Continue some daily interaction with food treats. Not a lot of time is needed. They have each other and all the chicken stuff they like to do.

After they go outside, it will be very, very easy to gather them any where because, remember, you are the food dispensing machine who has always been calm and quiet and non-predator like.

You have happy birds. You have birds who enjoy being birds. You have feathered friends who are enjoyable to watch.

Happy brooding
LofMc

 

[Blooie]

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chicks are quite self sufficient, though I agree that being as available as possible the first day is a good idea to make sure they settle in and have no issues with food, water and heat.

I don't work but I didn't find that I needed to check in on my chicks very often. Especially when they're very young... they sleep, a lot. I consider my chickens to be pets but I didn't spend that much time coddling them. As adult they're friendly enough and I can pick them up and handle them without much issue. So are the started pullets I got, they're a little more skittish overall, but still friendly enough. (And by "friendly enough" I mean when I let them free range, they'll come and find me when they're ready to go back to their run. The other day they walked about 100 feet down the driveway, directly from the lawn to where I was doing patch up work, to let me know it was time to go!)

 

[theoldchick]

Is it possible to raise chicks while at work all day?

Yes, it is. I've done it many times. Left at seven am and returned at 6 pm. The key is to have a good set-up. I've kept chicks in the house up to two weeks of age then placed them in the cardboard corral out in the garage. At six weeks they went to the coop.

Keep the young chicks in a secured container with hardware cloth on top. Make sure they are safe from the house pets-no matter how much you trust your house pets. You gotta be sure your heating is safe and will not cause a fire. And as always make sure food and water is available.

Yes, you can leave your chicks alone for the day. Keep safety in mind, keep the other house pets away (keep chicks in separate room-bathrooms work great with toilet lid down), and if you are super worried have a friend stop by during the day to check up on them.

 

[EggMan207]

Absolutely!!! I work all day. I get day olds on a Thursday or Friday, so I can give them attention over the weekend, but as long as you have a safe brooder set up, it should be totally fine. I fill the food and water in the morning, and then again when I get home. All my chicks are happy and healthy.

 

[PirateGirl]

I want to preface this by saying I got startled pullets at 5 weeks of age, not the same thing.

I found probably checked on them more than needed. 9 times out of 10 they were just fine.

You can set up a web cam if you want to check in remotely, but if you are unable to rush home in an emergency or do not have a neighbor to help, this may cause you stress.

I don't think my pullets were hand raised prior to me bringing them home. I found that handling seemed to stress them out. If I tried to catch them, they were scared (so I didn't hold them much at all), but if I was just present, cleaning feeding etc they were not afraid of me. They got used to me. They are adults now and my husband, who grew up on a farm and has had many chickens in his life, always says how friendly my chickens are. Now they run to me instead of running away. I can catch and pick one up without trouble. They try and follow the dog and come running when a car pulls in the driveway.

I want to assure you that your chickens can be calm and friendly even if you don't spend a ton of time with them as chicks.

I don't know what the chickens think or feel. I don't know if they thrive on human interaction or are even capable of missing us. I don't know if they have a sense of time. I do know that if you are calm and gentle and provide safe shelter, food, and water, you can have calm, gentle, healthy chickens.

 

[DuckLady]

Folks PLEASE do NOT respond to trolling posts. JUST REPORT THEM.

Thank you to those of you who managed to refrain.