Should I go with Chicks or Pullets

[ThatTeowonna]

I would go with chicks if it were me. They are cuter, for one. You could also get them tamer

Cuteness level isn’t a consideration for me, but making them more tame is. That is an important aspect that I didn’t consider before.

 

[Sally PB]

Some thoughts on getting chickens, as I've only done "new chickens" once.

I'm in the "get chicks" camp. That's what I did, so that's all I know.

I used an extra large dog crate for the brooder, and lined it with sheets of cardboard so that they couldn't escape through the bars. That kept the bedding from getting scratched out. It did NOT keep the dust from escaping, however. While the crates aren't cheap, I have a lot of other uses for one, and they can be used as a quarantine pen, broody breaker, etc. (I used it to harden off seedlings for the garden; no loss to rabbits last spring!) The bars are really handy for hanging feeders, toys, whatever.

There is the whole handling/socializing aspect that everyone has talked about. The chicks are all starting from day one, too, regarding their pecking order. I don't know if started pullets are sold as a flock or not.

When I got chicks, we didn't have a coop built yet, so we had a few weeks to figure that part out. If your coop isn't chicken ready the day the pullets arrive, what can you do? Timing is more critical if you don't have Plan B.

Plus, chicks are really, really cute.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

Some thoughts on getting chickens, as I've only done "new chickens" once.

I'm in the "get chicks" camp. That's what I did, so that's all I know.

I used an extra large dog crate for the brooder, and lined it with sheets of cardboard so that they couldn't escape through the bars. That kept the bedding from getting scratched out. It did NOT keep the dust from escaping, however. While the crates aren't cheap, I have a lot of other uses for one, and they can be used as a quarantine pen, broody breaker, etc. (I used it to harden off seedlings for the garden; no loss to rabbits last spring!) The bars are really handy for hanging feeders, toys, whatever.

There is the whole handling/socializing aspect that everyone has talked about. The chicks are all starting from day one, too, regarding their pecking order. I don't know if started pullets are sold as a flock or not.

When I got chicks, we didn't have a coop built yet, so we had a few weeks to figure that part out. If your coop isn't chicken ready the day the pullets arrive, what can you do? Timing is more critical if you don't have Plan B.

Plus, chicks are really, really cute.

I have a dog crate I can use as a brooder. Good idea. I also had chickens before so my coop is ready to go. It’s the heating component that concerns me.

 

[Sally PB]

It’s the heating component that concerns me.

TSC has inexpensive heat lamps. They do the job well. HOWEVER!!!! They have a clamp for securing them to whatever it is you're holding them up with, like the bars of a dog crate. PLEASE secure them with more than just the clamp, no matter how tight it seems to grab.

I had the lamp inside the crate to begin with, using the clamp, but also putting a sturdy stick through the clamp, on top of the crate across the bars, so it could not fall.

 

[Sally PB]

It’s the heating component that concerns me.

TSC has inexpensive heat lamps. They do the job well. HOWEVER!!!! They have a clamp for securing them to whatever it is you're holding them up with, like the bars of a dog crate. PLEASE secure them with more than just the clamp, no matter how tight it seems to grab.

I had the lamp inside the crate to begin with, using the clamp, but also putting a sturdy stick through the clamp, on top of the crate across the bars, so it could not fall.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would go with chicks. We would be glad to help give advice for a heat source if you need it.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

I would go with chicks. We would be glad to help give advice for a heat source if you need it.

Thanks. I’m pretty sure I’m going the chick route this time. I definitely need any advice you have to offer (on the whole chick process). Like, do I have to start them inside?

 

[LateBirdFarms]

You don't need to start them inside, but providing a draft free area is even more essential outside, and to be able to keep an eye on your heating sources. I wouldn't trust a lamp in a dusty coop, no matter how well secured. I lost a handful of chicks to a chilly night in june with a power outage when I moved to brooding outside from in my mudroom. The bonus of having them in the house was that I could check anytime I passed by that everything was good, the bonuses to having them outside was a much greater list, including a larger area that didn't need to be cleaned as often. Are you going with an autosexing breed or are you good with accidental cockerels?

 

[CluckerFamily]

Thanks. I’m pretty sure I’m going the chick route this time. I definitely need any advice you have to offer (on the whole chick process). Like, do I have to start them inside?

You don’t have to start them inside.
I normally start mine inside so that every time I walk by I stop to talk to them.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

You don't need to start them inside, but providing a draft free area is even more essential outside, and to be able to keep an eye on your heating sources. I wouldn't trust a lamp in a dusty coop, no matter how well secured. I lost a handful of chicks to a chilly night in june with a power outage when I moved to brooding outside from in my mudroom. The bonus of having them in the house was that I could check anytime I passed by that everything was good, the bonuses to having them outside was a much greater list, including a larger area that didn't need to be cleaned as often. Are you going with an autosexing breed or are you good with accidental cockerels?

Great question. I learned from my first flock to accept accidental roosters... no matter how much you pay for hens. I’m ordering 15 chicks. I’m expecting a couple of Roos in the batch.