some questions for the board

[chicks_08]

Hi, everyone. I have never raised baby chicks before, always raised older chickens. SO i have a few questions maybe someone out there can help me with.

1) when should i start the chicks on regular scratch grains, and take them off of the chick grain?

2) Does anyone know how to postive check for vent sexing, or know a site with good info and pics, so that I can share with my husband, neither of us know how to do this.

3) does anyone know a good cheap place to shop for chicken coop supplies in southern IL, I am close to a rural king, and a buchheits, but I am not fond of buchheits on prices, and rural king isnt to terribley bad, and none of the feed stores around here sell fencing, and etc.

Thanks
chicks_08:/

 

[newchickmom]

I'm new at this too but I can tell you, I started mine on layer food as soon as I got my first egg. I started by mixing a little more, each day, with the chick starter till I ran out or starter food.

I use Rural King to buy everything except grit and fencing. Menards has cheaper fencing and a local, feed store has grit.