I am new to chickens, just ready to get started and plan on buying 4 or 5 from MyPetChicken. My question, they say I shouldn't plan on doing anything for 4 weeks! I am a school teacher, and both kids are also in school...so no one will be home from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, is this too much time to leave the kids (chicks) alone? thanx loads
They will be fine for 8 hours, just make sure they have feed and water before you leave, You will be the one that cant handle being away for 8 hours
OK! Another question please! I live in southern NH, it can get quite cold, many days below freezing. Can I buy chicks now, keep them in the basement and put them out when they are old enough? I have a high school shop class building a brooding pen and the outside hen house. (So dh no long needs to panic about my newest obsession!) Or would it be best to wait until spring before purchasing the chicks? DH has a friend who raises chickens and he says they will die.... I figure as long as I can keep my cats away, they will be fine in the basement! No matter what, I'll still have the shop built the houses for spring... Planning on the "Play House Coop" for outside... should I insulate or just make sure it is sealed well against wind? So many questions!!! thanx again!
Hi Cheryl and welcome. I just got four chicks which I consider kind of late for here in New England, I think maybe they are 2-3 weeks old. I was at an auction and there were a bunch of late hatches going through so I snagged four from the guy that bought them all. They are already outside in their own little coop as I can not let them out in the pen with the others, I have an array of ages from adult, to teenagers to another foursome about 7 weeks old. I went nuts this year what can I say. I started adding and couldn't stop. They are faring nicely and this weekend I am going to clean out all the shavings in their little coop and add clean ones and put some nice clean hay in there for them to snuggle in. They should be all set in age I think before our real cold sets in. Who said you should not do anything for 4 weeks? You can keep them in the cellar or garage until you can put them out but that would be if you got them now.They will need to acclimate to the changing temps and not be put outside in the freezing cold of like December from a warm cellar. Being ouside now acclimates them to the changing temps which are still very mild and warm with nights starting to cool down a little. Just make sure their house is dry and draft free, you do not need to insulate it. Any screen openings say on like the coop doors if you have it I cover with plastic to keep out cold winds. And I leave my chicks all day alone, I make sure their water is full and their feed. They will be fine and thrilled to see you when you get home.! Good Luck and let us know what you decide to do.
Sorry to butt in on this thread, but I am having the same issue. I'm actually getting 2 day old chicks sent from Meyer next week. Since it'll be late Oct. when they'll be 5 weeks old, when I'll be putting them outside, will I definitely need to supply heat? Or should I keep them in a bit longer? Here in the Pacific NW temps around that time of year are probably in the 40s F. Thanks.
Talk about confusing!!! I seem to have 2 sides, one telling me the chicks will do fine out of my basement (husband not to thrilled) and another saying to buy 17 week pullets. Problem is I don't have a coop yet, so buying the chicks and everything else associated with them seems to make more sense...But what about the local chicken guy who told my husband they'll freeze to death?
Once fully feathered, about 8 weeks old, they can go outside without any heat and be just fine. If you have only a few birds though, a heat lamp might be a good idea if it gets into freezing temps. They just eat more to stay warm.