What am I EVEN Thinking!?!? Chickens??!!??

[Shep1478]

Hi all..

1st of all, let me apologize if this has been posted before, and to the Mods; if I'm in the wrong area, please forgive me! I'm currently at work and I don't have the time to really research like I normally would. Anyways,,

I've talked about having Chickens for a few years now. My sweet bride tells me that one of our employees is bringing us 8 chicks TOMORROW. I have no clue what to do, where they go, or anything!! Please PLEASE help! I sure don't want them to die! It's supposed to be 7 little baby hens and 1 rooster. Now.. Her big thing is eggs. Do I really need a rooster for eggs? What about a coop? At what age should I move them to a coop (I suppose I need to find one of those too). Oh Lord, I have so many questions! What do they eat? I have no idea how old these little babies are going to be either.

I think she's wanting to keep them in the garage with a heat lamp on a table. She also said we could keep them in a rubbermaid tub with a lamp (?).

I hope someone can shed some light on this for me.

Again, I am 100% certain the answers are here in the forums, but like I said, I'm at work and have zero time to properly research. If there's anything you guys can do to help with some answers, I would greatly appreciate it!

Sorry for typos. I'm trying to get back to work too!!

Jim

 

[Traphill]

Jim you need something to brood the chicks in, in can be a cardboard box or a rubber maid tub but make sure that the chicks can get away from the heat if they need to... get a red heat lamp and thermometer, start out at 95 degrees and 5 degrees less each week until they are feather out around 4 weeks. In the garage sounds fine, I have also used Purina medicated chick starter, make sure all chicks are drinking water before you introduce food. Enjoy chickens are the bomb!

 

[couuntrygirl13]

You don't need a rooster for eggs, just if you want them to be fertile. You'll need to move them to an outside coop when they're fully feathered and they eat chicken food that can be found at your local feed store.

 

[leahlefler]

Good luck with your chicks! We are getting our first chicks in June from Meyer hatchery.. all females (I didn't want to mess with a rooster, and they will lay eggs regardless). I know my biggest concern is a coop.. I have a lead on an old pottery shed that can be converted to a coop (someone is willing to sell it for $50, which is definitely in the right price range). Chickens grow fast, and I really want something in place before the chicks outgrow their brooder!

Do you know what breed you are getting?

I went to Tractor supply and bought a brooder kit because it was on clearance.. it came with a plastic feeder and waterer for chicks. It also had some starter crumbles for chick feed. I also picked up a lamp, but still have to get the heat bulb and thermometer! I was reading the Chicken Chick blog and she uses puppy pads with paper towels on top in the brooder.. so I think that's what we'll do.

 

[flyladyrocks]

We got our first chicks today. Below is my list of what I needed to get started with my chicks.This came from my best friend who has a flock of about 100 for several years:

1. Large Sterilite tote -cover tote (the rack for the oven will work well, you also can cut a window in the lid and put screening in it ) You will probably need a couple more totes. I have 6 Chicks and know as they grow I will have to move half to another tote.
2. heat lamp
3. red heat lamp bulb (the dimmer red light does not stress them out as much)
4. thermometer (brooder/tote should be 95 their first week, dropping 5 degrees each following week)
5. bedding - pine pellets not shavings they will eat them, not newspaper it messes up their legs (this was recommended by my best friend)
6. bag of chick feed
7. Chick Grit
8. feeder (I got a special lid that fits on quart size mason jar)
9. waterer (once again I got a special lid that fits on mason jar)
10. 1/2 inch dowel rods for roosting (I put in 2 - cut hole sin the side of the tote and shoved them through))

Most of the above I got at Tractor Supply, they also have it at Rural King. I had to get the bulb at a small feed store b/c Tractor Supply was out. We will not get a new coop - not exactly sure what we will do now, but upcycle some things to create a coop in our 10 x 10 kennel. We also have a fenced in yard they will wander during the day but we will secure them in the kennel at night.

We checked out a bunch of books from the library. 636.5 is Chicken books. Not that we plan on reading them all, but I have probably read portions of most of them (in the past 2 days only, this was pretty last minute for us too). Each family member (from 10 yrs to 49 years old) has a book they like the most. There are also ones in the Dummies series, but honestly, this dummie needs color pictures!!

Enjoy them. We have had a blast today. They are mesmerizing and so funny to watch! And there is no egg as good as a fresh egg!

 

[Shep1478]

Thanks for the quick replies y'all the breed is Buff Orpington Chicks I think.

My daughter and I are heading out this morning to Tractor Supply and a couple of local feed stores to get started

 

[Oakdale Farm]

Don't over think this. They're chickens, after all. Think heat, food, water.

Little chicks need the basics - one way or another. They need water, chick starter feed (I prefer medicated, but your choice) and a warm dry place to sleep. They really don't need roosts yet, as they sleep all in a bunch on the ground, like they were in a nest. That's pretty much it.

Wood chips, straw, etc. make a nice bedding. Each has its own benefits, but whatever you use, keep it dry. Chicks like to scratch around. Most breeds will keep the bedding scratched up. The Cornish Rocks won't.

Hang a heat lamp overhead high enough to start out at about 95. I really don't think you need a thermometer. The chicks will tell you when the temp is right. If they're all in a nice even nest underneath the lamp, it is the right temp. If they're piled on each other, it is too cool. If they're spread out in a circle like they're at a camp fire, it is too hot in the middle. If the brooder box is big enough, they'll find their own 'right' heat and be comfortable. Observe your chicks. If they're quiet and happy, everything is right. If they're nervous or noisy, something is wrong. A lot like children, yes???

I am fortunate to have a shop building where I start our chicks. I have a kennel like box on wheels I put them in. As they get older, I roll the box outside on warm sunny days and back in at night or when it cools off. Seems to condition them better. Whatever you do, don't shock them. Chickens don't like surprises, and they are not 'problem solvers.'

Your real issue will be later on. Everybody likes to eat chicken! Fence them in so predators can't get at them - from the sides, from below, and from above. Have fun. Chickens are fascinating animals to watch. They aren't smart, God knows, but they are interesting.

 

[Shep1478]

Here's what we have so far. I'm not even sure in the breed. Somehow we wound up with 9 of them. They seem to be okay for now. So far, so good.

 

[Jrose]

I'm raising chickens from chicks for the first time right now. I've had chickens just a few years. They're a hoot! Things I would have liked to know from the start:

Chickens are omnivorous and cannibalistic. They eat everything from grass in your lawn to bugs, mice, snakes, fish, cooked and raw meat (including chicken), eggs, and so much more. They LOVE fruit, gourds, and leafy garden greens. I feed mine every last bit of kitchen (veggie end bits, egg shells, fruit trimmings, melon rinds, etc) waste I make- throw it on the compost pile and they sort through it.

Chickens love dirt. They dig in dirt, bathe in dirt, even eat dirt. They love it. My chickens have always chosen to hang out in gravel/dirt/concrete areas, despite having 3/4 acre grass to laze in.

Chickens also love (destroying) landscaping. Don't think you can happily let them coexist with your garden or landscaped yard. If they don't eat your plants, they will relish in digging them up.

Your rooster will breed the girls regularly. The only difference in the eggs you get will be a tiny opaque dot on the yolk of a fertilized egg. Roosters can get aggressive, loud, and unruly, but if yours has a good disposition you will definitely enjoy his antics. Also, laying hens lay more productively when the have unhindered 24/7 access to cool clean water!!

My adventure with food:
I feed little to no store bought grain. My adult chickens feed themselves 9 months out of the year now on almost 1 acre.. This depends on your land and setup of course. When I started I fed your average hen layer feed and the amount of health problems I ran into was horrendous. I now supplement a non GMO scratch grain and store bought nuts, oats, seeds, and other grains, and the girls are happy and healthy.

My chicks are on a non GMO starter. I've got 19 chicks and 3 turkeys brooding together. You can get technical about needs, but if you have the time to observe they will tell you what they need. If they choose to avoid the heat lamp habitually, raise it up so its cooler in the brooder. If they huddle underneath it in a bug ball of fuzz, they're cold and it should be lowered. I'm brooding in a spare bathroom in the bathtub. Its messy but it works!

I also provide a small box of dirt for them to bathe, eat, and scratch in in the brooder. I gather bunches of grass and garden greens and clip them up with scissors into edible sizes for the chicks. I also collect and feed worms and ferry them to local ant hills for frenzied feasting. I feed seeds and shredded veggies daily; hulled raw sunflower, flax, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, yams, etc grated with a cheese grater. I take the chicks outside regularly for foraging. This is my first batch of chicks, but I went into it thinking "what would they be doing/eating if mama hen was raising them?". So far zero concerns or problems!