We are just finishing up with week two of raising our first chicks. We only have four, as we live in town and wanted them to have more than enough space to be comfortable. Two Saturdays ago, the trip to Tractor Supply was made and we excitedly picked out two little yellow banties (which I think may be Black Tailed White Japanese bantams? But I could very well be wrong), a little yellow silkie, and a much larger speckled sussex. All of the bantams were supposed to be pullets, but we have a plan for those that are not (we can't have roosters in the city limits).
Anyways, as a fist time chicken owner who did a lot of research before getting her chickens, I thought I might share some things that I didn't find (or don't remember finding) in the research and blog posts that I spent a lot of time reading.
1. They have this little nub on their back called the "uropygial gland" or preen gland. Its an oil gland located on their back at the base of their tail feathers that helps them preen, waterproof, and clean their feathers. When I first saw it on my littlest chick, it looked like someone else had pecked her back and was bleeding (the red heat lamp bulb gave this allusion). Maybe this is common knowledge to others, but I panicked a little when I didn't know what the little growth looking thing was.
2. Chicks waste more food than they eat. I feel like I should have known this, and I did to a point, but they scratch as much food out as they can. I'm sure this wouldn't be as much of a problem if I switched feeder types or bought some, (We DIY-ed our own, and they work well) but I was able to fix the problem. We put the feeder in a little box with the top and a little door cut out. Now (almost) all of the food stays in there.
3. Bantams are really tiny. The sussex is nearly twice the size of the silkie, and even bigger compared to the bantams.
4. They try to start flying within a week. Obviously this is going to be different for every chick, one of ours hasn't even tried yet, but at least two of ours are flapping all night. They can already get some lift, and I'm sure they could fly out of the brooder by now if they really really tried.
5. Some of them like cuddling. Our silkie likes to crawl as far up my sleeve as she can then fall asleep, and the littlest bantam likes to cuddle if you've got a warm blanket.
6. Some of them do not like cuddling. This is understandable. They are not dogs or cats, they are chickens. The sussex is very curious and likes walking around and all over you. The "larger" bantam does not particularly like being held.
7. It doesn't have to be incredibly expensive. Sure, you need a little bit of money to build a coop, buy the food, and get the chickens, but there are a lot of ways that you can cut costs. I guess I read a little bit about this, but not very much. I built our coop out of pallets from nearby businesses. It took a while to strip everything down to get the usable pieces, but the wood cost us nothing. The most expensive part of the coop was the screws. That being said, we don't have very many chickens to care for.
8. "Loud" noises scare them. This makes sense, I just wasn't really expecting it. I'll talk loudly from my room so that someone from the other room can hear me, then all of the sudden it's chaos in the brooder because they were frightened. Again, it makes sense.
9. While they are fragile, they are hardy. I was so worried that I didn't actually know how to take care of them and that they were all going to die or I was going to do something wrong. But they are all still alive, and all of them are doing well (to the best of my knowledge).
10. If at all possible, don't buy from TS. In my town, the only other way to get them would be online, and it would have cost us nearly $60. The TS employees at our store were very friendly, but very misinformed. I only met one lady who knew anything about chickens there. Every time we went in there, there were dead chicks, which isn't entirely awful, there's to be expected a small percentage don't make it each time. However, It looked like the cause was pasty butt and it was mostly the silkies. They looked like they had not been checked on in a while, and it was quite crowded in the bins. When we went to get our chicks, the lady tried to balance the box on the edge of the brooder and she ended up dropping the silkie, then she fell forward and squashed another chick whilst grabbing it. I'm sure this is not the case at every TS, and our town isn't exactly a place where experienced people live, but I suggest getting them from someplace else if at all possible.
If anybody else has anything to add, or any other tips for when they get older, it would be greatly appreciated!
Anyways, as a fist time chicken owner who did a lot of research before getting her chickens, I thought I might share some things that I didn't find (or don't remember finding) in the research and blog posts that I spent a lot of time reading.
1. They have this little nub on their back called the "uropygial gland" or preen gland. Its an oil gland located on their back at the base of their tail feathers that helps them preen, waterproof, and clean their feathers. When I first saw it on my littlest chick, it looked like someone else had pecked her back and was bleeding (the red heat lamp bulb gave this allusion). Maybe this is common knowledge to others, but I panicked a little when I didn't know what the little growth looking thing was.
2. Chicks waste more food than they eat. I feel like I should have known this, and I did to a point, but they scratch as much food out as they can. I'm sure this wouldn't be as much of a problem if I switched feeder types or bought some, (We DIY-ed our own, and they work well) but I was able to fix the problem. We put the feeder in a little box with the top and a little door cut out. Now (almost) all of the food stays in there.
3. Bantams are really tiny. The sussex is nearly twice the size of the silkie, and even bigger compared to the bantams.
4. They try to start flying within a week. Obviously this is going to be different for every chick, one of ours hasn't even tried yet, but at least two of ours are flapping all night. They can already get some lift, and I'm sure they could fly out of the brooder by now if they really really tried.
5. Some of them like cuddling. Our silkie likes to crawl as far up my sleeve as she can then fall asleep, and the littlest bantam likes to cuddle if you've got a warm blanket.
6. Some of them do not like cuddling. This is understandable. They are not dogs or cats, they are chickens. The sussex is very curious and likes walking around and all over you. The "larger" bantam does not particularly like being held.
7. It doesn't have to be incredibly expensive. Sure, you need a little bit of money to build a coop, buy the food, and get the chickens, but there are a lot of ways that you can cut costs. I guess I read a little bit about this, but not very much. I built our coop out of pallets from nearby businesses. It took a while to strip everything down to get the usable pieces, but the wood cost us nothing. The most expensive part of the coop was the screws. That being said, we don't have very many chickens to care for.
8. "Loud" noises scare them. This makes sense, I just wasn't really expecting it. I'll talk loudly from my room so that someone from the other room can hear me, then all of the sudden it's chaos in the brooder because they were frightened. Again, it makes sense.
9. While they are fragile, they are hardy. I was so worried that I didn't actually know how to take care of them and that they were all going to die or I was going to do something wrong. But they are all still alive, and all of them are doing well (to the best of my knowledge).
10. If at all possible, don't buy from TS. In my town, the only other way to get them would be online, and it would have cost us nearly $60. The TS employees at our store were very friendly, but very misinformed. I only met one lady who knew anything about chickens there. Every time we went in there, there were dead chicks, which isn't entirely awful, there's to be expected a small percentage don't make it each time. However, It looked like the cause was pasty butt and it was mostly the silkies. They looked like they had not been checked on in a while, and it was quite crowded in the bins. When we went to get our chicks, the lady tried to balance the box on the edge of the brooder and she ended up dropping the silkie, then she fell forward and squashed another chick whilst grabbing it. I'm sure this is not the case at every TS, and our town isn't exactly a place where experienced people live, but I suggest getting them from someplace else if at all possible.
If anybody else has anything to add, or any other tips for when they get older, it would be greatly appreciated!
