Working Full Time and Baby Chicks - Doable?

[fuzzi]

I'm currently working full time, leaving the house about 6:00 am and getting home about 4:30pm.

I don't expect any assistance from family with raising day-old chicks until they graduate to the coop.

Can it be done? And without buying expensive equipment?

Other aspects of the situation:
1. No current hens to brood for me
2. No one in the household to watch chicks for me
3. Chicken pen and coop construction will start in the next couple weeks

Or should I just pay the big money to order pullets?

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Note: I did hatch and brood chicks before but it was 30+ years ago, and I was only working part time.

Thanks.

 

[nuthatched]

I've never found chicks to need constant monitoring, make sure everything is OK and they do everything themselves.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Yes, it can be done. First day or two, if you can swing it, plan to be home.
Get a routine down. I had two feeders and waterers, one set in use and one set ready to go the night before. Takes 5-10 min in the morning to clean, feed, check health.
I set up a ring cam and monitored from work until I got home.

 

[Bkaye]

I raise baby chicks while working full time. Just make sure they have plenty of food and water before you leave for work. When you get home you’ll probably need to change the water if they have kicked bedding in. Not much more to it.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I'm sure it will be fine..as long as they have food and water and there isn't a way for them to get out.

 

[SourRoses]

Temperature is the most time sensitive element. Chicks that get too hot can die quickly.

For that situation, I would make sure the brooder is quite oversized, and longer than it is wide. Put the heat at one end and leave the other for a cool end.

They have thermometers on Amzn that can send the data to your phone and even set alarms, that might be really handy and reassuring, you could call someone to handle a problem, or if the heat goes out or there was a fire you would know.


It probably goes without saying that you would want to make certain they are secure from predators, including dogs, since you won't be there to intervene.
Another reason the brooder build is essential. I've brooded in all sorts of things but the more "temporary" the setup the more you need to check it and fiddle with it.

The next biggest thing is how chicks mess with their water. Stuffing it with shavings and knocking it over because they want to fly on top.
I would do 2 water sources, in different spots, in case they get to playing in one. Also raise them up, just a few inches to start but higher as they grow. I feel like I spend half the time raising chicks on fiddling with the position of their water to hit the right balance between adjusting for their naughtiness and making sure they can reach it. Sturdy blocks help.

Food is easy as long as you use a chick feeder with the holes so they can't kick or bill feed out. For some reason the long ones work better in that regard for me than the round ones.
An amprolium medicated feed is a good idea so you don't have the headache of worrying about cocci.

And if it were me, I would keep as many things standard as possible to eliminate weird variables that you won't be able to monitor.
Such as: Do use flaked pine shavings for bedding, don't add a bunch of additives to the water, avoid toys or anything they could get trapped in, avoid treats.

I think this can work out well, wishing you success!

 

[samanthaoverton]

Dip the beaks in water and food so they know what and where it is..I agree with previous post..ive been out of the house all day with chicks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Agree with 3killerBs on size of crate. 3x2 is simply too small, even with a heat plate.
I used a modified 6x2 crate for 5 standard size chicks and by the end of week 2 they were zinging around, outgrew the space, knocking over feeders. By week 3 they were in the coop grow out pen with partitioned run with the big girls.
Whatever space you think you need, double it.

x3, depending on amount of chicks. I usually do 3-4 chicks at a time, and my brooder is slightly bigger than 2x4. They already get pretty crazy in that space by 7-10 days old or so and I start letting them out by then (I brood outdoors).

May I make another suggestion? Since you said you don't have the coop built yet, prioritize building that first, then brood the chicks inside there. It'll give you more space to work with, and acclimates the chicks to being outside as well at the same time.

 

[imacowgirl2]

We are brooding in a dog crate this time around …its roughly 4’ x 3’ and will work well for the time our 11 chicks are in it (we aim for full integration into the flock around 3 weeks old). To keep things easy, we use a mama heating pad, nipple waterers, and a feeder without the top holes (my father in law has had chicks get heads stuck in the holes). I work from home but would have no concern leaving the chicks all day (we usually do on the weekends) — I’ve set up a blink security camera so that I can check on them as needed away from home, which also makes leaving them easier.

 

[ShaunJ421]

I'm a first time chicken owner. I had ordered 16x day old chicks from Meyers. I work full time myself. It's definitely doable. I would suggest using a heat plate, over a hear lamp. They regulate the temperature themselves. And they won't blow like a heat lamp will. Which can be dangerous for chicks in many ways. You plug it in and forget about it, until you need to adjust the legs as they get bigger. Best investment I've made. I bought heat lamps as a backup, just in case. But never needed to use them. They're 18 weeks now. And I've only lost 1, due to a birth defect that caused the chick to fail to thrive. And passed away at 6 weeks. But they're all doing great. Just make sure they have fresh water, and plenty of food to last till you get home.