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.

 

[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.

 

[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]

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.

 

[fuzzi]

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.

I remember doing that now that you mentioned it!

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm trying to do this on a strict budget but will probably wait for the local farm stores to ship in chicks before starting. Most of the hatcheries don't sex bantams, offering SR only. Four to eight chicks SR at about $50 plus $50 shipping. The hatcheries that will sell females only want $16 each. And pullets are $75 plus shipping? Unreal.

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

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.

Where do you plan to brood them, inside your house or outside in a pen/coop?

 

[samanthaoverton]

Do you have a rural king near you? They stock earlier and for a long period of time. I got chicks in oct.

 

[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.

 

[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!