How To Raise Baby Chicks
It is a suprisingly easy task to raise your own chicks. As long as you have the right materials and the time to care for your little chicks, they will grow up healthy and happy. If you are a first time chicken owner or are considering buying your first flock of hatchlings there are a few things to take care of before you purchase them.
First of all, you will need to buy all of the right materials. The first thing you will need is a container to keep them in. Most plastic storage bins, found at most stores, seem to work the best. When looking for the proper size, consider at least half of a square foot of floor space per chick. For covering the bottom of the container, it is best to use straw or woodshavings. Newspaper is not recommended because it tends to get slippery when wet and this may result in one of the chicks slipping and possibly breaking it's little leg. Be sure to keep the bedding cleaned. Typically the older they get the more you will have to change the bedding out. You will start out changing it about once every one or two days. When the chicks are just beginning life, keep an eye out that there is no dried up poop on the vent area(rear end). If you do find some, simply peel it off, gently. If this is not done, it can stop them up and they could die from constipation. Also, you may not think to have toys for chickens, but you can also choose to put a few sticks or small blocks in there for them to play with and perch on.
Another item you will need is a simple thermometer. Pre-drill a hole through the side of the container so that you can attach the thermometer approximately two inches from the bottom. Or you can find some heavy duty double-sided tape or sticky foam to attach the thermometer with. Also, you will need to provide a heating lamp to keep the chicks warm. Hang it over the container in a fashion that allows you to lower or raise the lamp as needed to maintain a temperature of 95*F on the thermometer. Be sure to have the container 'pre-heated' before you place the chicks in it. The older the chicks get, the less heat they will need. A good way to adjust the temperature would be to drop it about five degrees per week until you reach 70*F. By then, the chicks should be feathered enough to keep themselves warm.
For feeding the hatchlings, you can purchase galvanized steel feeders and waterers that are made to attach to mason jars. You can usually find these at your local feed store. If you do not already own mason jars, they can be found at most grocery stores. These tend to work the best for chicks. The reason being is that they take up a little amount of space and tend to be less messy, because the chicks can not walk around in the food or water. When you first bring the hatchlings home you can start feeding them medicated, high protein chick starter. Do this for at least eight weeks. After that you can switch to a lower protein chick grower that is non-medicated. The reason for giving them medicated starter in the beginning is because it helps protect them from coccidiosis, a deadly poultry disease, which the baby chicks are not immune to until they are about eight weeks old. When they reach sixteen weeks of age you can then switch them to an even lower protein, complete layer feed. These types come in crumbles or pellets. Knowing which one to choose simply depends on your flock's preference. You can also choose to add special treats into their diet, such as, bread, fruit or vegetable scraps. At this point in their life, you can also move them to a regular coop that supplies at least two square feet per bird of floor space. By now, they are also ready to freely scratch and peck around your yard, for bugs, seeds and greenery, or if this is not an option, a fenced in area providing approximately four square feet per bird will do.
When you have placed them out in the coop, this means you have successfully raised your very own baby chicks. Now on to reaping the rewards that your flock will bring you for many years to come.
Source: buildchickencoopz.com/how-to-raise-chickens/23-how-to-raise-baby-chicks
First of all, you will need to buy all of the right materials. The first thing you will need is a container to keep them in. Most plastic storage bins, found at most stores, seem to work the best. When looking for the proper size, consider at least half of a square foot of floor space per chick. For covering the bottom of the container, it is best to use straw or woodshavings. Newspaper is not recommended because it tends to get slippery when wet and this may result in one of the chicks slipping and possibly breaking it's little leg. Be sure to keep the bedding cleaned. Typically the older they get the more you will have to change the bedding out. You will start out changing it about once every one or two days. When the chicks are just beginning life, keep an eye out that there is no dried up poop on the vent area(rear end). If you do find some, simply peel it off, gently. If this is not done, it can stop them up and they could die from constipation. Also, you may not think to have toys for chickens, but you can also choose to put a few sticks or small blocks in there for them to play with and perch on.
Another item you will need is a simple thermometer. Pre-drill a hole through the side of the container so that you can attach the thermometer approximately two inches from the bottom. Or you can find some heavy duty double-sided tape or sticky foam to attach the thermometer with. Also, you will need to provide a heating lamp to keep the chicks warm. Hang it over the container in a fashion that allows you to lower or raise the lamp as needed to maintain a temperature of 95*F on the thermometer. Be sure to have the container 'pre-heated' before you place the chicks in it. The older the chicks get, the less heat they will need. A good way to adjust the temperature would be to drop it about five degrees per week until you reach 70*F. By then, the chicks should be feathered enough to keep themselves warm.
For feeding the hatchlings, you can purchase galvanized steel feeders and waterers that are made to attach to mason jars. You can usually find these at your local feed store. If you do not already own mason jars, they can be found at most grocery stores. These tend to work the best for chicks. The reason being is that they take up a little amount of space and tend to be less messy, because the chicks can not walk around in the food or water. When you first bring the hatchlings home you can start feeding them medicated, high protein chick starter. Do this for at least eight weeks. After that you can switch to a lower protein chick grower that is non-medicated. The reason for giving them medicated starter in the beginning is because it helps protect them from coccidiosis, a deadly poultry disease, which the baby chicks are not immune to until they are about eight weeks old. When they reach sixteen weeks of age you can then switch them to an even lower protein, complete layer feed. These types come in crumbles or pellets. Knowing which one to choose simply depends on your flock's preference. You can also choose to add special treats into their diet, such as, bread, fruit or vegetable scraps. At this point in their life, you can also move them to a regular coop that supplies at least two square feet per bird of floor space. By now, they are also ready to freely scratch and peck around your yard, for bugs, seeds and greenery, or if this is not an option, a fenced in area providing approximately four square feet per bird will do.
When you have placed them out in the coop, this means you have successfully raised your very own baby chicks. Now on to reaping the rewards that your flock will bring you for many years to come.
Source: buildchickencoopz.com/how-to-raise-chickens/23-how-to-raise-baby-chicks
