Getting Started...Simplified!

Once we decided to get our first chickens, we had alot of questions!  What kind, how many, where, when, and on & on.  So, I hit the internet & started doing google searches.  One of the first really informative & helpful links that I found was to the Henderson's "Handy Dandy Chicken Chart".  I actually printed it out and studied each kind of chicken, and kept narrowing the breeds down.  I knew I wanted brown eggs, so I highlighted each of those types of chickens.  Then, I considered the weather, since we live in northern Indiana, I chose cold hardy types from the brown egg layers.  I then just kept narrowing it down until I had chosen 4 breeds that I eventually ordered!  Unless you are very familiar with chicken breeds & already know what you want, I would suggest that you print out the chart & start your research from there.  We ended up with Barred Rocks, Buff Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and Silver Laced Wyandottes.  As of today, they are 17 days old, and growing & changing fast!  Compare this picture of one of our Rhode Island Reds at 4 days old

To this photo taken today at 17 days old

Our chicks have more than doubled their size, and they're loosing their down, and getting wing feathers, tail feathers, and now have patches coming in on their chest and backs.  They eat, sleep, play, then do it all over again.  We ordered 25 chicks, and got 26. (Murray McMurray sends a freebie) We have 2 one quart feeders and waterers', which we refill & clean every morning.  At 17 days old they eat about 1 1/2 quarts of starter feed a day between 26 chicks.  We will have to expand their brooder box soon, and maybe start using the adult feeder & waterer in a week or 2.  Even though we're having a mild winter, they won't go out into their coop & run until they have all of their feathers, which from what I read is between 8 & 12 weeks.  They will then we confined to the coop & run area until they are used to their new home, or about a week.  After that we are planning on free-ranging them.  We have 12 acres, and they will be set towards the back of the property, so the only thing that we're worried about are predators.  Of course, they will be inside a secured coop at night, but we've read about the dreaded hawks that will swoop down and grab a bird before anyone knows that they're around.  We also have coyotes, raccoon's & skunks, so the coop will be locked down every night!

For now they are still in the brooder, and I want to talk a little about that.  The brooder can be made of wood, cardboard, metal, and some people even use plastic storage containers.  The sides should ideally be between 18 & 24 inches high.  You will eventually need a cover of hardware cloth or chicken wire so they can't fly out!  Ours have been flying to the top of our brooder & perching on the edge since about 13 days old! You also need a heat lamp.  Chicks need to have an area of warmth, and an area where they can cool down if they get too hot.  You should have enough room to put the feed & water out of the heat.  You should also have plenty of room for them to scratch & play.  When you purchase your supplies, please get a brooder heat lamp with a ceramic base for the bulb.  You should also have 2 red 25 watt bulbs, in case one burns out.  You will need a thermometer to monitor the heat from the lamp.  You can get all of these things at a farm or tractor supply store fairly cheap.  The first week the temp in the area under the lamp should be between 90 & 95 degrees.  You will need to lower the temperature 5 degrees every week by raising the lamp.  You will end up at about 70 degrees.  Safety is your first concern, so please monitor the temperature closely!  You will be able to tell by the chicks behavior if they are comfortable...if they pile on top of each other in the center of the light, they are too cold..if they are scattered on the outside of the light panting, they are too hot...if they are sleeping in a spread out pattern through-out the brooder, they are comfortable.  We prefer to use pine shavings for their bedding.  Put it about 2" deep the first week, then you can add another 1".  This is clean, easy to walk on, and is absorbent.  Change the bedding every week in the brooder, and carefully stir it up using a hand trowel daily.  We had read that it was necessary to put down paper towels the first day or so, so that the chicks didn't try to eat the wood chips.  We found that we did not need the paper towel...once you get your chicks home, dip their beaks in water to teach them to drink, then show them the food, they were not interested in eating any wood chips, and the paper towel just got wet & messy.  They didn't last more than an hour at our house!

Another thing you must have is fresh water, and food, daily!  Some people prefer to have their feeders & waterers in their coop, and if you have room, and can keep them clean, thats fine.  You can also choose to keep them outside in the run, but in an area that is protected against rain & sun.  If the feed gets wet, it will mold & spoil quickly.  Some people choose to put our just enough feed in the morning for the day, then feed a little scratch in the afternoon.  You may choose to purchase a large feeder, fill it & have it last several days.  There are many options of feeding, and you'll find out what you prefer & works best for you.  Water needs to be available at all times of the day for your chickens, and the waterers should be scrubbed down weekly, as should the feeders.  Also,  it's important to keep the feeders and waterers elevated to the level of the chickens back, this will help keep them clean and prevent disease from the chickens drinking water contaminated with poop.  We prefer setting them up on  bricks or cement blocks, and adjusting as they grow.  You may also hang your them, provided you have something sturdy to hang from, as they can be pretty heavy when they're full.  What to feed?

Layers:  (Pullets are hens that have not yet reached the laying age)

• 0 - 6 weeks - pullet starter
• 6 - 14 weeks - pullet grower
• 14 - 20 weeks - pullet developer
• 20 + weeks - layer feed

One thing that is very important to keep in mind is this:  If you have your chicks vaccinated against Marek's & Coccidiosis, DO NOT feed with medicated starter feed.  If you do, it will render the vaccination useless.  Only feed the medicated feed if you do not have your chicks vaccinated.  We chose to have our chicks vaccinated, as it is a very small cost, and they do it right at the hatchery before shipping.

I hope you find this "getting started" post in my blog helpful!  We'll talk more about Coops, Runs, & space requirements in the next post!