Getting started with raising chickens

 

Brooding Tips...

  • If they are trying to get away from the light, they are too hot. If they are all together under the light, they are too cold.
  • Change the water regularly to help keep chicks healthy.
  • Creating a screen floor above a drop pan reduces chicks ability to ingest waste and hence disease causing micro-organisms.

 


Brooding Chicks

 

    

Chicks are like babies and need to be kept warm.  For those who choose to purchase chicks, several points should be kept in mind. Buy only good chicks from a reliable breeder or hatchery. Be prepared to spend considerable time in brooding these chicks, and have everything ready before their arrival.
Before the chicks arrive, make sure that the brooder is thoroughly cleaned and operating efficiently. Place your chicks in a large cardboard or wooden box that is approx 3' by 3' and draft free.  Line the bottom with newspaper and then dry sawdust, shavings or crushed corn cob.  Keep the litter dry by changing frequently. If someone in the family is handy and you can construct a box of wood or metal with a removable wire floor (small enough mesh to support tiny feet) that slides out for cleaning. This should be a good inch above a drop pan that also slides out. We use these and they are much more sanitary.
     The sides of your box should not be over 14-18" high.  Never use solid high sides because the heat can cut off circulation of air and smother the chicks.  Hang your heat lamp 18-20" above the birds in a cold area and 24-27" in a warmer area.  It is very important to place the heat lamp at a height that  the birds are comfortable underneath the lamp but can also move away from it if they become too warm.  When a heat lamp is too close to the birds, it creates unbearable heat and they can become burned.
     Just putting your box by the wood stove does not provide the same consistency of heat as a heat lamp.

 

 

Become a fan of urban poultry farming


Brooding Tips...

  • If they are trying to get away from the light, they are too hot. If they are all together under the light, they are too cold.
  • Change the water regularly to help keep chicks healthy.
  • Creating a screen floor above a drop pan reduces chicks ability to ingest waste and hence disease causing micro-organisms.

Hatching your own chicks is great fun for the whole family but first read the "pros and cons" of buying from a hatchery versus hatching your own chicks so that you can make the right choice from the start.

Become a fan of backyard poultry

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