First thing you’ll need is a box/bin that they’ll call their home for the first few weeks. In the chicken world, this is called a “BROODER.” A good rule of thumb is 6 square inches of space per chick, however, if you have a little more room, it won't hurt. For our chicks, we’ve built a 4-foot by 4-foot wooden brooder with mesh sides so that we can fit quite a number of chicks in there. Just remember, chicks will get lost if there are corners or secluded spaces in your brooder. If they get lost in the brooder, they will get cold and possibly die. So, in our case, we have a big brooder but we section off part of it for the first couple weeks. For bedding, don’t use anything that is dusty, pokey or uncomfortable. In the past, we’ve used shavings or puppy pee pads. Both are absorbent, not stinky and perfectly comfortable for your little creatures.
Location of the brooder is also crucial. You’ll need to put your brooder somewhere where the chicks are safe. DUH! It seems obvious but I’ll say it anyway. Predators like cats, dogs, coyotes etc are all attracted to the sound of that beautiful chirping. On top of that, chicks don’t appreciate drafts of wind so you’ll need to place your brooder somewhere out of the elements and out of sight of Fido.
Next, you’ll need water and feed. The size of the waterer isn’t as crucial as what you do to “drown-proof” your chick waterer. In the past, we’ve had chicks literally drown themselves because they had access to too much water at once. Something that works very well for us is, we place small rocks/pebbles in the part that they drink from, only allowing them to access small areas of water at once. Just enough to get their tiny beaks in to get small amounts of water. For the feed, again the size of the feeder doesn’t matter but keep in mind that the more feed that you allow the chicks to get at, the more waste you’ll have.
What about keeping the babies warm? When a mother hatches an egg, she will sit in a way that the newborn chick is tucked away under her wings to keep warm. So, in the same way, you’ll need to keep your chicks warm also. No... don’t sit on your chicks, I’ve got a better solution. We use something called a “ThermoPoultry Brooder by KH.” It’s a small heated plastic pad for the chicks to cuddle up together underneath as they would if they had a real momma. You may choose to use a traditional heat lamp but be aware that they are a fire hazard. When we do use a heat lamp, we secure it two different ways, plus we make sure that if it was to fall, it falls onto a piece of mesh and never touches any flammable.
Are you ready? Here’s the fun part! Go choose your chicks from your local feed store or hatchery. You may choose to buy chicks from a neighbour but be aware that in doing so, you may be bringing potential diseases, mites, bad genetic traits etc into your coop. Different breeds have different traits that might be more desirable based on your climate, your expectations for egg production or maybe you just want a few that you’ll be keeping as pets. (Be aware that once you buy chickens, 6 turns into 12 which turns into 24...you get the point). So, look up the breeds that you’re considering and see if they’re a good fit for you. For example, a silkie won’t be the best for egg production but they make beautiful pets and exceptional mothers should you ever want to hatch eggs naturally.
After approximately 4 weeks, your chicks will need more space. From 4-8 weeks of age, your pullets (females) and cockerels (male), will need 1 square foot of space per bird to roam around. Generally, around this time we take ours outside for a couple hours during a warm summer day, just to slowly get them comfortable with sunlight, a slight breeze and maybe your other animals' noises. Other than that, keep them in the same conditions as they’re accustomed to.
At 8 weeks of age, things start to change. Between 8-12 weeks of age, we start to leave them outside during the day. Again, keep them out of the elements but try to get them accustomed to the new lifestyle. At 10 weeks of age, weather permitting, we leave ours out 24/7. Just make sure they are shaded from the sun, rain and when they sleep, they’ll need a roosting bar. The reason for the roosting bar is to keep them away from mice, mites and other creepy crawlies that may nibble on their feathers. The best is always to give them the option to either stay in the coop or be outside in the run. At this time a good rule of thumb is that your coop should have roughly 2 square feet of room per bird.
At approximately 18-20 weeks of age, your flock is ready to start laying! Congratulations, you’ve officially raised chickens from baby to adult! Make sure you have adequate nesting boxes for the number of birds you have, keep predators away, use diatomaceous earth to keep mites away and enjoy your delicious farm-fresh eggs!
