Have you been thinking about adding fresh eggs to your diet? There is no more "enriching" way to do it than having your own backyard chickens. Does the thought seem overwhelming? Then quit thinking so much... (he he he). I am not one of those "plan out every last detail" kind of girls.
(Check out the "Chickens" tab above ↑ and read the story of my first baby chicks here, and then you'll really believe me.)
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| Some of our baby chicks hiding behind the waterer. |
Most local feed stores start getting in baby chicks about now through April. And my theory is the sooner you get some, the sooner they will grow up and the sooner you'll have eggs. People worry about raising babies in the Winter, but really thats the best time. You have to have them under a heat lamp for the first few weeks anyway, so it doesn't really matter the outside temps.
So what kind should you get? Well... what are your goals? Are you only interested in keeping birds for the eggs, or do you think you'll enjoy discovering the different breeds and colors, and want some variety to your flock. Personally, I think keeping chickens is more fun if you have a good variety of birds both for color, and production quality.
Black Star or Black Sex links as they are commonly referred to, are one of my favorites for egg production.
They lay a Jumbo brown egg EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR if conditions are good in the coop. Plus their feed to egg ration is one of the lowest. Meaning they don't eat as much as other birds, but still produce big beautiful eggs. Below, one of my Black stars with a few of her babies. I have at least one or two who go broody (sit on their eggs) every year.
Other good layers with similar qualities include: Red Star, Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, White Leghorn, etc.
I also have a thing for Colored eggs, my favorite being green. So adding some Easter Eggers, or Americanas as they are often called, is a great idea. PLUS they lay very dependably as well. I also like the French Black Copper Marans with the feathered legs for a nice Chocolate colored egg. (Do not buy these from hatcheries or you'll be disappointed in egg color. Get them from a local breeder.)
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| About a 3-4 days worth of eggs when we were in full production a few summers ago. Notice all the color variations? Green, white, brown, and Chocolate. |
The "light sussex" breed is one of my favorites to look at, and they are what is called a good quality, dual purpose bird. They lay a nice pinkish egg every day, AND have white skin so they make a good table bird as well. Below are a few examples, left is my favorite rooster ever, a light sussex we affectionately named "foghorn leghorn"... what a specimen! And on the right a beautiful Lavendar Coronation Sussex, who hatched these adorable babies and raised them for 3 months! Isn't she beautiful?
OK - LETS GET STARTED!
The first question is, where are you planning to keep them until you get a coop built? Or do you already have a coop? You may think you can keep these critters in a box in the kitchen for now... (and lots of people do) but here are 2 things to think about.
1.) You'll have to clean their box daily if you don't want to be turned off by the smell at dinner time.
2.) Make sure you have a screen or something on top, they can jump out even at a young age.
I actually created a little invention for easy care of baby chicks, and I'm sure YOU are totally creative/handy enough to make one yourselves.... here's the basic idea:
I got a Plastic Container/Box that is pretty big. Like the storage containers at Walmart. You want it at least 12" deep, and get the biggest one you can find, seriously, trust me on this. They outgrow the box so fast. And if you don't want to spend money, just use a Big Cardboard box for now, but if you think you'll EVER do this again, its worth getting the plastic one. Then get a whole 10' or 12' piece of 1/2" PVC and build a frame that fits PERFECTLY into the bottom of the box. You want the four sides, and then you want two supports down the middle, longways, to set the food and water containers on. Then you cover this frame with a piece of 1/2" mesh. Metal or plastic is fine, I prefer the black plastic mesh (in the fencing area of Home Depot) I just used wire ties to attach it. Also, creating a mesh frame for the top is a good idea, or use an old screen you have lying around. I know this sounds like a whole lot of work, but let me tell you the benefits of having this.
1.) It gives the chicks a sure foundation to grab with their feet.... preventing all the leg problems that can happen with babies.
2.) Its a piece of cake to clean. I line the bottom with Newspaper, lay the frame over, and the poop falls through the mesh. When you need to clean it, you just pull out the frame dump out the box and contents in the trash, (after of course moving the babies to a cardboard box temporarily) and then hose it out if necessary. Let it dry, or dry it out with a few paper towels and replace the newspaper and frame.
3.) It just makes having chicks more doable in my opinion.
This has been the best setup we've had for small amounts of baby chicks - up to 10 I would say.
If you are going to start out bigger from the get go, I would recommend building a brooder out of wood right from the start. Its going to function very similarly in that it needs a mesh bottom, and usually I do a mesh front too so the little ones can see the babies well. Then the other 3 sides out of pressboard (too keep it light weight) And a hinged top, light weight as well. The only other thing I do, is run some 2x4's accross the legs under neath, on the inside of the legs, about 2 inches or so under the bottom mesh, and then I can slide a peice of plywood or pressboard, lined w/ newspaper to catch the poo, and help keep the heat in.
Baby chicks are usually fully feathered by the time they are 4-5 weeks old. If you lift their wings and they have feathers everywhere on their body, they are good, and should be able to regulate their own temperatures at that point as long as they have a place to keep dry. Of course you wouldn't want to put them out in freezing temperatures, cold turkey... but you can safely introduce them to the cold over the course of a week or two.
WHAT SHOULD I FEED the BABIES?:
It is pretty standard these days to start chicks on chick feed that is laced with Antibiotics. They claim it keeps them healthy as they are growing, but I personally don't recommend using medicated feed, as I am in favor of natural and where possible, organic feeds. You'll have to look a little harder to find non-medicated feed, but just ask your local feed store clerks, and get to know them, they can be a great help. I know the guys in my IFA and Cal Ranch stores by name, and they know me and are happy to help when I come in. I also go directly to a mill when I have lot of chickens I'm raising and buy the feed in bulk.
Another option is sprouting wheat, oats and other grains and feeding your birds what is called "fodder." Do a google search on this for now, and I will do another article on it in the future. Its a great way to feed your birds healthy nutritious food, and give them a great start. You can use it as a supplement to regular feed, or in place of it altogether.
WHAT ELSE?:
Other than food, of course your birds will need a clean source of water. And they are messy critters so you'll likely have to clean and change the water daily.
Also a heat lamp will be helpful in keeping them at an approximate temperature of 85-90 degrees.
Of course you'll need to purchase an inexpensive waterer and feeder from a feed store, or you could order online. I believe these are all FREE SHIPPING:
A Good Basic Feeder for 8-10 Chicks (Add a Mason Jar)
Larger Feeder for 12+ Birds
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| My cute niece, gently holding a baby chick. |
And this is harsh, but beware of kids....they will love those babies to death if you're not careful. Teach them right away how to hold a baby chick... you wrap one hand gently over the wings and body, then they can't flap the wings. And then pick up the bird and set it on your other hand... keeping the one hand over the top. Show them how hard to squeeze by squeezing their arm with your hand. Tight enough to keep the birds from flapping wings, but not too hard to squish them, right? Its important to keep the wings contained. If they can't move their wings they can't get away. If one of the kids is holding them and they jump out of their hands, they can break their legs, or get hurt.
Most importantly, HAVE FUN with your adventure!!
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below, and we can start a discussion. I have been raising chickens on and off for over 12 years now, so hopefully I can help with any concerns you may have.
