Brooding Chicks

We have talked about our laying hens before. This year we have decided to expand our flock, so today we are going to talk about brooding chicks.

We have a brooder that we have raised all of our chickens in. It is made of pressure treated plywood and 2x4's. The outer box is 4 foot by 4 foot by about 2 foot. It has a hinged top with hardware mesh and a raised floor of pressure treated plywood. The raised floor keeps the cold from seeping up and the top keeps the cat out from molesting the chicks as well as other things. The walls keep the breezes off the chicks if we move the brooder outside.

The brooder box is 2 foot by 2 foot. It also has a removable top, it is solid to keep the heat in. There is a heat lamp inside which keeps the brooder at around 105°F. There is a 4 inch gap at the bottom that allows the chicks to come and go at will. This design really allows the chicks to learn to self regulate their temperature. As they get cold, they go into the brooder and as the get too hot, they move out.

We order 25 chicks and received 26, so bonus chick! These are a heritage breed that grows slower than many of the modern breeds available now. While most modern breeds are ready to be processed at 18 weeks, these chicks will not be full grown until around 5 months. We choose this slower growth rate because they are less susceptible to health problems which are exaggerated at our higher altitude. This slower growth does mean that they we have to invest more in feed, but we feel that is will be better in the long run. We ordered our chicks through Cackle Hatchery (https://www.cacklehatchery.com/) and have been very happy with both the chicks and their service.

The chicks arrived by mail, and the ladies in the post office were so concerned about our little chicks. If you do order your chicks by mail, make sure that you are available to pick them up right away. They can't be left sitting for long. Also, when you unpack them, make sure to give them warm water for the first couple of days, between 85 and 95°F. This will help get their core temperature up after being in the mail for a day or two. Make sure to take each one as you unpack them and dip their beak in the water. Many of them cannot find the water source on their own, so this insures that they know were it is. Also, if you put something shiny in the water like dimes or marbles, it will encourage them to peck at the water and learn to drink faster.

You want to make sure you use feed designed for chicks. Adult chicken feed does not have the correct mixture of nutrients for baby chicks, so be sure to use the right stuff. They will need that feed for up to 16 weeks.

Last but not least, make sure to use a good bedding. I like to save the wood shavings from my woodworking projects as it is free and I usually have a lot of it. If you do this, do not use pressure treated wood for this and do not use pure sawdust. A little bit of sawdust in the shavings is not a problem, but straight sawdust will be.