Getting Started With Chicks!
The leaves are falling and the air is getting crispier. We’ve already processed our final batch of chickens for the year and gotten our pigs back from the butcher. Life on the farm is transitioning into winter mode, where the outdoor responsibilities are slightly less. Truthfully, this is exactly the spot you want to be in come Fall as a farmer. Even though winter is knocking, just beyond that will be Spring. Every Spring at least a couple friends reach out to me wanting to know my tips and tricks for getting started with chickens. So, with the help of some You Tube videos from my husband Dean, here you go!
First, you will want to choose a hatchery and get your order placed. We have always gotten our birds from Meyer Hatchery. We prefer ordering from a hatchery instead of going to a local shop because we find you have more control over the breed and gender of your birds. We have also always ordered Black Australorp chickens. They are known for being hardy and have been able to survive Kansas weather well.
Next, you will want to prepare your brooder. We set up our brooder inside our chicken coop. The chicken coop was already here when we moved but when it comes to choosing a chicken coop, remember, it’s just a house for chickens. It doesn’t have to be a picture-perfect Pinterest project (unless you want it to be). As you can see in the first video above, here are the brooder supplies we suggest:
Feeding trough, box, or small pen for the chicks to live in while they are small
Bedding (we use pine shavings)
Feeder (we only use these while the chicks are small, when they are older they eat feed straight off the ground)
Waterer (small one for now, we change to a larger one later)
Apple Cider Vinegar (to put in their water while they are small, this is called “miracle water” for chickens and will help them grow strong)
Feed (high protein chick starter or game bird feed from your local co-op, we have found the local co-ops to have the best price on feed)
Heat Lamp (chicks need to be in at least 95 degrees for their first few weeks of life)
Thermometer (to monitor the temperature in the brooder)
In the second video, you can see what “new chick day” is like! It’s easily one of our favorite days on the farm and this one was especially exciting because we ordered baby ducks for the first time. When you order your chicks from a hatchery, they will literally send them in a box in the mail. The post office will call you when they arrive and it’s important to go pick them up first thing/as quick as possible. When you get your chicks home and into the brooder, you must do a very important step. You must take each chick and gently dip its beak in the waterer. This is so that the chicks know where to get water. This is also a good time to count your chicks, because that job gets a lot harder when they’re running around the brooder. You will want to check on your chicks a few times a day for the first few days. Eventually, they will get big enough that they can hop right out of their brooder. At that point we typically remove the brooder and give them free run of the whole coop. After a few weeks in the coop, we eventually move our birds out into a “chicken tractor” where they can feed and forage on fresh grass every day. My husband has step by step instructions on how to make a “chicken tractor” here.
So, there you have it! All our best tips and tricks for preparing for and bringing home chicks. Nothing beats farm fresh protein dense eggs or grass fed chicken. I have a download of how to get 4 meals from 1 chicken available here. If you have any other questions not covered here, feel free to message me on Instagram @themamamarketer!
XO - Olivia
