Caring for Baby Chicks

Chickens have always been my favorite farm animal. Chickens provide fresh eggs most of the year, fresh meat (if you choose to butcher them), and hours of entertainment.  I love looking out the window and seeing my hens scratching around the yard. 

One of my first memories was of our first chickens. They were a pair of Japenese Bantams.

Photo Credit 

My brother and I, being the creative geniuses we were, named them Henny and Roosty. 

 Of course, we were only 3 and 4 years old.  We have had chickens ever since.  

If you want to get started in raising chickens you can buy full grown birds or chicks.

If you can find a reputable seller than buying hens can be a good option.

However, I find raising chicks to be the best choice.  

When you buy a little baby chick and raise it up, you know her history and disposition.

There is less worry of disease and misinformation.

Photo Credit 

Where to Buy Chicks

Our local farm store sells baby chicks, ducks and turkeys every spring. If you do not have any stores nearby that offer baby poultry, then you can mail order chickens.  Yes, that's right they can send baby chicks through the mail! You pick them up at the post office. My favorite poultry catalog is Murray McMurray Hatchery. They offer most any kind of barnyard bird you could want.  The only issue with mail order is that you have to order at least 25. There has to be enough little balls of fluff to keep each other warm during their journey. 

What Kinds of Chicks to Buy

There are probably hundreds of breeds of chickens.  

However, you can group them into a few major categories. 

Bantams - We call these bannies, some people call them banties.  Either way they are smaller chickens. They are about 1/2 to 1/3 the size of regular chickens.  They are really cute, and take pretty good care of themselves.   They are sometimes more expensive, and usually only come straight run.  Straight run means that you can't choose if you get pullets (little hens) or cockerels (little roosters).  Whatever hatches is what you get.  If you plan to eat some, then this isn't a problem.  You could butcher the extra roosters.

Bantams also give smaller eggs, so you have to use more in a recipe.

Egg Layers - These are light breeds that put all of their extra energy into laying eggs. 

Usually they lay white eggs, but this may vary from breed to breed.  

My grandma told me once "Those leggerns (country speak for leghorns) are good for laying, but they are sure tough to eat!"  If all you want is eggs these can be great.  I do love my little white leghorn hen, and her daughter (half Phoenix) is my best setter. 

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Dual Purpose Breeds - These heavy breeds will put their energy into building meat and laying eggs.  This is where you will find most of your brown egg layers. The Rhode Island Red, Rocks and Wyandottes fall into this category. These birds are a great option for the homesteader, because they will consistently lay well for you, but they also make good meat birds. They are hardy birds that can take extreme weather just fine. 

It is hard to go wrong with these ladies.  

Meat Breeds - Pretty self explanatory.  These are the birds that you are going to eat.  They probably won't lay well, as all their energy goes into making meat.  

Frizzle Cochin  - Photo credit

Unusual Breeds - The chickens that don't look like other chickens.  There are some beautiful birds to be found in this section.  My favorite hen was a Silver Laced Polish that I had in high school.  Isabelle was so sweet.  I actually took her to school during our FFA 'Bring your pet to school day'.  She just let me carry her around all day.  She was a decent layer too.  It is worth it to explore these breeds as some are actually great egg layers, or dual purpose, but they are a rare variety.  

Caring for Your Chicks

A lot of poultry companies would have you believe that you need a bunch of specialized equipment to raise chicks.  That is simply not true.  For young chicks you need at least a cardboard box, something to put food in, something to put water in, and a heat lamp (or a broody hen).  The little feeders and waters that screw on to mason jars work very well, are inexpensive, and can be used for years.  You need to keep your chicks warm for the first several weeks.  A good heat lamp will accomplish this, just make sure it stays on.

After that they can be moved into a hutch or even a doghouse.  As long as they stay warm, well fed, watered, and safe, they will be happy. 

Photo Credit 

Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  We raised several batches of chicks growing up and we never bought chick starter.  I never even knew there was such a thing until I met my husband, and he couldn't believe what we had been using.  We always just used boiled eggs.  We peeled them and chopped them up real fine, and put them on a paper plate.  The chicks, (and mommas too) loved them, and always grew quick.  When they were 3-4 weeks old we would start them on scratch grain.   We vary rarely lost a chick, and they were always healthy.  I know this is probably not the recommended way of doing it, but sometimes the old way of doing things worked.  My grandma raised hundreds of chicks this way.  

It is a little more work, so now when I do buy chick starter I feel so lazy!   

I hope this article encourages you to try raising baby chicks this year. 

I believe everyone should raise chickens!

Do you raise chickens?
What tips would you share?

Love in Christ,

Angie

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Raising Homemakers

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