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It’s that time of year again for getting baby chicks! When I first got chicks there was a lot of information I didn’t know and definitely could have used. I know it can be daunting at first time so I wrote down a little information that I think will help get you started!

You can order your chicks from a hatchery or go to a farm supply store. Ordering from a hatchery will give you a larger selection to choose from but shopping at a store will let you see the chicks up close and personal and you can check the health of the chicks before you buy them.

Breeds

First of all, picking the right type of chickens you want is important. There are a LOT of different types of chickens and they all have different characteristics. Are you buying them for meat or eggs? Some chicks lay more eggs than others and some chicks grow into much larger, meatier chickens. Some chickens are suited for warmer or colder climates; some handle captivity well while others require more space. In addition, what color eggs you want matters too!

Some hatcheries to consider are:

• https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
• https://www.cacklehatchery.com/
• https://www.hoovershatchery.com/

The Happy chicken Coop has a very informative article on chicken breeds. If you want to check that out I would highly suggest doing that. I used their website to get the following information. These are all breeds that they offer at farm supply stores… at least around where I live.

Americana

I own some of these and I really love them! My rooster is an Americana and he has been a very good rooster. They are very docile, lay about 150 light blue eggs per year, and are cold hardy. They are not good meat birds though. P.S. they have the cutest little cheek feathers that poke out and make them look like chipmunks!

Black Australorp

They are docile, lay 200 or more brown eggs per year, they’re cold hardy, and can be used for either eggs or meat.

Black Copper Marans

If you want dark brown eggs this is a good option. They produce 150 chocolate colored eggs per year, they are cold hardy and peaceful, and dual purpose ( eggs and meat).

Buff Orpington

They produce about 200 brown eggs per year. They’re friendly and cold hardy dual purpose chickens.

Cuckoo Marans

These are peaceful, dual purpose birds that lay about 150 chocolate colored eggs per year. They are cold hardy, and dual purpose.

Easter Egger

These chickens lay about 200 various colored eggs per year. They are cold hardy and peaceful but are not dual purpose.

Golden Laced Wyandotte

These are very beautiful birds! They are confident, light brown egg layers that produce about 200 eggs per year. They are cold hardy and dual purpose.

Isa Brown

These chickens lay 200 or more brown eggs per year. They are peaceful and cold hardy but are not dual purpose.

Plymouth Rock

This breed is said to have a clean line that dates all the way back to when the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. They lay 200 plus, brown eggs per year and are cold hardy and peaceful but are not dual purpose birds.

Road Island Red

This breed is a very common find, They are confident and cold hardy. They lay 200 plus brown eggs per year and are dual purpose.

Silkie

It’s a little less common to find this breed but I wanted to include them anyway because they’re just so stinkin cute! They’re just one little ball of fuzz! That fuzz you see on baby chicks… They still got it!

They are peaceful and cold hardy but not dual purpose. they produce about 150 cream colored eggs per year.

White Leghorn

These are confident birds producing 200 white eggs per year. They are cold hardy but not dual purpose.

First Things First…Supplies

After deciding what chickens you want, you need supplies. Of course you will need a chicken coop, food and water supplies, and chicken starter food. You may want some chick treats like mealworms (scrambled eggs are good too)! If you feed your chickens anything besides their chicken food, you will also need chick grit too.

I would highly, highly suggest buying them an electrolyte/ probiotic/ vitamin supplement too. I suggest using this one. When they get to their new home they will be stressed and that means pasty butt. Pasty butt is when their poop sticks to their butt. This is a problem because the poop hardens and can block their vent and prevent them from being able to poop anymore. Eventually, if you don’t clean them, they can die. Feeding them a probiotic and electrolyte solution can drastically help out in the beginning. You’ll also need some q tips or a soft cloth to clean up their little bottoms.

You will also need some bedding made of pine shavings, a heat lamp and a box or something to temporarily place your chicks in at first. You can use a small chick fence like this one. I used it last time I bought chicks and it was a lifesaver. It was really easy to assemble and was large enough that it didn’t get too hot for the chicks. Unless you use a very large box, the heat can get too hot and you will find yourself constantly trying to adjust the heat lamp.

You Bought the Chicks, Now What?

Once you get them home, set up their box or fence or whatever you will be placing them in. That is… if you didn’t plan on bringing home chicks that day. It would be ideal to plan ahead and already have everything ready but, let’s face it, it’s not always that way. Cute little baby chicks can easily be an impulse buy… because they’re just so stinkin cute!

Once you have your box, you will need to put in some pine shavings in the bottom. They will need a water container and a food container. I would suggest putting electrolytes in their water at first. The chicks won’t know how to find the water on their own so what you have to do is pick them up and poke their beak into the water real quick and then they will know where to find it in the future.

And then, the heat lamp

The chicks will need to maintain a certain temperature each week, starting at 95 degrees. Each week the temperature needs to be lowered by 5 degrees. Continue until the temperature reaches about 70 degrees or the until the chicks have all their feathers. You can adjust the temperature by raising and lowering the lamp.

Dangers

There are a few dangers to consider with baby chicks. One thing is the water container. Some say that it is a good idea to buy marbles to put in their water container. They’re such sleepy birds when they’re young and sometimes they fall asleep while getting a drink of water. I’ve heard that this can lead to drowning. This has never happened to me…luckily. You can avoid this by adding marbles to their water container. That way if they fall asleep, their head rests on the marble and doesn’t fall into the water. I’ve only used marbles once for a short time because I found that I didn’t need them. However, I find myself being a little more anxious and constantly checking on the chicks when I don’t use marbles. Maybe some chicks are more likely to fall asleep with their beaks in the water.

Don’t Be Alarmed

When I first got chicks, I didn’t know… some stuff. When they began behaving oddly, I was worried thinking they were hurt. They would act normally and then they would do something weird that I didn’t recognize.

One time when I took them on a field trip to the backyard, one chick walked into a sunny patch and just fell over. Worried, I went over to pick it up to see if it was ok and it ran off like it was fine. Cute little thing did it again too. This is a classic case of “chicken sunbathing”, much like us humans do on a warm sunny day. Do not be alarmed when you see this.

Another odd thing I wasn’t aware of was seeing my chicks flop around on the floor of their brooder. It sounds scary and when you don’t know what they’re doing. It looks scary too. I just saw the poor little thing flopping around on the ground. It looked like it was trying to get up but couldn’t. So, obviously, I tried to pick it up… in which it ran away again. This happened over and over again, especially with the same chick. I thought that it was straddle leg or that the floors were too slick. Nope, this is in fact a case of dirt bathing.

This may sound odd but chickens bathe themselves with dirt. You will see them waddle in the dirt and use their wings and feet to throw the dirt up unto themselves. They will dig a little hole in the dirt and burrow into it. This is a good way to avoid mites and other such things. Nothing to be worried about here.

To Chick or Not To Chick…

The question is do you think it’s worth it to get chickens? Let’s review.

Chickens can be a big investment, in terms of money. Let’s face it you have to supply them with a house, food and water, and the occasional supplement and chicken treat. On the other hand, it can also save you money on eggs and meat or even make money if you decide to sell.

There’s the time investment. You will need to fill their food and water and clean their coop from time to time. You may also need to maintain their health in other ways like trimming their nails and such. But, they are such a joy! I love watching them wander around the yard. It’s cool to see all their individual personalities. And let’s face it, store bought eggs can’t hold a flame to fresh chicken eggs. They are much more flavorful and in most cases more nutritious as well.

I happen to love having chickens. It does come with some hardships from time to time. But it can be so rewarding as well.

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