Friday at the Farm and new chicks

Friday at the Farm and new chicks

We made our annual trip to the feed store to pick up our spring chicks. This year we stuck to one kind, Barred Rock. We got 12. In the past we got a few more since mortality could be expected at such an early age. Since we are a bit smarter about how to raise these girls, we don’t expect any to go off to chicken heaven under our watch. Dehydration and low body temperature are the most common reasons chicks die . Now you know. 

Friday at the Farm and new chicks

Good temperament

Barred Rock are the most common free range chickens on small farms.  The are friendly, don’t create drama in the coup amongst the others and lay large brown eggs. A plus in Northeast Georiga, where it can get below freezing for a few months, is that they are able to withstand cold weather quite nicely. 

Raising brand new chicks

In the early stages of their life we keep them in the mud room under a heat lamp when it’s really cold out and in the space. You should reduce the temp by 5 degrees each week until they are able to live outside in the coop. The ideal temperature for chicks, seven days old or younger, is 95 degrees. Week two is 90, week three is 85.  We use a heat lamp like the one shown here. Red lamps are suppose to discourage the chicks from pecking at each other….although they still seem to do that without the light on.

Ideal set-up in the early days

The ideal set up for us when we get brand new babies is to put the chicks in a water trough and cover the bottom with shavings.  We change this out every couple of days to keep it clean and from smelling.  We should use a feeder for chicks but I just use a plastic bowl that is low enough to ground for them to get in. For water, I use an old ice tray or small water bowl that they can reach. Keep in mind that the bigger the bowl is, the messier it will get.

The most important tip for small chicks is making sure they have enough water. I am changing out and refreshing their water a few times a day. Water and eating will help your chick stay warm and healthy. When the outside temps stay above freezing at night we will move the girls outside to a special area in our coop. This will help them acclimate and socialize before introducing them to the rest of the chickens….and to the only male in the coop ‘Big Daddy’. He’s one lucky dude!

grateful

for all of the chickens….and the eggs

affiliate links used for some of the items that I use or recommend in this post