Getting Started with Backyard Chickens
Buying and Caring for Baby Chicks
It’s springtime, which means it’s time for baby chicks! With the price of eggs currently hovering around $8 a dozen (due to the recent bird flu outbreak), it may be a good time to start raising backyard chickens. Chickens are relatively low maintenance and can provide hours of entertainment, each with their own unique personality. If you’re new to this pastime, it can be a little daunting picking out baby chickens at your local farm supply store. Here are some tips and tricks to help get you started.
What to look for when buying baby chicks from your local farm supply store:
Timing: If possible, wait to buy your baby chicks until they are at least four or five days old. This ensures that they are strong enough to survive and recover from the two-day journey from the hatchery to the store.
Pasty Butt: Make sure the baby chick does not have a ”pasty butt,” or a splatter of dried poop covering its rear vent. This causes a blockage and prevents waste from passing which can lead to malnutrition, and even death. The dried poop can be difficult to remove and reoccurring, making it a difficult problem to fix.
Sexed vs. Straight-run: Consider whether or not you want roosters. If you only want hens, then buy “sexed” chickens. Sexed chickens are supposed to be all females (hens), but that is no guarantee and usually a few roosters slip into the bunch. “Straight-run” chickens are a mixture of males (roosters) and females (hens). And no, you do not need a rooster in order for chickens to lay eggs. The hens will just lay unfertilized eggs.
Breed: Larger hens lay bigger eggs. Larger breeds are also less likely to jump a fence if you plan to let them free-range in your backyard. It’s worth doing a little research on which breeds your farm store is offering. My local farm store prints a schedule each spring of which breeds they will have in stock each week.
Avoid the Runts: While the smallest baby chicks may be the cutest, they don’t make the best, heartiest chickens. Baby chicks grow extremely fast, so if a chick is large, it is usually a sign that it is healthy. Don’t buy the smallest of the bunch, or it may not grow into a full-sized chicken.
Vitality and Energy: Buy baby chicks that have vitality and are energetically running around. If it looks sickly, it probably is. Note: baby chicks sleep A LOT! So, if you see a baby chick nodding off, that is totally normal. They are newborns after all. Just be sure it has energy while it’s awake. You should also be able to hear them chirping.
Other tips: If the baby chicks are one week or more old, look for chicks that are sprouting tail feathers and have wing feathers that have grown past their rear ends. These are more likely to be hens.
Hatchery chicks: You can also order specific breeds directly from the hatchery, which is a good option if you’re buying a dozen or more. The baby chicks will be express-shipped to you and can live for two days without food or water from the energy stores they are born with. Just be sure to have everything ready for them once they arrive.
So you have the baby chicks, now what? Here are some tips to help ensure a smooth and healthy transition from store to home.
Tips for bringing baby chicks home:
Brooder: You should have a brooder set up before you bring the baby chicks home. I usually use a large plastic bin with pine shavings in the bottom and a chicken wire top that provides plenty of ventilation. I have also used a bathtub once after the chicks outgrew the plastic bin.
Supplies: Be sure to have all the right supplies like a heat lamp, water container, and chick feed crumble. It is best to buy a water container (like the one pictured above) and not use an open bowl that the chick can fall into. If a chick falls into water, they may not be able to get back out and can die of hypothermia. Food should not be kept in an open bowl either, otherwise they will scratch and scatter the food all over the bin. Egg cartons or a store-bought chick feeder work well.
Temperature: Baby chicks need to be kept very warm and will need a heat lamp. Below is a chart of approximate temperatures needed by age. I also keep a thermometer in the brooder to track its temperature. Observe the chicks to gauge whether they are too hot or cold. If they are huddled in a pile under the heat lamp, they are cold. If they are sleeping separately while holding their wings away from their bodies, then they are hot. Do some additional research and use intuition and common sense.
Designated Space: Baby chicks can be stinky, so it’s best to have them in a designated room like a bathroom or laundry room. If you have cats, they love baby chickens, so be sure that your baby chicks are safe and away from prying eyes and paws.
Outside time: Springtime, even here in middle Georgia, can be too cold for baby chicks outside. If it’s warm enough, starting at about six weeks of age, I like to give my chicks some fresh air and outside time during the heat of the day. Keep in mind that baby chicks are vulnerable to hawks, cats, snakes, and many other animals that would like to feed on them, so be sure that your outside pen is predator proof. I do not recommend letting chickens free range until they are at least 3 - 4 months old. I bring the chick inside to sleep at night depending on their age and outside evening temperatures.
Transition to the coop: I transition my chicks to sleeping in the coop at about 7- 8 weeks old. I partition them off in a separate space and do not mix them with the bigger hens until they are about 3 months old, or almost full grown. (Chickens can be savage and will peck baby chicks to death.) The partitioned space in the coop lets out to an outside pen so they are self contained and separate from the older, established hens.
Good luck getting started on your journey to raising backyard chickens! It can be super fun and rewarding, so if you feel called to “join the flock,” I highly recommend it. Plus, there are so many chicken idioms out there that don’t really make sense until you’ve experienced them first hand, like “cock of the walk!” There is also a plethora of additional research, YouTube videos, and articles online to help get you started.
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