One of the most rewarding aspects of urban homesteading is raising backyard chickens. Not only do they provide fresh eggs, but they are also entertaining companions. If you’re considering adding chickens to your urban homestead, one of the first steps is to obtain your chicks.
Receiving Chicks by Mail
Many backyard chicken enthusiasts choose to purchase their chicks online and have them shipped directly to their doorstep. This can be a convenient and affordable option, but it’s important to be prepared for the arrival of your new feathered friends. We reviewed several different breeds and online hatcheries and eventually chose to purchase from My Pet Chicken. We had a good experience with them and their support team.
Chicks are put in the box at as little as 1 day old. Although they look very cute and fluffy they are not yet able to generate enough heat on their own to stay alive. In nature this is why the mother hen continues to sit on the nest after hatching. For shipping to backyard chicken enthusiasts this is why it is typical for hatcheries to have a minimum order quantity for chicks as well as when they are shipped they come with a heat source of some sort inside of the box.
The shipment from the hatchery is sent next day air via the USPS. This is something that has been happening for decades and the USPS does a good job of handling them. The day our chicks were packaged we were sent an email with USPS tracking #. Using that we contacted our local distribution center and arranged for us to come pickup the package on site as soon as they opened at 9:00 am rather than waiting for the carrier to arrive at our house in the afternoon.
When they arrive carefully remove the chicks from the box and transfer them to their prepared brooder.
Brooder Setup
A brooder is a safe and secure environment for raising young chicks. It should be a draft-free space that is easy to clean and disinfect. You can use a cardboard box, a plastic tote, or a commercially available brooder.
Here are some essential amenities for a brooder:
- Heat source: Chicks need a constant source of heat, such as a brooder plate, during their first few weeks of life. A brooder plate is a device specifically designed for raising chicks and a well placed brooder plate allows the chicks to get as close to it as they need to maintain their own body temperature. It is highly recommended NOT to use old-school heat lamps as it is easy to provide too much heat, a burn hazard for yourself and children and worst of all they are an incredible fire hazard. See other advice here.
- Water: Provide chicks with a waterer specifically designed for chicks. This will ensure that they can reach it and importantly won’t drown. The most common type screws on to a mason jar. You will need to monitor new chicks closely in the first hours after receiving and will need to dip their beak in to the water a few times until you are sure they got the hang of it and can drink on their own. Water should be changed minimum twice per day, but also any time they’ve kicked enough wood chips in to make it messy they should be cleaned out so the chicks can freely access clean water.
- Starter feed: Provide chicks with a specialized chick starter feed that is specifically formulated to meet their nutritional needs. Use a chick feeder and that is small enough for them to access easily. You will also need to guide them to the food in the first day pushing their beak in to the container. For the next few weeks in the brooder you will likely find that they make a mess both spilling the food, and putting wood chips in the food, be sure to keep the feeder full and cleared out so they are able to easily access clean food.
- Bedding: Cover the bottom of the brooder with a soft material, such as pine shavings.
- Lighting: Chicks need 24 hours of light during their first week of life. You can gradually reduce the lighting to a natural day/night cycle as they grow older.
Brooder Time
Chicks typically stay in the brooder for about 6 weeks, depending on their breed and the outdoor temperature. During this time, it’s important to monitor their health and provide them with fresh food and water daily. Clean the brooder regularly to prevent the spread of disease. Chickens poop often, we found ourselves scooping poops out multiple times a day to keep ahead of this. Note: these poops are gardening gold, be sure to save them and put them in your composter.
Additionally every 2-3 weeks it is recommended to clean out the brooder completely replacing the wood chips with fresh. Again, save these removed wood chips and put them in to your composter.
If you are combining chicks of different ages it is recommended to keep them physically separated while allowing them to see one another. We did this by putting two cardboard boxes together and creating a window between them with wire cloth.
Moving Chicks to the Coop
Once the chicks are 6-8 weeks old and the outdoor temperature is consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they can be moved to the coop. Before moving the chicks, ensure that the coop is clean, secure, and predator-proof.
When introducing the chicks to the coop, start by allowing them to explore the coop during the day and then return them to the brooder at night. Gradually increase the amount of time they spend in the coop until they are comfortable spending the night there. Some resources suggest locking them in the coop for 2-3 days so they understand that it is ‘home’ and will return there at night. We did lock them in the coop, but we did lock them in the run which has access to the coop. For the first couple of days they did end up roosting in the run at night so I went in to the run and moved them to the coop after dark. On the 3rd day they figured it out and started going to the coop at night on their own. I am not convinced that they would have learned this any better using the lock them in method, and I felt they did better spending those 2 long summer days out in the run.
If you will be introducing the new chicks to older chickens it is recommended that you do so slowly such as some face time when the chicks are in a cage. After several hours or a couple days of this time you can test the waters of letting them out and intermingle. It’s likely they do some exploring and light pecking at each other, but you need to make sure that they don’t actually hurt one another during the integration period.
Precautions
When moving the chicks to the coop and run also move the waterer and feeder they’re used to and be sure that they know where it is and you see them use them both before leaving them alone. Also they will continue to make a mess with the food and water so you will still need to check on it a couple times a day and refresh the water twice a day. Soon you will be able to move to other styles of feeder and waterer if desired, but don’t do too many changes at once.
It’s a good idea to supervise the chicks closely during their first few days in the coop and run to ensure that they are adjusting well and haven’t exposed any unforeseen vulnerabilities of the coop and run. Provide them with plenty of food, water, and shelter.
By following these guidelines, you can successfully raise healthy and happy backyard chickens. With a little care and attention, you’ll be rewarded with fresh eggs and the joy of raising these delightful creatures.
Additional Tips
- Choose a suitable breed: Consider the climate, space available, and your desired characteristics when selecting a chicken breed.
- Provide enrichment: Offer your chickens toys, dust baths, and other forms of enrichment to keep them happy and healthy.
- Protect from predators: Take steps to protect your chickens from predators, such as hawks, foxes, and raccoons.
- Socialize your chickens: Spend time with your chickens to tame them and make them more comfortable around humans.
Raising backyard chickens can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. With proper care and attention, you can enjoy the benefits of fresh eggs and the companionship of these feathered friends.
Caring for Adult Chickens
Once your chicks have grown into adult chickens, there are several ongoing care requirements:
- Housing: Ensure that the coop is large enough to accommodate your chickens and provides adequate shelter from the elements.
- Feeding: Provide a high-quality chicken feed that meets their nutritional needs. There are many options for treats to supplement layer feed such as table scraps, grains (cracked corn or scratch mix), bugs that you find around the yard (moths and grasshoppers). If you free-range your chickens you will likely see them running around the yard chasing bugs or even mice to eat them.
- Watering: Ensure that your chickens have access to clean, fresh water at all times. We change the water every single morning.
- Roosts: Provide roosts for your chickens to sleep on at night.
- Nesting boxes: If you want your chickens to lay eggs in the coop, provide nesting boxes. Later on we moved to a sloped next box so the eggs would roll away from the chicken after laying. This minimizes the urge to be broody and removes the egg from site so the other chickens can’t eat the egg.
- Sanitation: Regularly clean the coop and bedding to prevent the spread of disease. Every morning we clean the poop from the coop out. We’ve provided a poop board underneath the roost bar so 80% of the poop lands on it and can be easily scraped in to the collection bucket. Don’t forget, this goes to the composter.
- Health care: Monitor your chickens for signs of illness and seek veterinary care if necessary.
By following these guidelines and providing your chickens with the care they need, you can ensure that they live long, healthy, and productive lives.
Additional Tips
- Consider the benefits of free-ranging: If your yard is safe and secure, allowing your chickens to free-range can provide them with additional exercise and enrichment.
- Find a friend or neighbor that can help: Eventually you’re going to need help for a long weekend taking care of the chickens. Be sure to introduce your chickens to a friend or neighbor and ask if they’d be willing to help in a rare occurrence and be prepared to share some eggs.
- Find online resources: There are many places online such as Reddit, Facebook groups, and blogs/forums that can provide a lot of information about raising backyard chickens. Connecting with other backyard chicken enthusiasts can provide valuable support and advice.
By embracing the challenges and rewards of raising backyard chickens, you can experience the joy of sustainable living and the satisfaction of providing for yourself and your family.
