This is the time of year Tractor Supply and the local farmers' co-op start getting in chicks. The chicks come a day old from the hatchery, and arrive at the local post office, the same way your chicks would come if you ordered them straight from the hatchery. Because of the variability of weather, the hatchery will not ship day-old chicks until the weather can be expected to be moving into a springtime pattern. This increases the survivability of the chicks.
There are several ways to purchase chicks. My personal opinion is that ordering direct from the hatchery is the most reliable way. A hatchery vaccinates for Marek's Disease (discussed in Chickens, Pt. 2), and usually they send 23 chicks for every 22 ordered, in case one dies in transport, as often happens. This is a little more expensive, because you also pay shipping. The second way to order is to purchase at an online auction, like Eggbid.net. I have bought chicks this way, and since I purchased from a reputable hatchery -- through the auction -- I was very satisfied with the result. I imagine satisfaction would vary considerably, depending on who it is providing the chicks you're bidding on. The third way to buy chicks is from a farm-supply store. And the fourth source would be from an individual.
If you order from a hatchery -- like Murray McMurray or Privett -- they will ship out your chicks at a time suitable for your local climate. And they usually ship them at the beginning of the week, so they won't sit at the post office over the weekend. They will notify you when you should pick them up at the post office.
Tractor Supply and other farm-supply stores take shipment the same way. Usually, when they are expecting to take receipt on their first shipment of chicks, they will put up a sign advertising the fact. Just show up when the chicks arrive, and pick out the ones you want.
If the store has chicks labeled "red layers" or "black layers," ask a salesperson exactly what breed that is. Red layers may be Rhode Island Reds or Red Sex-Link, and that will make a difference. Both will lay good eggs, but the Red Sex-Link is more likely to lay right through winter, and the RR Reds may go broody in the spring and hatch some eggs. Black layers may be Black Australorp or Plymouth Barred Rock, or something else. Make sure what you're buying.
You will also have to choose between "straight run" or "pullets only." Hatcheries will also have "cockerels only," but the stores rarely have just cockerels (males). If you get straight run, count on a little over half being males. Usually, you can only tell which ones are males when they start to crow -- at about 3 months old. Excess roosters should be removed from the flock, as they will wear out your hens. My preference is to butcher them; fresh, home-grown chicken tastes delicious! But sometimes you can sell them. Just don't expect to get more than $5-10 for them, because in the spring roosters are a dime a dozen.
Make sure you get a dozen or so chicks, so they can keep each other warm. Other items you will need to pick up when you buy your chicks include:
Make sure you have a box to put them in, and some newspaper for bedding. I always sifted through the trash at the post office every week when the local shopper came in the mail and got all the ones people threw away! A box about the size that a microwave or toaster oven would come in should be fine -- a little larger if you have more than a dozen chicks.
When you buy the chicks, the salesperson will put them in a small box for you. Or, if you pick up chicks at the post office, they will come in a box. Don't open the box on the way home. Peek in, if you have to, but you don't want to stress your birds more than is necessary. Keep them in a warm place on the way home.
When you get home, first set up their new quarters: Put the box in a warm corner of the house, close to an electrical outlet. Place a few layers of newspaper in the bottom. Plug in the heat lamp and attach it to one side of the box, pointed downward. Fill the feeder with feed and place it in the box. Fill the waterer with water and place it in the box. Then open your box of chicks and gently lift each one with your hand and place it in its new home. Be sure to notice if any chick is injured or sick. You'll want to isolate any diseased chick and notify whoever sold it to you.
Leave the chicks alone, to get acclimated to their new surroundings.
Daily chores to care for your chicks include:
You need to be sure to keep enough space for your growing chicks. When my 20 chicks outgrew their box, I moved them into an old cast-iron bathtub. I moved the heat lamp, feeders, etc., with them, and continued my routine of replacing the bedding each day. When the chicks got their feathers, I knew it was time for them to move out to the hen house.
NEXT WEEK: Chickens, Pt. 4: The hen house
There are several ways to purchase chicks. My personal opinion is that ordering direct from the hatchery is the most reliable way. A hatchery vaccinates for Marek's Disease (discussed in Chickens, Pt. 2), and usually they send 23 chicks for every 22 ordered, in case one dies in transport, as often happens. This is a little more expensive, because you also pay shipping. The second way to order is to purchase at an online auction, like Eggbid.net. I have bought chicks this way, and since I purchased from a reputable hatchery -- through the auction -- I was very satisfied with the result. I imagine satisfaction would vary considerably, depending on who it is providing the chicks you're bidding on. The third way to buy chicks is from a farm-supply store. And the fourth source would be from an individual.
If you order from a hatchery -- like Murray McMurray or Privett -- they will ship out your chicks at a time suitable for your local climate. And they usually ship them at the beginning of the week, so they won't sit at the post office over the weekend. They will notify you when you should pick them up at the post office.
Tractor Supply and other farm-supply stores take shipment the same way. Usually, when they are expecting to take receipt on their first shipment of chicks, they will put up a sign advertising the fact. Just show up when the chicks arrive, and pick out the ones you want.
If the store has chicks labeled "red layers" or "black layers," ask a salesperson exactly what breed that is. Red layers may be Rhode Island Reds or Red Sex-Link, and that will make a difference. Both will lay good eggs, but the Red Sex-Link is more likely to lay right through winter, and the RR Reds may go broody in the spring and hatch some eggs. Black layers may be Black Australorp or Plymouth Barred Rock, or something else. Make sure what you're buying.
You will also have to choose between "straight run" or "pullets only." Hatcheries will also have "cockerels only," but the stores rarely have just cockerels (males). If you get straight run, count on a little over half being males. Usually, you can only tell which ones are males when they start to crow -- at about 3 months old. Excess roosters should be removed from the flock, as they will wear out your hens. My preference is to butcher them; fresh, home-grown chicken tastes delicious! But sometimes you can sell them. Just don't expect to get more than $5-10 for them, because in the spring roosters are a dime a dozen.
Make sure you get a dozen or so chicks, so they can keep each other warm. Other items you will need to pick up when you buy your chicks include:
- Feeder (Mason quart jar with screw-on metal attachment)
- Waterer (Mason quart jar with screw-on plastic attachment)
- Chick Starter feed
- Heat lamp -- or a heat lamp fixture with a regular 60-watt bulb.
Make sure you have a box to put them in, and some newspaper for bedding. I always sifted through the trash at the post office every week when the local shopper came in the mail and got all the ones people threw away! A box about the size that a microwave or toaster oven would come in should be fine -- a little larger if you have more than a dozen chicks.
When you buy the chicks, the salesperson will put them in a small box for you. Or, if you pick up chicks at the post office, they will come in a box. Don't open the box on the way home. Peek in, if you have to, but you don't want to stress your birds more than is necessary. Keep them in a warm place on the way home.
When you get home, first set up their new quarters: Put the box in a warm corner of the house, close to an electrical outlet. Place a few layers of newspaper in the bottom. Plug in the heat lamp and attach it to one side of the box, pointed downward. Fill the feeder with feed and place it in the box. Fill the waterer with water and place it in the box. Then open your box of chicks and gently lift each one with your hand and place it in its new home. Be sure to notice if any chick is injured or sick. You'll want to isolate any diseased chick and notify whoever sold it to you.
Leave the chicks alone, to get acclimated to their new surroundings.
Daily chores to care for your chicks include:
- Changing bedding every day. Remove each chick to a second, smaller box, and then just roll up the soiled bedding and put it in the trash. Put down clean paper. Then refill the feeder and the waterer, and replace them in the box, before gently lifting each chick back into the box. Be sure to clean their quarters every day! This is essential for your chicks' health.
- Handle your chicks every day, especially the ones that seem skittish. This will get them used to seeing you as a protector, rather than as a threat, and will make it much easier to handle them when they're grown.
You need to be sure to keep enough space for your growing chicks. When my 20 chicks outgrew their box, I moved them into an old cast-iron bathtub. I moved the heat lamp, feeders, etc., with them, and continued my routine of replacing the bedding each day. When the chicks got their feathers, I knew it was time for them to move out to the hen house.
NEXT WEEK: Chickens, Pt. 4: The hen house
When the chicks outgrew their box, I moved them into a deep, cast-iron bathtub. The heat lamp, placed at one end of the tub pointed down, provided the heat they needed to be comfortable. As you can see in the photo above, the chicks were able to position themselves in relation to the lamp in a way that was comfortable for them. Nobody wanted to be directly below it!