Which Chicks, What Hatchery?

What we like.

• Buff Orpington
• Black Star (Black Sex Link)
• Red Star (Red Sex Link)

Which Hatchery?

We have decided on Estes Hatchery in Springfield, Missouri.
We looked at the reviews for Meyer Hatchery, and most of them weren't very good.
Murray McMurray got better ratings than Meyer, but none of them were as good as Estes!

By the Way..

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you have a fantabulous day! :) 

Our Story...

This all began when we fell in love with 3 young hens-- Darla, Gabby and Freckles. We had our own, fun little experience with them, and it was a great time! Unfortunately, their laying stopped, so we gave them a new home. They were given to a family who wanted them even if they didn't lay. This is Darla, Gabby and Freckles. Or, as we know them, "The Girls"! They were Dominique hens, and we loved them to death! 

Starting Over.

We would like to start over. We want to try something new this time and get chicks. Our three favorites are Buff Orpington, Black Star, and Red Star. Although we don't think we are going to get them 'till February, we are sure getting prepared for the new babies!

Raising Baby Chicks.

How are you supposed to take care of baby chicks, anyway?

Housing

• Chicks tend to scratch at their bedding a lot, so they leave a thin sort of dust everywhere. (In other words, don't put them in the main living space!)
• The older the chickens get, the more dust they make!
• You can put them in a cardboard box w/ ventilation holes,
• a single-faced corrugated cardboard roll, 12" or higher,
• a plastic storage bin,
• or even a kiddie pool!

Absorbent Bedding

• The best choice for bedding is using pine shavings about 1" thick.
• do not use cedar shavings-- the aromatic oils in it can irritate the chicks' lungs, which may lead to respiratory problems later in life.
• no newspaper or paper towels! This will lead to "splayed leg", or hip displacement because of the slippery surface. Hip displacement and splayed leg can kill your chicks!

Watering

• Do not use a dish, rabbit drinker, or anything you just have laying around your house.
• Rabbit drinkers don't let enough chicks have access to it at one time.
• You must pay attention to cleaning it constantly, because they will walk in it, poop in it, etc.
• You may want to raise the waterer off the ground just a little to prevent bedding materials, poop, etc. from getting in it.
• Tip:

to keep the chicks from drowning, put pebbles in the bottom of your waterer.

Food

• As I said earlier, do not use a dish or bowl for feeding.
• They'll kick it all over the place, poop in it, or worse, tip it over and trap a baby underneath!
• Recommendation:

use a baby chick feeder.

Roosting Poles

• You may use 1/2" wooden dowels.
• At first, you may want to try about 5 inches off the ground.
• Don't put it over the food or water!

Feed

• For the first few months, medicated chick feed is the best way to keep your chicks healthy.
• You can also use organic chick starter feed.
• Small amounts of dairy, vegetables, bugs and worms are great for your chicks; they'll love it!
• Remember-

give your birds 24/7 access to all the food they can eat. They will stop eating by themselves when they are full.

Grits

• For baby chicks, you can use sand or parakeet and canary gravel. This will make it much easier for them to digest things.

Netting for the Top

• If you only have a 12" high brooder, don't be surprised if you see your new chicks perched on the edge.
• Either use chicken wire or deer netting over the top. This will prevent the chicks from falling and hurting themselves. If you don't use some sort of netting, you should get a higher brooder, around 2 feet.

go to http://www.mypetchicken.com/ for more info!