GRIT Country Skills Series

Caring For Your New Chickens

It’s that time of year again. The sun is shining, the daffodils are blooming, and there is a distinct peeping noise at every farm store across the country. It’s time for chicks. If you’ve been wooed by those little fluffy yellow balls of cuteness you are in for a treat. Chickens are a joy to have around. If you are new to the chicken game, fear not. In this article, I am going to take you through the ins and outs of caring for your new chicks, which starts with making sure your chick supply kit is at the ready.

HOUSING FOR YOUR NEW CHICKS

The first step in caring for your new chicks is setting up a brooder. Your little fluffballs need to be kept warm and dry for their first few months of life. To set up your brooder, you will need a draft proof container, a heat source, and some sort of bedding for your brooder. We will touch on the types of bedding you can use for your chicks later on in this article. A lid, too, comes in handy after about two weeks. As your chicks continue to grow, they will want to test their wings.

THE CONTAINER

The most important thing about your container is that it is draft free. You

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from GRIT Country Skills Series

GRIT Country Skills Series6 min read
How to Build a DROPPING BOARD
It’s an irrefutable fact: Chickens poop, and they poop a lot. In the coop, their favorite place to poop is off the edge of the roost when they’re sleeping at night. This means that, every night, droppings build up right under the roost in a specific
GRIT Country Skills Series6 min read
Choosing Chickens
Folks are flocking to chickens as their new “pandemic project.” What’s to love about backyard birds? And what’s not so great? Let’s take a look. First, let’s look at the good stuff. As with any pet, there are many positives to keeping chickens. Incre
GRIT Country Skills Series4 min readDiet & Nutrition
From HEADLINES to Fine Print
Anyone new to raising chickens is bound to be confused at the feed store. With such a complex diversity of feeds available at different price points, it can be hard to determine which one to buy. Choosing the right feed so chickens have proper nutrit

Related Books & Audiobooks