[vc_custom_heading text=”Do your research” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:22px|text_align:left|color:%230367bf” use_theme_fonts=”yes”]

You want to know what you are doing before you are caring for babies. That’s what they are, chicken babies. You will not only want to know everything you can about how to raise the chicks, but also where to order them, which hatchery to trust, and how to handle the chicks when they arrive on your farm.

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[vc_custom_heading text=”The chicks are going to be fine” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:22px|text_align:left|color:%230367bf” use_theme_fonts=”yes”]

Baby chicks can survive roughly 3 days with what’s left of the yolk in its stomach after it hatches. Midkenya chicken hatch the chicks .There are minimum orders for a reason. The number of chicks huddled together help regulate temperature and keep each other warm. Chicks should never be allowed to get chilled – not until they are older and can regulate their body temperatures

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Before the chicks arrive  prepare my brooder space.  Make sure all the lamps are working, have fresh pine shavings, have feeders, the proper waterers, and the area is secure against predators that may come lurking in the night. There are different schools of thought as to whether chickens will eat the pine shavings and choke when they’re young. I have started a lot of chickens on pine shavings and haven’t had that problem yet.

When the chicks arrive, temperature is my main concern. They want to be at 95 degrees when they are very young. From there I make sure the brooder is on and warmed up.

When I take the chicks out of the box I dip their beaks in warm fresh  water and make sure feeders are close by. I also put a little bit of feed on a piece of board, so they can scratch around. Some people don’t put food in right away and wait up to three hours to give the birds a chance to rehydrate. I do both at once and haven’t found issue yet.

From then on out I check in on them several times a day making sure they aren’t getting stuck anywhere, piling up, and I keep them with fresh water. Something to look for in regards to the heat that your brooder lamp is putting out is the placement of the chicks. If the chicks are all huddled in a mass under the light and they are climbing on top of each other than your light is too high and the birds are cold. If your chicks are in a ring around your light without any birds in the middle your light is too close and they birds are too hot.  careful. You should be checking in several times a day, especially for the first week, so it will quickly become obvious what normal behaviour is.

leslyicdigitalAdvice