Raising Chicks from Kathy in Georgia
We received a great post from “Kathy in Georgia” and we thought you’d enjoy reading it as much as we did!
She writes to provide a quick summary to help people who want to know more about how to raise chicks:
“Growing up on a farm in Georgia, I learned first hand how to take care and raise chickens. On the farm we’d mostly use the chickens for fresh eggs, but occasionally, my mother would slaughter one for a nice dinner. Even though we consume chickens and their eggs, the animals themselves deserve our respect for the gifts that they give to us.
In my family, we like to get baby chicks. They’re cute and the kids enjoy watching them grow up.
Most people want to know where to get the chickens. Let’s face it. You just can’t go to the local pet store or to the grocery store and tell them you want a chicken and expect to bring home a small chick that you can raise. No. To get new chicks for your project, you need to go to a hatchery or to a local chicken farm.
There are several varieties of chickens, so before you go, make sure you know what breeds your supplier offers and if they are what you are looking for in a chicken.
After you select your chick(s) and take them home, you will need to have a box with a 100 watt light bulb nearby to house the young chicks and provide them with warmth.
The temperature should be kept around 100 degrees for the first few weeks, decreasing by 5 degrees every week for the first two months.
You will need to provide food and water for the growing chicks. You can find chicken feed at your local farm supply and feed store. A well equipped pet store may have it as well.
After two months, you are ready to move your chicks into a chicken coop where they will live for the remainder of their lives. Not only does a chicken coop require an indoor area for the chickens to live, but also space outdoors for them to run around and get some fresh air. In general, for every chicken you will need approximately two to three square feet of area indoors and about five square feet of outdoors space.
Make sure your chicken coop is secure inside and out from predators. To do this, you can fence in the outdoor area (be sure to bury the fence at least 1 foot underground) and be sure to lock the hen house itself at night. You can cover the floor of the chicken coup with wood shavings or saw dust. You want to have those on the ground so that you can clean out the floor easily.
That’s all I had time to write for now, but I wanted to contribute to your readers. I hope you like it.”
Thank you Kathy and, for anyone else who may want to share tips for raising chicks, please feel free to comment below!
Tagged with: Baby Chicks • Chick • Chicken Coop • Chicken Farm • Chicken Feed • Chickens • Fresh Air • Fresh Eggs • Grocery Store • Growing Up On A Farm • Hatchery • Local Farm • Nice Dinner • Pet Store • Raising Chicks • Slaughter • Square Feet • Warmth • Watt Light Bulb • Young Chicks
Filed under: How to Raise Chickens
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