How to Raise Buff Orpington Chickens From Baby Chicks

The Buff Orpington chicks are dual purpose birds that originally came from Great Britain. Their 2 purposes are as layers and meat. As for the eggs, the mature Buff Orpington typically starts to lay at 6 months and will produce 1 large brown egg every 2 to 3 days. As for eating, the birds normally plump to around 7 to 12 pounds. In this article, we will learn how to raise the Buff Orpington chick to maturity.

Things You'll Need

• Tub or child's pool
• Starter Feed
• Heat Lamp
• Heat Lamp Bulb
• Power Source
• Fully enclosed chicken pen
• Water Bowl
• Bedding

Instructions

1. Selecting your Buff Orpington chicks:

   The first thing that you have to do is locate and purchase your baby Buff Orpington chick from your local co-operative or feed and seed store in your community. You can also order them through hatcheries online and have them shipped directly to you. Either way, you want to make sure that the chicks are healthy, so check out the environment that they have been kept in. As baby chicks, different breeds can be kept together. However, in the adult stages, they will need to be separated for safety purposes. When hand picking your chicks, make sure that they are covered with feathers and are very active.

2. Preparing a place to raise your Buff Orpington chicks:

   When you bring your Buff Orpington chicks home for the first time, you will want to have a place prepared to keep the chicks. This will need to be a secured area. Typically, it is best to build a pen that is covered on the sides and top with chicken wire. This will keep out most creatures that would be harmful to your Buff Orpington chicks. If you are building a pen, make sure that it will have enough room that the chicks can get enough exercise when full grown.

3. Caring for your Buff Orpington chicks:

   The first few things that you will need to acquire when purchasing your Buff Orpington chicks are Starter feed, baby pool, heat lamp, bedding material, and a water bucket. The pool will allow for the chicks to feel more secure and safe. Eventually, they will become confident enough to get out and explore. The lamp will keep them warm. If you live in warm climate and this is done in late spring/early summer, you do not need this. Just make sure that the temperature stays above 70 at night.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep fresh water available daily.

• Visit your Buff Orpington chicks often

• Use cedar shavings as bedding to reduce odor

• Do not use newspaper as bedding

• avoid drafts