How to raise baby chicks

A home-style incubator, available from a farm supplier, is under $75 If you are hatching eggs: Make sure all your eggs are clean (but don't wash them with soap! It removes the natural protective coating)and place them in the incubator, which you should previously have brought up to the correct temperature recommended by the manufacturer (normally about 99.5 degrees F). If you are using an automatic egg turner in the incubator (HIGHLY recommended), place each egg in with the smaller end DOWN. If you don't use an automatic turner, you will have to mark each egg with an X (use pencil), and make sure you turn them several times a day. It's worth it to spend a bit more and just get the automatic turner! Humidity level in an incubator is important. In the simpler models, you merely fill the water trough inside with lukewarm water and keep it filled throughout the 21-day hatching cycle (follow incubator instructions). About four days before you expect the hatch, unplug the automatic turner. Soon you will see little chips in the eggs, then cracks forming around the shell as the little ones peck their way in to the world with the egg tooth found on top of their beak. Resist "helping" the chicks hatch. The stronger ones (the ones worth raising) will be just fine. Expect to lose a few; not all of the eggs will hatch.

A healthy, happy chick! This is a Cornish X Rock (meat bird). By this time you should have the brooder box ready. This can be anything from an empty dresser laid on its back, a child's plastic pool, cardboard box - it really doesn't matter as long as the chicks have enough room to move around comfortably. Put newspapers on the floor of the box. You should have the brooder lamp(s) suspended securely above the box so that the temperature near its floor is around 98 degrees immediately below the lamp. Leave the chicks in the incubator til they are dry. Then transfer them gently to the brooder box. The chicks will move themselves closer or further from the heat source. If you find them piling up under the lamp, you know you have it too far away (too cool) and it should be moved a bit closer or else add additional lamps. If they far away from the light, make CERTAIN you don't have it too hot in the box. The first 24-48 hours the chicks are surviving on the yolk which was withdrawn into their abdomen just before they hatched. But its always a good idea to have water ready. Dip the chicks' beaks in the water and they will quickly learn to drink. Scatter some chick starter feed on the floor, and they will quickly learn to peck at it. After a few days, it is advisable to go ahead and put the chick feeder (either the tray model or the dispenser type), and the water dispenser so they can drink and eat as they please. Change the newspapers daily, they soil quickly! Clean, dry chicks are happiest and healthiest.

When the chicks begin to outgrow their box, you may move them outdoors - either to a larger pen inside a barn or shed, or to their new chick yard which you should have ready. A good temporary pen may be made out on the grass or in the barn/shed by taking a roll of one-inch mesh hardware cloth (welded wire fencing), stand the roll on end, and unroll it into a large corral; you can wiretie what's left of the roll to the starting end so it is secure; cover with bird netting if necessary. This is a nice way to have a portable pen which you can move about on the grass so the young chickens can forage. But at night, its very important to get them accustomed to whatever you have set up for their permanent home. It is a VERY good idea to cover the top of the chick yard with mesh, netting or wirecloth, as we are not the only creatures who are fond of chicken for dinner! I have made great hen-houses out of jetski shipping crates (which are usually discarded at your local marina dealer!) or damaged moving crates (contact your local moving company, often they just throw them away). Set four 4' 4x4 salt treated posts in the ground, put your crate on top, anchor in place with nails, cover with exterior-grade 1/2 plywood, (make a door on one side) and voila! You have a sturdy chicken house. Once your chickens are used to sleeping in their house each night, you can soon let them out in the daytime to forage; when it's time to put them up for the night, call them and throw feed in their pen and they will come running! They will be happy to get in their nice dry henhouse and roost at night, as that is natural to them and they will be safe from predators.