Crimson Pride Are You Ready for Chickens?

 Part I

Questions to ask first:
 
Can I have chickens where I live? Is there a limit to how many birds I can have? Can I have a rooster? How will you dispose of waste? How old will your chicks be when you get them? For what purpose will you use the poultry you raise?

KNOW what you are going to buy.

• Buy the type of chicks that will fit your needs.
• Buy from a reliable source which could be a breeder for show birds, layers or pet quality stock; a feed store or catalog/on-line store for layers, pet! backyard quality stock, or fryer/broiler birds.
• All chickens are edible, however, not all chickens are bred specifically to be eaten. Many classes of poultry have rare or heritage breeds within them.
•  Do your research on the source of chicks/eggs before purchasing to ensure a quality source. Also,
• Check to see if it is really a rare breed or just something that is a new project color/vanity or fun crossbred. All female chickens will produce eggs: however, depending on the breed and original purpose of the breed those eggs may be few and far between or a constant and steady supply.

How will chicks be listed?

• Chicks will be listed by their breed and variety/color as well as “straight run.” pullets/sexed.’ or sex-linked.
• Straight run means that you should get a fairly even mix of male and female birds.
• Pullets oc sexed birds should give you about 90% or better accuracy on chicks that have been sexed to sort out the females from the males. Pullets are females that are under one year of age.
• Cockerels are males that are under one year of age. Generally only layers are sexed.
• Sexlinked means that the parent stock were selected for specific traits (usually in the male) so that as the chicks hatch it ¡s obvious by that trait which chicks are male (cockerels) & which are female (pullets). Sexlinked stock is usually 95% or better accuracy. Generally this is only done with layer breeds and the resulting chicks are crossbreds/hybrids.

Where will the chicks live for the first 6-8 weeks of life?

• The chicks should live in some sort of brooder. A brooder usually starts out round or has blocked corners, should be 16-18 inches minimum, and can be expanded. A good starting size is about four times the space your chicks will take up; remember there needs to be room for food and water equipment as well. The space required for fryer chicks will double almost every week. From beginning to the last expansion make sure that your chicks do not have a draft on them. Your heat source is important, most people use high wattage lights. Make sure they are not energy efficient or they may not give off enough heat to keep the chicks comfortable and growing.
• The wattage should be between 125 & 250, be cautious with the 250 watt in direct light/heat and the possibility of breakage. The glass is hot and the heat produced is high; there is a chance of starting a fire’ Your chicks should start at 92-97 degrees if they are a week or less in age. Each week you should be able to raise your light source and drop your temperature about 5 degrees.
• Lower heat each week down to 70 or 65 degrees or until they are fully feathered (all temp. are at chick level). You will be able to tell if chicks are too hot or too cold by the way they act. If they are quiet, under the light/heat source, ¡n a pile that indicates that they are too COLD. If they are quiet, spread out in the corners or as far away as they can get from the light/heat source or panting that indicates that they are too HOT.
• Your brooder should be fully prepared and preheated for 24 hours before your chicks arrive at their new home (make sure temperature is regulated). This means that bedding, feed, and water are in place.
• Feeders and waterers/fountains come in many different shapes and sizes. Your birds SHOULD NEVER RUN OUT OF WATER. Water should be dean and fresh electrolytes are o.k. to use. For chicks 0-4 weeks in fryers and 0-8 weeks in other types there are two choices of feed, Chick Starter-Medicated and Chick Starter- Non-Medicated. Most poultry feeds are all inclusive and come with exactly what the birds’ need for their age/stage of development.
• Coccidia is one of the biggest problems with chicks as their systems can become quickly overwhelmed. This is why the pen/brooder needs to stay dean and dry. The medicated chick feed comes with a coccidio-stat in it to help prevent the disease from occurring.

When your chicks arrive home get them in the warm brooder and out of the cold box as soon as possible. As you place the chicks into the brooder dip each beak into the water. This helps rehydrate chicks and shows them where the water is. Remember to wash hands every time you are finished handling the chicks.