We have 7 mature chickens - 3 old gals that are going on four years old and 4 younger ones that I bought last year. Chickens are not long-lived and I decided the older ones may not be here much longer, so I reasoned that we NEEDED some chicks to replenish our flock in case the old girls cross over the rainbow bridge to chicken heaven.
Once I got them home, I set up a "brooder" for them. This is simply an enclosure that is small and free of drafts where they will be safe and warm for a few weeks until they get feathers. For my brooder, I used a large black plastic tub.
Added a layer of wood shavings to it. These can be purchased in bulk from any farm store.
The brooder should be put in an enclosed area where it is safe from predators and will be free of drafts. I put it in our small 8X10 greenhouse on the south side of our house, but an unheated garage would be fine.
The final pieces of the setup are a feeder, a waterer and a heat lamp.
Here it is all set up and ready for the chicks.
The store provided a little box for transportation.
The chicks were banded to indicate they were females. Female chicks are called "pullets".
The band is metal and should be removed. Some folks use a pair of needle-nose pliers for this task, but I had trouble trying to bend the metal to get it loose while holding the chick. So, I used a pair of wire cutters to cut the end off. This worked very well.
Once the chicks were "un-banded", I put them in the brooder.
They seem right at home and went about exploring their new home. It is hard to believe that in a few months they will be full grown hens! Stay tuned for updates on their development!
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