My favorite time of the year used to be Christmas, now it is Chick season!  I love going into the store, hearing the peeps, seeing the fuzz ball chicks running or sleeping.  So cute!  This post contains what I know about chicks.  Here we go!  A lot of feed stores generally sell chicks (and ducklings) at the store from February to May.  During the “off” season you can special order chicks through companies like Tractor Supply Co. website  but you have to buy them in batches (usually consisting of 10 chicks).  Also, chicks can be bought at animal swaps, craigslist, facebook trading post, etc.  If you buy chicks from the store there will be a minimum.  Tractor Supply near me has a 4 minimum for chicks and 2 for ducklings.  Chickens (and ducks) are herd animals, they love to be around one another and it helps to keep them warm!  In the store they will have them grouped together in different bins with labels. Straight Run chicks are female and male chickens.  Pullets are females, they are tested to ensure that they are females…however, keep in mind you can still end up with a rooster!  It is not 100% guaranteed that they will be hens.

Chicks don’t need much in the beginning.  A majority of people buy the chicks and then later get the coop.  We like to use a large rubber maid container. Along with the container, a heat lamp is needed.  The chicks need to be kept warm, about 98 degrees.  The red light shining from the lamp will also help the chicks to not peck one another if any pink or red is showing on them.  We place our heat lamp on one side of container and place the food and water on the other side.  Layer the bottom of the container with shavings.  A chick approved waterer and feeder are needed (seen below).  Fill those up, place them in the container.  Now you have a great spot for the chicks!

With chicks always keep a look out for poop stuck to their butt, known as pasty butt.  It’s nothing too alarming because you can wash it off, once it’s cleaned off the chick will be fine…just clean the chick when you see she/he has pasty butt.  If you don’t wash it off, the chick will eventually die.  I use a small container with warm water, soak the chick, and then rub the chicks’ bottom with a cotton ball and toilet paper and do more soaking.  I repeat these steps until clean and then I rinse the chicks’ butt under the faucet with warm water.  Usually it takes me 5 minutes or less, but the poor chick in the video took 10 minutes since it was so impacted!  Watch the video..

 Pasty Butt

 

Supplies for chicks:

 

   Large rubbermaid container.
  Heat lamp and the bulbs .
  Shavings to go on the bottom of the container
 Containers for the food and water.
 This is the brand of chick food we use!  Not pictured here is chick grit.  They don’t need it right away but it  should be on your to get list! 🙂  When you get the grit you just add a little to the chick food.