Getting Started Raising Backyard Chickens

Raising Backyard Chickens: Getting Started

Yes, you read it right.  We are now the proud owners of 10 little chickens and we are loving it!  I’ve been wanting chickens for almost two years and we finally did it.  I researched every online source there was and even bought a book highlighting their first few months to make sure I didn’t miss anything.  I did all kinds of research to find out which would be the best breed of chicken for our needs.  I found a great resource to help you select a breed for your family.  So far, so good.  After two weeks everyone is still alive and chirping!

Housing

I thought I would share what you need to get started with your chicks.  Since this was my first time I was pretty lost, but now that I have done it I’m not sure what I was so afraid of.  The girl where we bought our chicks made me even more nervous because she recommended we purchase 10 chicks in hopes that 6 would survive.  I believe we will have 10 very healthy chicks by the time they are ready to move out on their own.

First off, your new chicks are going to be living with you INSIDE your home for a while (about 6 weeks).  Keep that in mind when deciding on where you are going to keep them.  We bought an already assembled rabbit cage or small pet cage measuring 24″ x 24″ and made some minor alterations to make sure our girls were comfortable.  It was trial and error the first week, but I think we are just about there now with the small tweaks we’ve made.  At the end of the second week we installed a roosting post for the girls by slipping a 1 x 1 piece of wood through the sides and cutting a small notch into it so it would not slide around. The final thing we are going to do is to try smaller pine shavings for the bottom of the cage, but right now what we are doing is working well.

We highly recommend using galvanized hardware cloth (not chicken wire) on the bottom and on the sides about 3 to 4 inches high.  We  attached it using wire ties (or zip ties).  Why?  Well, the gaps in the wire of a rabbit or pet cage are generally pretty big and the chicks would have a hard time walking otherwise (and apparently it could cause leg spraddling can become a problem. It’s equally important not to use paper for the bottom as it can cause slipping and have the same results.  The reason we installed the galvanized hardware cloth on the sides is to keep in as much of the wood chips as possible.  When we installed the roosting pole we simply cut out the area on each side to slip the bar through.

Does it sound like a lot of work? I have seen others who choose to go a less expensive route and use cardboard boxes and laundry baskets, but we thought this small investment ($60 already built, including tray – see bottom photo) was worth it.  Although the chicks will only live here for approximately 6 weeks we realize the cage will probably (and unfortunately) come in handy down the road if we need to isolate any injured or sick hens.

Accessories

Small chicks don’t need much more than a feeder and a chick waterer.  There are all different types and sizes, but we decided on the plastic mason jar style (a mason jar screws right in if you don’t want to use the plastic containers provided).  They were relatively inexpensive ($3.50 each at the local feed store).  We didn’t do the long tray feeder because we thought this would take up a lot less space.  Be sure to buy a chick feeder and water and don’t use household plates or dishes.  Using these is much easier for regulating cleanliness.  These little girls are busy and running around all the time.  You don’t want chicken $hit in their water and food.

You will also need a heat lamp.  We just used our snake’s old reptile lamp, but you can find lamps at your local feed store and hardware stores if you don’t already have one.  We stuck with this one because it was adequate for what we needed and the red bulb is great for masking any blood and/or injuries from the rest of the flock.*

Finally, to ensure there are no odors we put a cup of lime in the tray before layers of newspaper.  The droppings, food morsels, and bedding fall through to the tray but there is no odor whatsoever.  Bonus!

Feed, Water & Stuff

The only other thing you will need is chick feed (we suggest medicated feed if your chicks were not vaccinated by the breeder – see comments below for more info, thanks Rachel for pointing that out), packets of electrolytes (mix with one gallon water), and after their first week we have started adding just a tad of chick grit to their bedding every other time we clean the cage.  The cage should be cleaned and scrubbed out every  morning to ensure your girls stay healthy.  We give our girls fresh water (with electrolytes found in the feed stores) twice a day and fill their food in the morning and early evening.

Other than your chicks, this is everything you should need to get started.  Our initial start up cost was less than $100, including the chicks.  We are now searching for the perfect coop to house these girls and construction should start at the end of next week.  I’ll be sure to let you know what we decide on.  In the meantime here are some photos of our girls the first two weeks of their lives.