Baby chickens need a warm place to grow.
When I was a child, my parents would receive a package in the spring. The package contained baby chickens. Dozens of them just a couple of days old. They arrived from a nearby hatchery only a day old. Normally there were about one hundred and fifty in the shipment. They set up a place for them to grow with a heat lamp to keep them warm. Soon they will be ready for a small chicken coop.
My parents gave the chicks plenty to eat and drink and we’d be excited to see them growing so quickly! They would be moved to another place which gave them more room. They were eating more than they were as baby chicks. And soon they were running around in and out of their small chicken coop.
Now that you have either decided to raise chickens, you need various supplies. The supplies my parents had on the farm were pretty basic. Automation didn’t exist like it does today making it so much easier to take care of your new birds. Some of the supplies you will need are brooders, waterers and feeders.
When you decide to raise chickens, there are probably three reasons you might do so. First to produce eggs, to butcher or have a pet. For now, let’s assume you are going to produce eggs and one just happens to become a pet. When you want eggs, think about how many eggs you want each day. The chickens may be daily producers. If you want six or so eggs each day, you probably want six or so hens. And you will want a small chicken coop to accommodate a your hens.
Keep your Chicks Warm and Wel.
Your chicks need almost constant care. They may not be ready for a chicken coop yet. The easiest way is to purchase a brooder starter kit and set it up in the basement for a few days then move to the garage and then their small chicken coop. Small brooders having a capacity for a dozen chicks and “no drown” feeder and a thermometer. As your chicks grow and space becomes larger, you can switch to using area brooders with heat lamps or radiant heaters.
Radiant Heat for your Small Chicken Coops
My parents’ order of chickens arrived while it was still cold outside. My parents set up a location with a heat lamp to keep the chicks warm. The temperature had to be monitored so they wouldn’t freeze or get too warm. The heat lamp is designed to produce lots of heat yet very little light. The lamp had an aluminum reflector and a special bulb that had a silver reflective surface and glass tinted red. If you ever had one in your bathroom, you know just how comfortable the heat lamp can be just after jumping out of the shower.
Want to learn more about raising chickens and small chicken coops? Check out other articles and take a peek at some of the links you find on this site.