The day has finally come! We have set up our brooder and are ready to meet our new chicks. I’m one of those people who get excited about the small things in life, and this was no exception! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on those sweet girls. There are few things in life as soft and fluffy as new baby chicks.
When we picked out our chicks, I had a friend of mine help me do some research on the best chickens for what we were wanting. Do your research! There are many different breeds of chickens and they are all unique. We live in a climate that has four seasons and bitterly cold winters. So, we needed chickens who were winter hardy for sure. We also wanted good egg layers and chickens that would be more docile. We love our pets around here, so we wanted chickens who loved us back. Ha Ha! For real though. I have encountered some mean chickens before and that was not what we are after.
We decided to go with three different breeds for a fun variety. We received 3 Buff Brahma Bantams, 3 Black Jersey Giants, and 4 Barred Plymouth Rocks. Boy were they cute! We got our new little flock settled into their brooder quickly. We checked each of them over to make sure they seemed healthy. And we checked each of them for “pasty butt” as well.
What’s “pasty butt” you may ask? It’s exactly as it sounds! Their sweet little “vents” (aka: butt) can be clogged with poop. Outside of being gross, it can also be deadly for chicks. You will need to check for this daily. We did have a couple of chicks with it, so we gently put their butts in warm water to loosen the poop. Then, we very gently wiped away the “pasty” poop. You must be very careful when you do this as you can harm or even kill your chicks if you’re not gentle. I’ll maybe post more on this later.
As you maybe know, baby chicks can be fragile! So, you need to make sure you have your brooder temp already at 95 degrees when they get there. You will also need to make sure you have fresh food and water available right away! It is also a good idea to introduce your chicks to the water by gently dipping their beeks in it. I added Chick E-lixir™ to our chicks’ water and boy did they “flock” to it! Ha! Chick E-lixir™ has a lot of great things in it including electrolytes to help your chicks get rehydrated after traveling home. Fresh, clean water is essential to raising healthy chickens. We also added First Peep™ to their food. We just sprinkled it on top of their food and around their feeder. It was amazing to watch them head right for it. Both Chick E-lixir™ and First Peep™ can be found in the Baby Chick Care Kit by Strong Animals®. The kit has everything you need to get your chicks off to a great start!
I was the crazy chicken lady for the first weeks of their life….well, maybe I still am! Ha Ha Ha! I checked on my girls many times a day. They are adorable, but they are messy! I would always clean out their water and feeders to ensure they were getting fresh everything. Chickens poop a LOT. So, be ready. In my Baby Chick Care Kit, there was also a product called Coop Recuperate™ and I used that to lengthen the life of our bedding and keep the coop dry and smelling fresh.
What’s left? Spending time with your girls! My family and I love to go out and interact with them. If you have small children, just make sure you’re watching them close. As I said before, chicks don’t have much to them and are fragile for the first weeks of life. Remember to always wash your hands with soap and water after holding your chicks.
I go out multiple times a day. They are always peeping and making noise. I’ve started singing the same song when I go out and it is so much fun to hear them stop their peeping. They know I’m there! It is absolutely crazy and so funny. I can’t wait to see their personalities unfold.