Accidental Homesteader
…a funny thing happened on the way to the bar
Getting Started With Chickens – New Chicks
Now that you have your new setup, and you have your new chicks, what now?
First of all, I highly recommend getting a nanny cam to watch them, because they are very cute.
We got a camera that looks like this.
Once they are in the brooder, make sure they have food and water. Try to have a place for the water away from the heat lamp.
Dip their beaks in the water and food so they know where to get them. Don’t worry if they aren’t very interested in it at first. They have three days of nutrition from the egg.
They should have a pretty stable temperature for the first few weeks.
- Hatch to 1 week – 95′
- 1 to 2 weeks – 90′
- 2 to 3 weeks – 85′
- 3 to 4 weeks – 80′
We lost power one time so we kept them warm with jugs of hot water.
And you get the picture. Once it is warm enough, let them go forage in a protected area. We have a dog crate that we use. We’ve made an oilcloth shade, so that they don’t overheat.
We like to let them learn to forage early.
We feed them this food.
Your first time out, you might lose a couple as you learn what works for you. We built a temperature control to keep the temp steady, but you can get by with careful watching.
Accidental Homesteader 