Nothing beats going out to greet the "ladies" and collect the eggs. Another bonus is that keeping chickens reduces the amount of bugs in your country garden!

We ordered our chickens from the local feed store. They had some there already but not the breed I wanted. My mother-in-law had said to get "dominickers" and "red leggerns" as they laid the best. I am sure this is a matter of opinion though. Here a few tips on raising chicks that she shared with me.

Housing:

First, you need to have a light to keep them warm and a secure place. Many predators will try to get your baby chicks-cats,dogs,snakes,raccoons,hawks, etc.. I used a rabbit cage on legs with small wire 1/2 by 1/2 inch and then covered with a fine mesh. This worked very well. On one side we hung a light with a reflector. You really do need this! It is not expensive and you can get them from the feed store.
They need the warmth (90 degree F. temperature) and you should leave the light on for a month. Especially if it is still getting cool in the evening. Gradually raise the light each week to accustom them to outside temperatures. If they are still staying huddled under the light then it is still too cold. Your chickens should be up and walking around the cage during the day and will sleep under the light at night.

Tarp one end of the cage to protect from drafts. I used a large tarp to fully cover the cage during spring rain storms, then uncovered half of it during nice weather. Proper ventilation is important but they need to be protected from drafts as well. If it is windy, protect the side of the cage that the wind is coming from. In hot weather, open to let in plenty of fresh air.

Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper and place 4 inches of fresh litter material, pine shavings, over that. Each chick should have one square foot of "walking space" until they are about 6 weeks of age.

Care and Feeding:

The first few days are critical. Please do not let your children play with them. Remember that these are babies, under a week old. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach about life and respect for life.

Make sure that your feeders are kept clean. The waterers must be washed daily! Be sure to rinse well. Make sure that the feeders do not get wet. Wet food invites disease. Provide plenty of clean food and water at all times. Chick starter should be fed for the first 6 weeks. Then you can mix the started with a "developer" feed until they are 20-weeks of age. At this time you should switch over to a "layer" feed.
Clean the litter as often as needed. Wet floors make for a cold and damp house, which leads to all sorts of problems.

When my chickens were 10 weeks old I moved them into a large walk in chicken pen. It was made with 1/2 by 1/2 inch wire to protect from predators and snakes. One end of the cage was tarped to protect from the weather. Tree branches make good roosts and can be changed easily as they get soiled.

We let our chickens "free range" the yard during the day and they come home to the cage to "roost" at night. In the evening close up the cage to protect them.

Keeping chickens is a great experience and I would recommend it to everyone. It is fun to watch chickens rooting in the yard for bugs and they really do cackle when laying eggs!

Country morning -- country chickens -- country fresh eggs!

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