Purchasing Peeps

Seems like it's been forever since I've posted -- so many things to catch up on!  My apologies ~ another non-stop week, it seems.  Is this the way it will be for the next 15 years?  Yowsa!  I hope everyone had a blessed Resurrection Celebration Sunday!  Despite some allergies and sinuses, I thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on the cross and celebrating the fact that He conquered the grave!  What greater hope is there than that?!

One of the best parts of the weekend was the music, as always.  I was overjoyed to play my viola with a delightful violinist at church Friday ~ Were You There? shook my soul!  Then I heard my boys singing it that night in bed.  Sunday morning, they were sing Up From the Grave He Arose on the way home from church!  It's amazing how taking your worship with you wherever you go, lets you never forget the Spirit lives within you!

Brand new Chickies!

So, for Easter, we decided to forgo baskets and gobs of candy (a little egg hunt with the cousins after dinner was the extent of it, and the kids had a blast!).   Instead of marshmallow peeps, we got... feathery peeps!  Yup, our biggest adventure to-date is getting our baby chickens!  Our city has an urban chicken ordinance that allows you to keep chickens for eggs in town.  There are rules you have to follow, but it's very do-able.  I took the local Nature Center's class a few weeks ago just to be ready in case we decided to do it, and I'm glad I did!

Chicks at 1 week old.

Now, between trying to be more self-sufficient, teaching the boys to do and make for themselves, and looking and the direction the economy's going -- it just seemed like a good idea. So on Good Friday we went to the local farm store (I know many order them from hatcheries directly, but this was a bit of an impulse -- we had thought to wait a year).  We have a dog pen that seldom gets used, and it's within the placement rules for the city ordinance (distance from neighbors property/ structures etc).  So that will be the chicken run and DH is noodling around coop plans this week.


Our chicks are about a week old.  And though I had done some reading, it really didn't sink in what all we would need/do until we actually got them.  No where did I see an actual check list (and my type A really needed that to retain it all.)  I have since found one at http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx .  We had the basics, but had to do a little scratching around for a few other things, and some realizations just came after having them here.

So, in case you, too, are considering going poultry, I'd like to share my hind-sight's 20/20 list of what I would like to have had in one place for purchasing the chicks.  These tips came from the store, friends with chickens, books, websites and observation.

What to buy/borrow/build:




Brooder box/pen -- Your chickies are tiny, and need to be very warm and protected.  We borrowed a brooder box that my brother-in-law built himself.  You can also make one out cardboard or a plastic tub.  The key is that it has high enough walls to keep the chicks from jumping out, and netting to be sure, or a lid with ample ventilation.  Make it accessible for cleaning, as you will likely be doing it every day or two -- they are fantastic fertilizer factories.





Feeder & waterer -- You need one feeding space for each chick, and the water can either be gravity-fed or a shallow dish.  The downside to the dish is that they will walk right through it (among other naughty things) and you will be changing it 4-5 times a day to keep it clean.  DH built a gravity fed waterer out of a few things from our recycling bin: an empty honey bottle and an empty potato salad container.  He cut the bottom 1 1/2" off the container, and a two small holes about 1/2" up the honey bottle (keep the rest of the bottle in tact and the lid on).  I then whipped out the trusty hot glue gun.  A few circles of glue on the bottom of the bottle and I placed in in the center of the bowl.  Then I did a round of glue at the base to make sure it was sealed to the container.  Voila!  Instant waterer -- the water lasts a day or so.


Chicken Starter (or Starter/Grower) -- You should ask if the chicks are vaccinated (against Coccidiosis), that will determine if you need medicated or unmedicated feed.  If they are vaccinated the medicated feed will nullify it, so this is very important!  You don't want your chickies sick!

Brooder Lamp and bulb -- Those chickies want to be around 95 degrees to begin with -- they'll get sick/die if they get too cold or catch a draft.  You lower the temp by about 5 degrees every week until they are ready for the ambient temperatures around your home/outside.  There are white and red bulbs.  We bought a white one, and then I did more reading and discovered the red is the better way to go.  The white bulb may lead them to be more aggressive or see veins in their fellow chicks and peck at them -- cannibalism is not something you want in your chickens -- it's almost impossible to break, from what I've read.  The red bulb also helps them be more calm and sleep better as it's not so bright.  The chickens' behavior will tell you if your lamp is too close or too far away.  If they are huddled together under the bulb, they are cold; if they are scattered to the corners, the bulb is too close, etc.


Bedding -- They need to be clean!  Pine (never cedar -- which is toxic) shavings work great for this for the young chicks.  Our brooder box has a wire floor, so we have newspaper underneath like in a bird cage.  However we still use some shavings just for something of interest -- bored chickens can get aggressive (kinda like boys, I'm thinking).  They like to have something to scratch at, a natural behavior.



Perches -- By 4-6 days old, chicks will perch (another natural behavior) if there's something available.  If there's nothing, they will perch on the feeder -- and do naughty things in that too (think fertilizer again).  So DH took a few small tree branches he had trimmed off earlier in the week and sawed them flat to sit on the brooder floor -- easy perches!  Most of our birds are sleeping on them now.


Corral, Run & Coop/Shelter -- When they are around 4 weeks old, if it's warm enough, they can start having some outside time during the day in the sunshine.  We plan on using a 6-panel kid-pen that we had used for our own kids.  Cardboard or fencing would also work.  Eventually they will move into the chicken run/dog pen and we will need a shelter built for them.  The key with the shelter is for it to be draft-free when it's cold and predator free all the time.  More on coops later, as we discover that and build our own.

A few words on kids and pets:

I would caution you to make the boundaries clear with both your kids and your current pets.  Our boys have been told no kids touch the chicks until they are 1 month old.  Over-handling these fragile babies could kill them.

Our GSD is fascinated by them.  We had to lay down the orders a few times when she rushed the box.  A quick grab to the scruff, laid her on her back, and a stern voice has deterred her for the most part.  She is more interested when we are hovering over the box, but if we are not she typically leaves them alone. She's a bit jealous of the attention they are getting, I think.  We will continue to monitor her around the chickens, as she is a dog and subject to her instincts either way -- never forget that, even the best dog is still an animal.

All in all we are very excited for this adventure!  The kids greet and say good-bye to the chicks multiple times a day.  Even my TV-obsessed, nearly adhd DS1 would sit for a half-hour or more watching these babies!  DS3 wants to take a nap with them (they nap once or twice an hour).  DS2 is the resident expert -- he's all about what the chicks need and wanting to help -- I can see him joining the coop-construction crew very soon!  I'm even drawn in to watch them interact many times.  I've always found animal behavior interesting (dog packs and bird flocks alike).  What a great learning experience this is; I can't wait to discover this as we go...and as they grow!