It's Chick Time! Getting Started With Layer Hens

Keeping a flock of laying hens offers quite a few benefits.  In addition to the fresh eggs, you'll have lots of manure to compost for your garden, there will  be fewer ticks, beetles and bugs around your property (if your hens are free-range), and a hungry flock will eagerly consume your carrot parings, apple cores, wilted lettuce and other vegetable refuse.  If you're thinking of raising your own laying hens, Whitman's can help.  We've started taking chick orders already, and will continue taking orders through the end of June (last date for ordering is July 1).  We also have all the feed and supplies you'll need to raise your layers and keep them healthy, happy and productive throughout their lives.

STARTING WITH CHICKS

Before your chicks arrive, you need to have their living quarters set up.  You'll need:

• A brooder.  This can be anything from a cardboard box, old stock tank or bathtub to a commercially-made brooder box.  You need to be sure it's large enough to accommodate the number of chicks you're getting, and that it's located in a dry, draft-free area (cold and dampness will kill chicks very quickly).  It should also have sides at least 18" high to prevent chicks from escaping, and it should be easy to clean.  It's often a good idea to start with a space larger than you think you'll need; you can always block part of it off when chicks are young and move the barrier as they grow and require more room.
• Bedding.  You want at least 2" of bedding to absorb messes and keep the brooder dry.  Pine shavings are good for chicks - they're soft, easy to clean out, and readily available.  You can also use ground corn cobs, peat moss, chopped straw or a commercial coop bedding like Lucerne's Koop Clean.  Don't use cedar bedding, as it can cause respiratory problems.  Sift through the bedding frequently, remove soil, and add more bedding as needed.
• A heat lamp.  Young chicks need warmth - around 90°F is their optimal temperature - and a heat lamp is the most reliable and easily-regulated heat source.  A hanging lamp is best, as you'll control temperature by raising or lowering the lamp.  A couple of days before your chicks arrive, experiment to find out what height is going to keep the brooder at the optimal temperature, and leave a thermometer in the brooder overnight to make sure the temperature remains constant.  Be sure to have the lamp on so the brooder is warm when your chicks arrive.  You'll reduce the temperature in the brooder by about 5°F each week down to a minimum of 55°F.
• A water fountain.  Clean, fresh water is essential for chicks (and for chickens), and while you can improvise and use pans, plastic containers or pie dishes, such containers aren't ideal.  They're easy for the chicks to poop in, and if a chick falls into or stands in one, they can get fatally chilled or even drown.  We carry several sizes of fountains - smaller is often better for chicks, as they don't require as much water as grown chickens, and the water - since it will be replenished more often - will stay fresher.
• Feeders.  We carry small, round chick feeders with multiple holes that the chicks stick their heads in to access the feed.  They make it easier for all chicks to get ample food, and they help keep things cleaner. You can use paper plates or other containers, but chicks are messy eaters and don't mind standing in their food, pooping in it and kicking it around.  That means a messy floor that will need cleaning more frequently.  Feeders will prevent this problem, and keep your chicks healthier, as they lower the risk of coccidiosis (a protozoan parasite that chicks pick up by eating droppings in their food, water or litter).  
• Feed.  Chicks, like any newborn creature, need a food formulated especially for them.  We carry Blue Seal's Home Fresh Chick Starter, which is a medicated feed that contains a preventative against coccidiosis.  If you prefer to go organic and unmedicated, we have Green Mountain Feeds Chick Starter (and other Green Mountain Organic chicken feed).
• Grit.  Hens don't have teeth, so all the grinding of their food is done in the gizzard,  If they're outside, they'll pick up and swallow tiny pebbles; these will go into the gizzard and be used to "chew" the food.  We sell chick grit by the pound so you don't have to buy 50 lbs. for your four chicks!

AS THEY GROW

Be sure to handle your chicks frequently.  This will make them easier to deal with if you have to restrain them for veterinary treatment, transportation or any other reason. But be sure you don't nuzzle or kiss your chicks, and that you wash your hands thoroughly after handling them or their equipment, or cleaning their box.  Chickens can carry and transmit salmonella, so good hygiene is a must. 

Your chicks will require more room as they grow, and their nutritional needs will change as well.  When your chicks are about 8 weeks old, you can change them from the chick starter to a grower crumble (like Blue Seal's Grow & Show).  It's lower in protein than the starter, and the best choice for your birds until they start laying at around 20 weeks.  At that point, you'll need to switch them to a layer mash, pellet or crumble, which will contain extra calcium for egg shell formation.  You can also offer oyster shells for supplemental calcium, which many hens love.

So, if you're ready to start a laying flock, stop on in,  We have a number of books on raising your chicks and caring for your layers, like Chick Days by Jenna Woginrich, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, and Keep Chickens by Barbara Kilarski.  You can also ask our resident chicken guru, Todd "Chicken Man" Saunders any questions you may have - just give him a call at 802/442-2851.