If you are bringing some chicks home for the first time, the best piece of advice I can give you is to have everything ready BEFORE you bring them home!
Laying hens have been one of the best additions we have added to our homestead and not just because my husband can eat a dozen eggs by himself. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to wake up in the morning and gather food right outside of our door.
The one thing you should absolutely have ready is a coop. Chickens grow faster than you think.
Something you will need to decide before you go buy your chicks is whether or not you are going to have them inside or outside while they are still little. Either way, you will need all of these things available for them.
When you are ready to bring your chicks home, these are the items you are going to need:
A heat/brooder lamp or brooder
Chicks need to stay warm so this is something they absolutely need. We chose an electric brooder instead of a heat lamp, but a heat lamp will work just fine. Heat lamps can be a fire hazard so you should do your own research to figure out what is right for your household.
A chicken feeder
There are all different kinds of chicken feeders. Different materials, different colors, different sizes. I would suggest going with one that you won’t have to fill as frequently.
A chicken waterer
The information above applies to this as well!
Bedding
Depending on your coop setup, you may need bedding. We currently use astro turf in our hen house, but we use pine bedding in our nesting boxes. We purchased the smallest type of shavings so that the shavings will compost faster.
Starter feed
Chickens need different types of feed depending on their age. Chicks will need starter feed in the beginning. When they start laying eggs you can switch to layer feed. When you pick up their feed you will notice that there are two types, medicated and non-medicated. Now the feed thing can be a controversial chicken topic. Sometimes the chicks are vaccinated for coccidiosis at the hatcheries they come from and sometimes they are not. Whether you want to buy medicated/unmedicated feed or get vaccinated/unvaccinated chicks is something you will need to do research on and decide for yourself.
