The chicken pen and yard are ready to go and now all you need are the chicks.
It is best to be prepared for their arrival or else it can be very chaotic.
The following are a few helpful tips on how to raise baby chicks into healthy adult chickens.
1.
) When the chicks arrive examine them thoroughly.
If you notice the birds look diseased or are in anything but perfect condition you should let the postal worker inspect the chickens too, as it is a requirement that postal employees must verify shipments and certify if in good condition.
If your chicks are anything but healthy alert proper authorities about the situation for immediate assistance.
2.
) Before you put the chicks into their new home you have to be sure the chicken pen is the right temperature, which in general is 90 degrees.
Once you are certain the area is warm enough put the chicks inside and leave the temperature at 90 for the next week.
As they grow they need less and less heat so you can reduce the temperature by 5 degrees for the next 5 weeks.
After this the chickens will no longer need a permanently heated pen but they do need enough space to move around freely.
Do not remove the heat source entirely as you will need it on particularly cold days and the chicks should be able to get closer to or farther from the heat source depending on their own body temperatures.
3.
) Provide a gallon of fresh, cool, clean water with a half a cup of sugar on a daily basis.
This will give the chicks the energy they need without adding anything artificial.
There is no need to add chemicals regardless of what you may have heard.
4.
) Mix fine grit with your chicken feed and generously sprinkle the mixture inside the pen daily to allow the chicks to eat it throughout the day at their leisure.