As a few of my friends might know, we recently adopted some baby chicks to take care of. I have never in my life owned a baby chick, nor did I really know anything about them. So, my husband promised me that we would get baby chicks in March of 2024. After months of begging, he finally agreed and drove me to get my very first baby chick.
The brooder box for my baby chicks
So, we were going to place the baby chicks in a large cardboard box but that wasn’t going to work. My sweet man built me a nice brooder box.
A plastic tub, a carved-out lid with chicken wire attached, and a slit for the wire from the brooder plate to go. We opted for a brooder plate, I will link it down below. My sister led me towards a brooder plate because they’re much safer than a red light for chicks. I’m so glad she told me about that, our chicks absolutely love it.
Then, we got these feeder and water attachments that screw right onto mason jars. So, we filled them up and got them ready.
We also got them this little jungle gym from Amazon as well, they’re fascinated with the mirror. It also gives them a little something extra to play on.
Feed and bedding
For the bedding, we started out with newspaper. The lady at the feed store told me it was okay to just use newspaper. So, I did that for the first week. Our chicks started practicing their “scratching” and I felt like they needed shavings to help out. So, we got pine shavings for them.
It’s not recommended that you use cedar shavings and they can be overpowering to the chickens.
For the feed, we’re using a chick starter. Unfortunately, all that’s around me is a Purina brand chick starter. We will be making a trip soon to buy 100% organic food for the chicks. I want to do this right!
The gathering of the baby chicks
We started off with two little chicks, one Cinnamon Queen (named Gertrude) and one Barred Rock (named Beatrice). And then it hit me, I was absolutely obsessed with chickens. Although, I knew I would be I just didn’t know the level of obsession it would bring.
The next week, we got two more and added them to the growing flock. Chicken math. That’s just what it is, okay? Okay. Our local feed store had a few different types of baby chicks I wanted, one in particular. They had Buff Orpingtons, I needed to have the adorable little yellow chick. It was a must. So we picked up one Buff (named Betty) and one RIR (Rhode Island Red) (named Rose).
So, we put them in with Gertrude and Beatrice and they were all one happy family. Except Betty, Betty seemed unwell the day I brought her home. I can fix her, I’ll perk her right up.
Betty the Buff Baby Chick
Oh, Betty. Where do I begin? Betty, my absolute favorite chick. Sweetest chick you’ll ever meet. By the way, don’t have favorite chickens. So Betty was very weak, sick, and just overall not a healthy baby bird. I gave her electrolytes and tried to get her to drink and eat. She was eating fine and drinking fine. For some reason, she didn’t have the strength to walk or keep her eyes open.
I checked on all the chicks an hour prior to make sure everyone was still chirping. All was fine, in the brooder. An hour later, I heard the birds screaming. Betty had passed. She had died in her water bowl because she was so weak.
So, I scooped poor soaking wet Betty out of the waterer and we gave her a funeral. She is now buried beside one of my new flower beds. Then, Rose the RIR was left without a friend. I was not expecting a death so soon, only a week and a half of owning chickens, I felt like a failure.
Although I know there was nothing I could’ve done, I still felt terrible. But, I’ve learned that’s how the chicken world is, fleeting. They can keel over for no reason sometimes, so, be prepared for that.
How chicken math works
So, as I said, Rose was left without her friend. You shouldn’t really buy just ONE chick, you need to at least buy them in pairs. They’re birds who need their friends, to brave the new coop with.
We took another trip to the locally owned feed store and got two more chicks. They didn’t have many left so we decided to grab two of the “assorted colored egg layers”. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know all my chicken breeds yet. There’s so much to learn.
If any of you know these breeds, let me know! My sister suspects this one might be an Easter egger, so that’s exciting. The brown one is Esther, she is the sweetest chick. Her fluffy cheeks are my favorite. Again, I’m NOT having a favorite this time.
And the yellow chick with white wings is Lou. Lou is her own woman, she doesn’t rely on no man, or mother hen (me). She’s a very skittish chick, not the friendliest but that’s okay. I love her for who she is.
My advice for new mother hens
So, I won’t say I wasn’t warned because I totally was. I will share my experience and advice if you’re flocking to the chicken world. Here’s the hard truth: baby chicks die, chickens die. A lot of the time for no reason, natural causes or predators. If you have a baby chick already, you’ve most likely experienced it.
We haven’t put them outside yet so I’m preparing myself for the worst. While also preparing I will be making sure they’re predator predator-proof as they can be.
Being a chicken owner isn’t for the weak hearted I’ve come to learn. I got attached to Betty in the four days that I knew her, I was devastated when she passed. So, just be prepared for losses, as I’m learning this is the way with them.
Enjoy them, play with them, and spend time with them! So far, I have enjoyed every minute with my chicks. They grow up so terribly fast! It’s okay though, you can always get more chicks!
Chicken math is real. I didn’t understand it, but now I do. 4 chicks are turning into 10 very quickly.
Buy the bigger coop. Like I said, chicken math.
So here’s my story so far! I’ll be updating you on their progress in future posts! But for now, I’m going to go play with my babies, haha.
Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to check out the rest of my blog!
Awee I love this. ❤
❤❤